The Gospel is Good News

Daily Gratitude Year 6- Day 92: Today, I am grateful for the gospel that makes the way. 

What do we know about the origins of the word "gospel"? Gospel means: the teachings of Jesus Christ about salvation and restoration. The four gospels are the books that record Jesus time on earth and his ministry highlights, crucifixion and resurrection. The Good News of Jesus, The Way and the Gospel are other word ways we tie up Jesus's gift of redemption  and salvation in just a few words. Did you know that the word gospel or good news was in the Old Testament, too?

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” -Isaiah 52:7

Here is another OT example that captures the spirit and physical response to good news. 

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.   
-Proverbs 25:25  Yes, good news lifts our spirits and energizes us.

"Basar" is the Hebrew word and verb for "to be fresh, cheerful and gladden with good news". Think rosy cheeked with cheerfulness and good health because of good news.

Jesus began his ministry reading this verse at the Nazareth synagogue on the Sabbath:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor (or afflicted); he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (or restore sight to the blind); Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:17-19,  

After the daily Torah reading of Isaiah 61, Jesus upsets the temple leaders when he declares that “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21) Well, sometimes the truth is shocking and uncomfortable, even when it is ultimately good news.  The Old Testament and New Testament are not "before and after" books. They fit together like a puzzle that amazes me every time and fills me with awe for his timing and his ways. 

Knowing who Jesus is gives a sense of revelation to Isaiah 61. Jesus was the Good News being revealed  and would make a way for those lost to return. His sinless life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection would open up the welcome for all who would choose to follow him. 

By the way... he did not randomly choose that passage. The daily temple torah reading schedule is not random. It was determined long before he arrived. It was his home synagogue. It was the same scripture read in ever synagogue on that day as established by Torah reading plan.  

There is nothing accidental in the orchestration of God reaching down to rescue his most special creation. Us. The wonder of it amazes me. We were born into sin, but before we were born, he died to set us free from the chains. 

Earworm has been singing Ryan Stevenson's "The Gospel" since I woke up this morning. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6HUtx0h_s

To the captive, it looks like freedom
To the orphan, it feels like home
To the skeptic, it might sound crazy
To believe in a God who loves
In a world, where our hearts are breaking
And we're lost in the mess we've made
Like a blinding light, in the dead of night
It's the Gospel
The Gospel that makes a way
It's the Gospel that makes a way.

The gospel is the truth of the hope that can heal us and set us free. 

Today, I am grateful for the gospel that makes the way.