So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth, and they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
Their eyes were fixed on Jesus because He was speaking – in fact He is the Gospel – the good news. He is the Living Word of God.
Notice the writings of John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2).
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Yes, they fixed their eyes on Jesus and wondered at His words – so do we! His words convey love, healing, liberty, comfort, and peace to all who will focus on Him.
Our eyes are fixed on Jesus because He is our source. We trust Him and He supplies what we need. Philippians 4:19 tells us God has ordained it to be so: “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
As we live our lives for Him, we continually look with great expectancy for the future. Soon He will come for those who love His appearing. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy, “Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (II Timothy 4:8)
Time has passed since Jesus said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Their eyes were fixed on Him before He died and rose again. Today, our eyes are fixed on Jesus after His death and resurrection. We focus on Him in expectation of His return. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 
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