Isaiah 61:1-11
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketha himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Passing from the description of material prosperity, the prophecy describes the inner secret, namely, spiritual realization. This description opens with a new declaration of the Servant of the Lord. The anointed Messenger declares His appointment, and describes His program. All the deliverance described is to be due to the message which He delivers. In the light of the use made of this passage by Christ, it is interesting to consider the program.
"To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" is the first item. At that point Jesus ceased His reading in the synagogue. Next will come "the day of vengeance of our God." That will be the period of judgment. Beyond it, "to comfort all that mourn." Therefore the description of the glorious restoration has reference to what still lies in the future. In that future the people of God will be His priests, His ministers. Themselves redeemed from shame and from confusion, they will exert an influence for righteousness among the peoples, who, in their turn, will recognize the truth and submit themselves to it.