Good News for Poor People

One small synagogue wey dem build with stone, for one town wey dey on top hill. Na Sabbath day. One young man stand up, and di attendant give am one scroll. E open am, find di place wey e want, and e begin read. Every eye for di room dey on top am.

We go come back to dat synagogue. But first, make we look di words wey dey di scroll. Dem come from di book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-one, words wey God talk to im people for hard time. Plenty of dem poor. Plenty dey mourn. Some dey owe debt, some dey captivity, some just siddon for di ashes of di house wey dem bin get before. For Israel law, God bin give one special rule wey dem call Jubilee. Every fiftieth year, dem go cancel debt, free slaves, and give family land back to di owners. New start for everybody. Dem call am di year of freedom. Isaiah words carry dat hope and make am big pass as e ever be.

Somebody dey talk, and na about imself e dey talk. Di Spirit of di Lord God dey on top me, because di Lord don anoint me to preach good news to di humble. E don send me make I tie up di people wey dia heart don break, make I announce freedom to di captives, and make I open di door for di people wey dem tie. Anointed. God choose am and fill am with im Spirit, like di servant for Isaiah songs wey come before. And look di work wey dem give am. Good news, for di humble and di poor. Bandage, for heart wey don break. Freedom, for captives. Open door, for prisoners. Everybody wey di world don forget, na dem dey first for im list.

God send am make e announce di year wey di Lord go show favour, and di day wey our God go take revenge; make e comfort everybody wey dey mourn. One full year of God kindness, Jubilee wey no get im mate. Then one fine picture of exchange. To di people wey dey mourn for Zion, e go give dem crown of flowers instead of ashes, oil of joy instead of mourning, cloth of praise instead of heavy spirit. For dat time, people wey dey mourn dey siddon for ashes, dem dey pour sand for dia head. Now dem don change di ashes for fine headtie of celebration. Di grey of mourning don change to oil wey dey make face shine. Di heavy spirit don change to cloth of praise. And dem go call di people trees of righteousness, wey di Lord plant, so dat e go get glory. Strong trees wey dia root go deep, wey God imself plant.

Now, make we go back to dat synagogue for Nazareth. Di young man na Jesus. Na for dis town e grow, and people know im family. E read: Di Spirit of di Lord dey on top me, because e don anoint me to preach good news to di poor. E read reach di line about di year wey di Lord go accept people. Then e stop. E roll di scroll, give am back to di attendant, and e siddon, because na so teacher dey do before e start to teach. Di whole room quiet, everybody dey look am. And Jesus talk: Today, dis scripture don happen as una dey hear am. Today. No be one day for future. Di person wey Isaiah hear dey talk dey stand for dia front. E use im whole life do dis exact thing: e welcome di poor, e heal di people wey dey pain, e set people free.

Di Jubilee words still dey ring today, and e no be just talk. Di Liberty Bell for Philadelphia, wey dem cast for di seventeen-fifties for di State House wey America Declaration of Independence later sign for, get one writing on top am from di Jubilee law for Leviticus chapter twenty-five, verse ten. E talk say make dem announce freedom for di whole land, to everybody wey dey live inside. For di eighteen-thirties, di people wey dey fight against slavery take di bell as dia sign, and na dem give am di name Liberty Bell.

Good news for poor people. Na Isaiah chapter sixty-one be dat, verse one reach three, and Luke chapter four. Jesus come for di people wey dia heart don break, di captives and di people wey dey mourn. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who dey around you wey need good news, comfort or new start, and how you fit show dem Jesus kindness?