What does Jesus mean by saying “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”?

When Jesus says, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears,” He is claiming that the passage He just read from Isaiah is being carried out in Him right then. Isaiah spoke about someone anointed by the Spirit to bring good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, free captives, open blind eyes, and set the oppressed free. Jesus is saying, “That person is Me, and that work is starting now.” It is not just a promise for the future anymore. In Him, God’s long-awaited time of favor and rescue has arrived.

What is the significance of the Spirit of the Lord being upon Jesus in this passage?

The passage says Jesus returns to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” and then reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me.” This shows that His teaching and miracles are not just human effort, but the work of God’s Spirit through Him. The Spirit marks Him out as the one God chose and sent. His mission to preach good news to the poor, heal the broken, free captives, and confront demons all flows from this Spirit-given authority. It explains why His words have power and why unclean spirits must obey Him.

Who are “the poor, the captives, the blind, and the bruised” that Jesus mentions?

When Jesus speaks of the poor, captives, blind, and bruised, He is talking about people in need in more than one way. It includes those who are poor and oppressed in everyday life, but also those who know they are spiritually needy, burdened by sin, guilt, and darkness. Captives are people held by sin or by Satan’s power. The blind are not just those without physical sight, but those who cannot see God’s truth until He opens their eyes. The bruised are the crushed and brokenhearted. Jesus is saying His mission is especially for such people.

Why did the people in Nazareth move from admiring Jesus to trying to kill Him?

At first, the people in Nazareth are impressed by Jesus’ gracious words and amazed that someone they know speaks like this. But when He reminds them that no prophet is accepted in his own country, and then mentions how Elijah helped a widow in Sidon and Elisha healed Naaman the Syrian instead of people in Israel, they are offended. His words show that God’s grace is not limited to their town or nation and that unbelief shuts people out of blessings. They do not want to hear that outsiders may receive mercy while they refuse it. Their pride turns admiration into rage, and they try to throw Him off a hill.

Why does Jesus mention Elijah and the widow and Elisha and Naaman in this story?

Jesus brings up Elijah being sent to a widow in Sarepta and Elisha cleansing Naaman the Syrian to make a hard point to His hometown. In both stories, there were many needy people in Israel, yet God’s help went to Gentiles instead. By using these examples, Jesus is showing that God’s grace often goes where there is faith, not just where there is religious privilege. He is warning them that rejecting Him is like Israel’s unbelief in the past. This stings their pride, because it suggests that outsiders might receive what they themselves are refusing.

What does “no prophet is accepted in his own country” teach about Jesus’ rejection?

When Jesus says, “No prophet is accepted in his own country,” He is explaining why the people who watched Him grow up find it hard to receive Him as God’s anointed one. They see Him as “Joseph’s son” and let familiarity block faith. This saying shows that those closest to the outward things of religion can still miss God’s work. It also prepares us for what will happen later in His life, when He is rejected by many of His own people. It helps believers today understand that following Him can bring rejection from those who think they know us best.

What is the “acceptable year of the Lord” that Jesus says He came to preach?

The “acceptable year of the Lord” refers to a special time of God’s favor. It points back to the idea of the year of Jubilee, when debts were canceled and slaves were set free. When Jesus reads this and applies it to Himself, He is saying that He brings a season when God is welcoming people back, forgiving, restoring, and freeing them. It is not about a calendar year, but about the period of His saving work. Through Him, God opens a door of mercy for the poor, broken, and bound to come and be made new.

What does this passage show about Jesus’ authority over demons?

In the synagogue at Capernaum, a man with an unclean spirit cries out and calls Jesus “the Holy One of God,” asking if He has come to destroy them. Jesus simply rebukes the spirit, tells it to be silent, and commands it to come out. The demon throws the man down but cannot harm him and must obey. The people are amazed because they see that His word is not like ordinary teaching. His command carries real power over the unseen world. This shows that His mission includes breaking the hold of evil spirits and bringing true freedom.

How can this passage about Nazareth and Capernaum apply to my life today?

This passage invites you to respond to Jesus with humble faith instead of the pride and unbelief seen in Nazareth. He still comes by His Spirit to those who are poor in spirit, brokenhearted, and bound by sin or fear. You can come to Him as the one anointed to bring good news and freedom. It also warns against treating Him as too “familiar” to take seriously, like the people who thought of Him only as Joseph’s son. Finally, His authority over demons reminds you that His word still has power to confront what is dark and destructive in your life.

Why were people astonished at Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue?

People in both Nazareth and Capernaum react strongly to Jesus’ teaching. They are struck by the graciousness of His words and by the power that comes with them. In Capernaum they say, “What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.” His teaching is not empty talk. It brings clarity about God’s mercy to the poor and broken, and it is backed up by real spiritual authority. This mix of kindness and power is what makes people astonished and spreads His fame through the region.

Luke.4.14

Luke 4:14

KJV Holy Spirit

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

Cross References

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