Luke tells us that on a Sabbath day early in Jesus’ ministry, he gathered in the synagogue of his home town and read the opening lines of Isaiah 61. It is a marvelous poem of promise, continuing the thoughts begun in chapter 60 that will extend through chapter 62.
This was Israel’s hope, one planted by God, that the Lord would one day restore to her the glory that had been hers during the reigns of Solomon and David. But it was only that, a hope. The hope was based on the blessing of God and that blessing was dependent on His people trusting Him and being obedient.
But they would not.
It was far easier for them to keep it as a hope rather than to live so that it could be a reality, an ever longed for promise that would never come true.
And so, when Jesus read those lines, neighbors who had known him all their life pooh poohed the possibility. In fact, they didn’t want it to happen, because if it did, their lives would have to change. It was far easier to kill Jesus and keep dreaming of the happy day that would never come. And that, of course, that day, is what they tried to do.
Christian people find it far easier to dream of eternal life than to live it. But living it, in the here and now, is what God intended. It is not all He intended, but He did intend that. It only happens, however, to those who entrust the entirety of their life to God, and who seek to make the will of God in heaven, done in their lives on earth.