Even today the Apostles, in fact, all of us, are sent by God to proclaim the gospel. The gospel is there for all people, because all suffer from sin.
When Jesus read from the Torah in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, he read Isaiah 61: 1–2: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”
Then Jesus looked at all the people who had gathered and said that this was Him (Luke 4: 21). Jesus kept on emphasising that He had come for the poor, for the oppressed, the sick, and the sad. These were the ones who especially needed Him. But here is the good news for all those who can say of themselves: “I am not actually poor, supressed, sick, or sad. So does the gospel apply to me as well?” Yes, because although Jesus specifically addresses the poor here, He is also addressing those who are poor in a figurative sense:
- those who are humble and know that they need grace,
- those who suffer because they are separated from God on account of sin, and
- those who are trapped in sin.
It was to them that Jesus preached the gospel, and He sent the Apostles to spread the gospel further. And still today, the Apostles, and all of us, are sent by God to proclaim the gospel. The gospel is for everyone, because everyone suffers from sin. We are commissioned by God to say: “God wants to free people from sin and bring them back into fellowship with Him.” Some will accept the gospel, others will not. Let us not be discouraged by this. It will not stop the Lord from completing His work.
Heartfelt greetings,
Jean-Luc Schneider
May 2022