In Luke Jesus is quoting Isaiah and applying it to himself. In the Luke quote, after ‘proclaim release to captives’ he says ‘and recovery of sight to the blind’. However, Isaiah doesn’t say these actual words in the quoted passage but does mention them elsewhere.

‘Recovery of sight to the blind’ is an extension of ‘proclaim release to the captives’. Jesus seems to have included a quote from another prophesy that describes him, the Servant with the Spirit upon Him. This passage links ‘open blind eyes’ with ‘bring out prisoners from the dungeon’ and ‘those in darkness from the prison’. This quote points to one aspect of imprisonment, the dungeon in darkness with no windows or light source. Prisoners are in effect blinded, unable to use their sense of sight. Release brings about the ability to use this sense again, escape from being boxed in, broadening horizons, fully experiencing the wonders of light and sight. To Jesus’ audience this provides another illustration of spiritual limitation, spiritual blindness. The Messiah comes to open spiritual eyes. He speaks to a people who are spiritually blind, but were tasked with being a light to the nations.

Isaiah spoke to a people who had ignored God and decided to go their own way, making themselves blind spiritually. The people had died spiritually, generating funeral cries of woe. By going their own way they have gone into a spiritual coma. The Lord closes them into the prison they have created. He knows that what is in their hearts is different from what they pretend externally.

God’s judgement confirms our own decisions, settling us where we put ourselves. The people carry out their lives in spiritual darkness, blinding themselves by excluding spiritual light. God confirms their situation as a spiritual coma. When Moses brought God’s word of release to Pharaoh who held his people captive, his response was to harden his heart and refuse. Ultimately God confirms Pharaoh in his hard heartedness.  

Initially this is not terminal, (it’s a coma not death). However, when God brings the opportunity to see again through his prophet, the people do not respond. Spiritual vision is equated to being given a book in a wrapper. The person is able to read but makes a feeble excuse ‘I cannot remove the wrapper’ or ‘I cannot read’. They blind themselves spiritually, ultimately denying anything spiritual, even the existence of God, their maker.   

God still brings his word to the comatose, bringing light, wanting to make blind eyes see. He especially brings this word on ‘that day’, the ‘favourable day of the Lord’, i.e. Jubilee declared by Jesus as recorded by Luke.

Isaiah highlights the time of Jubilee as restoration of the land, able to be fully enjoyed by a redeemed people with sight restored. Their eyes are opened to see the glory and majesty of the Lord.

All the spiritual receptive senses are unblocked enabling a full spiritual body response in song and dance!

Blindness was an incurable disease in Old Testament times. They did not have opticians who could prescribe glasses for failing sight. In the New Testament, there is therefore a massive impact when Jesus heals blindness, one of the miracles that Johns’ disciples are asked to investigate and confirm. One of the signs of the Messiah is the opening of blind eyes and Jesus is wanting to open spiritually blind eyes to enable recognition of his identity and purpose. Mark in his gospel writes about seeing and believing. John in his gospel similarly uses this illustration.

Jesus makes a contrast with the Pharisees and reliance on law not spirit, the blind leading the blind.

Walking in the light is walking by the spirit. Prophetic vision is foundational to the church. Prophets are ‘seers’. John sees a renewed heaven and earth illuminated by the Lord God.