In the Gospel reading of today we find Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth on a sabbath day. He gets up to read the scripture and the passage he reads is full of significance. It comes from the prophet Isaiah and Jesus' reading of it amounts to a manifesto or what we might call today a "mission statement". But it is more than just a mission statement. As he reads it becomes clear that the whole statement is about Jesus himself. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." This has already been confirmed during his baptism in the river Jordan when "the Holy Spirit came down on him in the form of a dove" and a voice was heard to say, "You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased" (Lk. 3:22). "Because he has anointed me." In saying this Jesus is making an unequivocal claim to be the Messiah or the Christ (the Anointed One), the long-awaited liberating King of Israel. His mission is clear and perhaps surprising. There is nothing here of restoring the glories of Israel, nothing about conquering enemies and laying waste their lands. No, it is about letting the poor of this world hear the Good News of God's love for them. It is about healing and reconciliation. It is about liberating those who are tied down by any form of enslavement.