Embracing Joy

At the inauguration of His public ministry in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus opened up the scroll of Isaiah and read 61:1-2:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (quoted in Lk 4:18-19).

In doing this, Jesus introduced His entire ministry as one that brings freedom, brings healing, and, as a result, brings joy.

Later on in Isaiah 61, joy is said to come about as the result of a great exchange. In verse 7, the prophet predicts a day when shame and disgrace will be traded in for a double portion and for joy. In Ancient Israel, the double portion was the right of the firstborn son, signifying his privileged position within the family (Deut 21:17).

When Jesus came to earth in the Incarnation, He did so as God’s firstborn Son (Heb 1:6) who is preeminent in all things (Col 1:15-20). But God’s Son was intent upon sharing His inheritance as the firstborn with the rest of His brothers and sisters—which had been God’s plan for humanity from the very beginning (Heb 2:10-12; 12:23).

During Advent, we embrace the joy of exchanging our shame for an inheritance as sons and daughters of God.

We look back at the humility of Jesus, thankful that the preeminent Firstborn came down to us in order to restore us to His family. And we also look ahead, anticipating the most joyous family gathering ever when He returns.