Luke 4:17-21
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Lewis Carroll’s, Alice in Wonderland, is a children’s classic. In this scene, the White Queen lectures Alice on believing the impossible:
“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.
“Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath and shut your eyes.”
Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Seven hundred years before Jesus was standing in this synagogue in Luke 4, the prophet Isaiah wrote about a Messiah that would come—a Savior who would bring good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight to the blind and a new beginning for the oppressed. The Jews had been reading this promise for 7 centuries—praying, hoping, wondering. Jesus saw this opportunity and pounced. He unrolled Isaiah 61 from the scroll and said the waiting is over, the Messiah has arrived, it’s time to start believing six impossible things before breakfast.
Lord Jesus, stir up faith in my heart today. Faith to believe that “what is” can change. Faith to believe that no matter how overwhelmingly large that mountain, it can move at Your command. I believe O Lord, please help my unbelief. Nothing is too hard for You. Nothing is impossible for You. You can make a way where there seems to be no way. Deepen my roots of trust and confidence in You today. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.