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The Biblical Basis of Integral (Holistic) Mission

The Spirit of the Lord is on me... 

"... because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour." Isa 61.1-2; Luke 4.18-19

The passage in Luke is often given the title: ‘Jesus rejected at Nazareth.’ That is part of it. It reinforces Jesus’ identity as a prophet – just at those before him were rejected (e.g. Elijah, the first prophet, v26), so will Jesus.

It ought, perhaps, to be entitled ‘Jesus’ Manifesto’. This has more of a focus on what Jesus actually says (rather than the hometown’s rejection of him). Jesus 'owns' the Isaiah quote by claiming that it is fulfilled today (their today), in a region inhabited by Judeans, in his home town.

So what do we notice about Jesus’ manifesto (quote is from Isa 61:1-2)?

The Good News Jesus is proclaiming is:

  1. A great example of integral mission (ministry to the whole person, not just their ‘soul’) – poor, captives, blind, oppressed. Jesus announces it’s the Jubilee year, when all debts will be forgiven! The poor will be redeemed from their poverty, those wrongly imprisoned will be released, the oppressed will find justice. The Good News is about redemption of the whole person in their social, economic, political and spiritual context. vv18-19. Also, Jesus’ focus is on those who are outside the boundaries of God’s people for various reasons – think of the ‘poor’ in the book of Ruth – Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, who is a Moabite, go to live in Naomi’s hometown, but lack land, food, etc. Not only that, they lack descendants – male heirs to continue Elimelek’s line, as will his honourable name. Without those, his family, and his illustrious name, will disappear into obscurity. What happens instead? The formerly excluded (from God’s people, especially Ruth herself) are now included, because of the acts of Boaz, their close relative, or ‘kinsman-redeemer’, who is willing to take a risk on their behalf – he risks his own property (land, animals, etc.) to help them get back into farming Elimelek’s land, and making sure Elimelek has some descendants to live on it! Ruth 4.
  2. Inclusive of those from other ethnic backgrounds (not just Judeans). Jesus himself grew up as a Judean – that’s an ethnic group, primarily, rather than a geographic location (he didn’t live in biblical ‘Judah’). As examples Jesus retells the story of two First Testament characters: the widow of Zarephath (who was released from poverty and who’s son was brought back from the dead; 1 Kgs 17 – Elijah was the prophet); Naaman the Syrian (who was healed of a skin disease 2 Kgs 5 – Elisha was the prophet). vv25-27. It’s amazing how many biblical narratives are about non-Judeans being included in God’s family. Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman Mark 7:24-30.
You can watch the Lumo video clip about the Syrophoenician woman here: https://youtu.be/hOQBtCXse3M?si=E9DLeR6CcngNs-Fw&t=182

So, here's an application: Jesus has come for the downtrodden, the oppressed. Most of the people we (in our organisation) work with live in the two-thirds (or ‘majority’) world, those who ‘eat the children’s crumbs’ - literally, in some cases. We are very aware of that as we work with them, which is why we are not just involved in Scripture engagement, but literacy and trauma healing and so on and so forth. The Scriptures are still needed, of course, so that workshops like Trauma healing can run in the local languages.

Another application is this: Jesus came for people from all ethnic backgrounds. Some have come to us as refugees; let’s welcome and help them. Others need reaching in places like West Africa and East Asia where there are still many unreached people groups and therefore translation needs (on top of churches asking for Bible translation).

See also: my earlier blog on Integral Mission

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