Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, etc.] By whom is meant, the third person in the Trinity; so called, to distinguish him from all other spirits; and who was given to Christ as man, without measure, whereby he was qualified for his great work: and intends the Spirit of Jehovah, with all his gifts and graces, who was, and abode on Christ, as a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, of counsel and of might, of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord; he was upon him, and in him, the first moment of his conception, which was by his power; and he visibly descended on him at his baptism; and the phrase denotes the permanency and continuance of him with him: because he hath anointed me; or “that he…”

“To have fixed on any passage announcing His sufferings (as Isa 53:1-12), would have been unsuitable at that early stage of His ministry. But He selects a passage announcing the sublime object of His whole mission, its divine character, and His special endowments for it; expressed in the first person, and so singularly adapted to the first opening of the mouth in His prophetic capacity, that it seems as if made expressly for this occasion. It is from the well-known section of Isaiah's prophecies whose burden is that mysterious "SERVANT OF THE LORD," despised of man, abhorred of the nation, but before whom kings on seeing Him are to arise, and princes to worship; in visage more marred than any…”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me - Or, I speak by divine appointment. I am divinely inspired to speak. There can be no doubt that the passage in Isaiah had a principal reference to the Messiah. Our Saviour directly applies it to himself, and it is not easily applicable to any other prophet. Its first application might have been to the restoration of the Jews from Babylon; but the language of prophecy is often applicable to two similar events, and the secondary event is often the most important. In this case the prophet uses most striking poetic images to depict the return from Babylon, but the same images also describe the appropriate work of the Son of God. Hath anointed me - Anciently…”

“He hath anointed me - With the Spirit. He hath by the power of his Spirit which dwelleth in me, set me apart for these offices. To preach the Gospel to the poor - Literally and spiritually. How is the doctrine of the ever - blessed trinity interwoven, even in those scriptures where one would least expect it? How clear a declaration of the great Three - One is there in those very words, The Spirit - of the Lord is upon me! To proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised - Here is a beautiful gradation, in comparing the spiritual state of men to the miserable state of those captives, who are not only cast into prison, but,…”

“4:18-19 The time of the Lord’s favor refers to the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-55), when debts were erased, slaves were freed, and land was returned to its original owners. In Isa 61, the Year of Jubilee is a metaphor for God’s salvation.”

“Spirit: Psa 45:7; Isa 11:2-5, Isa 42:1-4, Isa 50:4, Isa 59:21 anointed: Psa 2:2, Psa 2:6 \*marg. Dan 9:24; Joh 1:41; Act 4:27, Act 10:38 to preach: Luk 6:20, Luk 7:22; Isa 29:19; Zep 3:12; Zac 11:11; Mat 5:3, Mat 11:5; Jam 2:5 to heal: Ch2 34:27; Psa 34:18, Psa 51:17, Psa 147:3; Isa 57:15, Isa 66:2; Eze 9:4 to preach deliverance: Psa 102:20, Psa 107:10-16, Psa 146:7; Isa 42:7, Isa 45:13, Isa 49:9, Isa 49:24, Isa 49:25, Isa 52:2, Isa 52:3; Zac 9:11, Zac 9:12; Col 1:13 and: Psa 146:8; Isa 29:18, Isa 29:19, Isa 32:3, Isa 35:5, Isa 42:16-18, Isa 60:1, Isa 60:2; Mal 4:2; Mat 4:16, Mat 9:27-30, Mat 11:5; Joh 9:39-41, Joh 12:46; Act 26:18; Eph 5:8-14; Th1 5:5, Th1 5:6; Pe1 2:9; Jo1 2:8-10 bruised:…”