Close the Book
Luke 4:17–20
17 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:
18 “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;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”20 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.
Jesus, in reading from the prophet Isaiah, stopped half-way through a sentence. He then closed the book, gave it back and sat down. The passage from Isaiah that Jesus read from, finishes by declaring the day of vengeance of our God (Isaiah 61:2). He was unwilling to make that declaration. First, as the Lamb of God, He would personally experience the vengeance and wrath of God on our behalf. Secondly, He came to reveal the love and acceptance of the Father, that His sacrifice would procure. Yes, there still remains a day of judgement and vengeance for all who refuse the offer of salvation. Jesus came however to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Unwilling to have His ministry defined by vengeance, He closed the book.
We likewise can decide what will define us. Will we live with the cry for justice, and the drive for vengeance, or do we long for something greater to define our lives? Many say in recalling a heartache or ordeal, “I could write a book!” They know that within their heart are pages of details - bitter memories, hurtful experiences, wounded emotions, cutting words. They are the stories of brokenness, bitterness, and betrayal.
While the book is open, we reread each detail. Some passages are known by heart, for we have frequently rehearsed the pain, seen the expressions, memorised the words. We then spend hours rewriting the script. Chapters are filled with the words we did not think to say. We negate the comments, rebuff the accusations, and rebuke the perpetrators of our pain. Our words of justification and vindication fill our manuscript, and seep through into our attitudes and actions. We long for justice, retaliation, or acquittal, yet we drown within the pages of our own story.
Like Jesus, we need to close the book. As hard as it is, we need to close the book and stop rereading our stories of heartache and injustice. To close the book is to stop writing our chapters of vindication and righting the wrongs that we have lived through. To close the book is to choose to listen for a voice greater than our own. It is to trust in the One who can rewrite our history.
It is time to close the book and give it back. To do so is to place our stories in His hands. He is the God of justice. He has promised that He will repay. He does not do so however while the book is still in our own hands. While we hold on to the story and cry for justice, He will not move on our behalf. In the process, we deprive our own heart of the healing power of His mercy and forgiveness.
To give the book back is to silence the cry for vengeance. It is being willing to forgive when we would rather condemn. Only the Lord has the wisdom and insight to judge. Though we long for justice, vengeance is a cup that will poison our heart. It’s time to give the book back and release forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Refuse to be a captive of the past. Don’t allow yourself to be bound to people and the pain of your past. Release them, and in so doing, release yourself.
To give the book back is to also release control. It is to entrust to Him the heartache, the sorrow, the mystery, and complexity of brokenness that has touched and wounded us. While we may never know why, we can know that He is with us. We can trust Him to heal our heart and to restore our lives.
When we no longer hold the book, we are free to simply sit down. To sit down is to place ourselves in a posture of rest. It is to declare that we will let God finish the sentence and complete the chapter in His time. To sit, is to rest in the peace that He provides. He is the One who holds our past, our present and our future. He is the One who gives beauty for ashes, who brings treasure out of brokenness, who turns what the devil meant for evil into something good and glorious.
The day will come when all books will be opened. It is a day of vengeance, for it is a day when justice will be revealed. It is also a day when we will see the light afflictions that have been our story, turned into something glorious, which will last for eternity. If we have chosen to close the book, then we will discover on that day, that when we gave it back, He started to write. He wrote of a destiny that we dimly see. He wrote of the power of forgiveness to transform lives. He wrote of the joy that lives beyond adversity. He wrote the story of our life from the perspective of heaven, where every trial is an opportunity for patience and perfection (James 1:2-4), where the gold of our faith, though tested by fire, brings praise, honour, and glory (1 Peter 1:7).
You have a glorious story that is being written for all to read and celebrate. For now, there are times when pages are covered with tears and some chapters are hard to walk through. At such times, remember to close the book, give it back and sit down. Know that it is safe in His hands, and allow Him to write the next chapter of your story.
Consider:
Are you in a “chapter” of your story that is hard to walk through? Jesus knows where you are at. He wants to write the rest of this chapter and prepare you for the next.
Do you struggle trying to rewrite some of the chapters of your life? What would it look like to close the book, give it back to Jesus and sit down and rest?
Prayer Prompts:
Lord, what do I need to know about the season I am in?
I find it hard Jesus to let go of the sense of injustice and betrayal. What does my heart need to know?
Lord, some of the pages of my story are covered with tears and filled with pain. What does it look like for You to rewrite these pages?
