Isaiah 61:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Just as He underwent baptism without needing it, since the Spirit was already within Him before His baptism, as it is declared: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you (Luke 1:35). Similarly, during His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, not for purification, since He was already holy and sanctifies all, nor to perform miraculous deeds, which He could achieve through His divinity, but to serve as a testimony, as John stated: He who sent me to baptize in water told me, ‘On whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’ (John 1:33). This demonstrates that the manifestation of the Holy Spirit was solely for the purpose of testimony, not because He lacked the Spirit, as John further affirmed: And I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God (John 1:34).

It is evident that the Son of God is indeed God, as the Father Himself provided testimony, saying, This is My beloved Son, listen to Him (Mark 9:7). Christ also stated, I cast out demons by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28), and in another instance, Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). Through these statements, He conveys His unified will and equality with the Holy Spirit, even in His earthly form. We must consider whether He refers to grace or the Holy Spirit. He states, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, not the grace of the Lord. Remarkably, the Spirit of the Lord appeared over God Himself. It was essential for the Holy Spirit to manifest over the incarnate God, allowing the grace of the Spirit to be realized in us through His flesh, Christ. Just as the Spirit appeared over Him as a witness—without Him needing it—so He appears over us, not merely as a witness but to alleviate our spiritual poverty, as it is thus written, ‘The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God’ (Romans 8:16). He reveals to us that the Son shares the same divine nature as the Father; although we are not sons by nature, He sanctifies us and makes us sons by grace.

He was sent to proclaim good news to the impoverished. The term sending here aligns closely with revelation. To whom is He sent, who by His divine nature resides everywhere? He speaks to the needy. Were not the wealthy, rulers, and aristocrats also in need of His proclamation? Indeed, they were beggars in the truest sense; they may have been illustrious in this life, but they were impoverished for eternity. The prophet also designated the first recipients of the gospel as beggars. He was sent to heal the broken-hearted—those whose hearts have been shattered by sin. The Jews and others who accepted the gospel were unworthy. In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). The gates of heaven are opened to the humble; humility fosters all good, while pride leads to ruin. He anointed Me with the Spirit, signifying that He bestowed upon Me a testimony. To distinguish this Anointed One from other prophets and to clarify that He was not merely sent to proclaim the gospel, the prophet adds: to heal the broken-hearted, whether due to sin or sorrow. To affirm that healing is part of His ministry and that He is not a powerless prophet who can only share what He himself has received, He invites, ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28). By asserting, ‘I am,’ He proclaims His absolute and sovereign freedom.

The past blessings were tangible, whereas the current ones are intangible; those pertained to the body, while these renew the soul. This speaks not of the present earthly realm but of the future heavenly one. He rightly calls them beggars, as they have been deprived of such divine blessings. Additionally, He emphasizes the necessity of not only receiving the gospel but also embracing its message. He was sent to mend the broken-hearted. Some are broken due to sorrow, others from sin, and some from both, just as our Lord addressed the paralytic: ‘Behold, you are healed; sin no more’ (John 5:14). Some are crushed by righteousness or from sin; regarding righteousness, it is written, A broken and contrite heart God will not despise (Psalm 51:17); regarding sin, as noted, Repair her damage, for she is shaken (Psalm 59:4). Some are afflicted by the devil, like the bent woman, or due to their transgressions, as it is said, For my iniquities have gone over my head; they are like a heavy burden; they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my folly (Psalm 38:4-5). It is not solely these bodily trials that sap physical strength, but sins that deplete spiritual vigor. The prophet then conveys another blessing to the soul: to proclaim freedom to those held captive, indicating those whose souls are imprisoned. This is evident, as He did not say ‘to grant,’ but ‘to proclaim freedom,’ indicating that the goodness depends on the will of those who are willing to receive it. He came to evangelize so that the desire for goodness would become appealing to them. And to the blind, He offered sight. Although the blind who emerged from Babylon had been blind before their return, they regained their sight thereafter.

In the earlier passages, it was stated that God would gather those called by faith, affirming, “I am the Lord; at the appointed time, I will gather them.” Now, as if the appointed hour had indeed arrived and the promises were being fulfilled through His incarnation—where He has taken on human form and humbled Himself to the point of weariness—He declares, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." Though He is the Only Begotten and truly God, He is also the Holy One who consecrates all creation, having been sent by the Holy Father, from whom the Spirit proceeds and is dispatched with divine authority to those recognizing His manifestation.

How then is He sanctified? While being both divine and human, He confers the Spirit upon creation through His divine nature while receiving it from God the Father through His humanity. This is the essence of the anointing. He elaborates on the purpose of the Incarnation; affirming, “From the Father,” He continues, “He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the needy, to heal the wounded in spirit, to offer release to the captives, and to restore sight to the blind.” This clearly reveals the multitude of glorious acts resulting from the Incarnation of the Only Begotten. His mission was to elevate those across the cosmos and to draw them to God the Father, transforming everything for the better and renewing the face of the earth by taking on the form of a servant, even though He remains the Lord of all.

Thus, He brought good news to the downtrodden, stating that this is the purpose of His mission. The ‘poor’ refers to those who once experienced a deficiency of all good things, living in hopelessness and alienation from God as stated in Scripture (Eph. 2:12). However, the Gentiles, enriched by their faith in Him, have received a heavenly treasure—the gospel's saving message—which has allowed them to partake in the Kingdom of Heaven, share in the saints’ blessings, and inherit benefits beyond what the mind can conceive. As it is written, “The eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

Alternatively, the prophetic declaration could suggest that Christ offers an abundant outpouring of spiritual gifts to those who are poor in spirit. The brokenhearted are those whose spirits are frail and tumultuous, lacking the strength to withstand the onslaught of passions, thus becoming ensnared by them, resembling captives. To such individuals, He offers healing and release; He restores sight to the blind. Those who serve created things, calling a tree “my father” and a stone “you gave birth to me” (Jeremiah 2:27), remain spiritually blind. Their souls are deprived of divine light. To these, the Father sends forth the light of true divine knowledge; for they have been called through faith and have come to know Him (Galatians 4:9; cf. 1 Corinthians 8:3), moving from being children of night and darkness to becoming children of light. Indeed, the day has dawned upon them, the Sun of Righteousness has arisen, and the radiant day has emerged.

Moreover, we cannot forget to relate this to the descendants of Israel. They too were poor and brokenhearted, as if held captive in darkness, for there is none who does good, no, not one; all have turned aside and are lost (Psalm 13:3).

The Psalmist echoed this when he mentioned, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy beyond your companions” (Ps. 44:8). This refers to the anointing not of a physical nature, as seen in the Jewish priesthood, but a spiritual one, indicating that He surpasses all the saints. His anointing occurred at His baptism in the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and remained with Him (John 1:32). The prophet also foretold, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2).

Therefore, after His baptism, the Savior returned to Nazareth, where He had been raised. On the Sabbath, He went to the synagogue as was His custom, and when He stood to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Upon opening it, He found the passage that reported, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). After closing the scroll and giving it back, all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on Him, and He began to declare, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Everyone spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips (Luke 4:22). If the prophecy was realized at that moment, how can some interpret it as referring to a future time? It can be said that it was partially fulfilled then but will find complete realization when all of God’s people are righteous. For now, we understand only in part and prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will disappear (1 Corinthians 13:2-10). Thus, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to share the Good News with the meek, as stated in the Gospels: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:3-5). He was sent to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18), as it is said, “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 50:19), and to bind up the wounds of sin. The mission included delivering the captives, granting sight to the blind, and freeing those in bondage, as further elaborated by the prophet: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth” (Isaiah 42:6-7).

The favorable year and the day of recompense symbolize the entire period of His ministry during His earthly life. The Apostle elucidates this in reference to the Savior's first coming, stating, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2), as previously discussed. However, if recompense is viewed as punishment for sin, it refers to the Jewish people, who faced divine wrath shortly after His suffering. He consoled those in mourning, saying, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4), to provide comfort to those grieving over Zion and to bestow on them a crown of glory instead of ashes. Among them was the Apostle Paul, who expressed profound sorrow over Zion, stating, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” (Rom. 9:2), and again, he wished to be accursed for the sake of his brethren, his fellow Israelites (Rom. 9:3-4). As a result of their tears and mourning, they received the oil of joy instead of ashes, as many Jews came to believe, donning garments of purity rather than those of grief.

The impoverished are those who have turned away from heavenly treasures, the brokenhearted are those whose reasoning has been shattered, the blind are those who lack knowledge of God and instead worship creation, and the captives are those who have aligned themselves with the adversary and lost their former liberty.

The "oil of joy," as interpreted by Theodotion and Symmachus, represents the grace of joy, referencing the mystery of anointing; those deemed worthy receive joy and a glorious attire, with the attire signifying a spiritual garment. Likewise, the blessed David expresses, "Such is the generation of those who seek the Lord" (Ps 23:6). Instead of merely referring to types of righteousness, the "three" imply those endowed with the essence of righteousness, a planting by God for His glory. These individuals serve as exemplary models of godliness, overcoming the world, vanquishing wickedness, and standing as the initial fruits of the Lord, nurtured even in the wilderness.

Thus, the Spirit of God was upon Him – He who had promised through the prophets to consecrate Him, so that we, partaking of the fullness of His consecration, might receive salvation. This is affirmed by Matthew. For the name of Christ encompasses not only the one who consecrates, the anointed one, but also the very oil of anointing itself. The Father is the one who consecrates, and the Son is consecrated through the Spirit, which is this very anointing, as the Word expresses through Isaiah, “The Spirit of God is upon Me, for He has anointed Me” (Is 61:1), thus indicating the Father who anoints, the Son who is set apart, and the Anointing represented by the Spirit.

The Lord advocated for us to pursue spiritual treasures: “Do not,” He instructed, “the things that perish, but the things that abide in eternal life” (John 6:27). He also assured that seeking spiritual riches would, in turn, provide for our physical needs: “Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:31). In this manner, He offered healing not only to the spiritually blind but also to those whose physical sight was impaired. When He humbled Himself and took on human form to illuminate our souls through the Gospel, He also provided healing for physical blindness.

There exists a notable correlation between physical sight and spiritual perception. Among those blind physically, some received their sight instantly, like the man who, upon hearing “See,” was healed immediately. Others experienced gradual restoration, such as the individual who was healed before his sight was restored. In a similar way, among those whose spiritual eyes were opened through faith, some instantly became believers, exemplified by the tax collector who turned evangelist, while others, like Nicodemus, grew in understanding over time.

Among the physically blind, some were restored by merely a word from Christ, as seen with Bartimaeus, while others required more tangible intervention. The blind man from Bethsaida received healing through a mix of Christ’s saliva, suggesting a need for divine interaction for restoration, as his eyes appeared absent, lacking essential moisture. Conversely, a man born without eyes needed the Lord to create them from the earth, an act accomplished through His hands. Thus, the process of receiving physical sight reflects the varied paths to spiritual healing: some required miracles to believe, such as those sent by John the Baptist who questioned, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3). Others, like the centurion, believed upon hearing Christ’s word, demonstrating faith superior to many in Israel.

The mission to preach the gospel to the impoverished was fulfilled at the appointed time, as He announced the kingdom of heaven and blessed His disciples with the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). To the nations ensnared by unseen spiritual oppressors, He proclaimed freedom (Is 61:1) through the disciples He called. He also delivered a message of liberation to those held captive and those suffering from spiritual blindness, enabling them, who were deceived by the allure of idolatry, to gain insight. He heralded the acceptable year of the Lord (Is 61:2), a time He designated for Himself, offering enlightenment to those who sought Him. When He declared, "Preach the favourable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God" (Is 61:2), He was not referring to a distant future beyond the present age, but rather to the present time when He would also reward those who have endured suffering in this life.

However, when Jesus states, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me," He highlights His relationship with the Holy Spirit in His human nature. He was also conceived by the Holy Spirit. When the time arrived for Him to commence His public ministry aimed at humanity's salvation, the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Him at His baptism in the Jordan River, appearing as a dove, and bestowed upon Him an extraordinary measure of gifts, surpassing those given to kings, high priests, and prophets. While these Old Testament figures were sanctified through the grace of the Holy Spirit via anointing with oil, Christ was anointed not with a physical substance but by a direct outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is through this outpouring that the Lord God the Father consecrated Him for the mission ahead, similarly to how kings, high priests, and prophets were appointed through anointing oil. Thus, He is referred to as Christ, meaning the Anointed One, which designation He received after His baptism, as Peter testified, explaining to Cornelius and those with him, "You know what happened throughout all Judea after the baptism preached by John, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went about doing good and healing" (Acts 10:37-38). From His baptism onward, the Holy Spirit continually resided in Jesus, equipping Him with the essential gifts for His ministry, including prophetic insight, the holiness of a high priest, and royal authority. In this verse, Christ references His role as a prophet. He proclaims, "The Spirit of the Lord has sent Me to preach good tidings to the poor." He delivered the joyful message of salvation to the materially poor, who constituted most of His audience, as well as to the spiritually impoverished—those who humbly recognized their spiritual destitution, their inability to achieve salvation alone, and their dependence on God's grace for forgiveness and sanctification. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," He told them, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). - To heal the brokenhearted refers to those who are burdened by deep sorrow for their sins and who may struggle with despair regarding their salvation. Christ brought healing to their hearts, instilling hope for redemption and peace to their troubled souls. - To proclaim to the captives the forgiveness of their sins signifies those oppressed by their inability to liberate themselves from the bondage of sin and the devil. Christ came to this world to release individuals from that captivity and grant them spiritual emancipation. - Blind individuals receive sight, signifying those who have been shrouded in ignorance of the truth, delusion, or superstition. Christ has illuminated their minds with the light of truth.