The main themes in this passage are reoccurring throughout the gospel of Luke. The theme of universality and God's mission to the poor and oppressed are evident. Also the fulfillment of the kingdom of God through Jesus is an ongoing theme.

The context of the passage within in the Narrative of Luke is in the Galilean Ministry. It occurs after "the temptation of Jesus" where Jesus is tempted by material possession, power and self proclamation but chooses to follow God's purpose and begins his public ministry. The passage is followed by "A man with an unclean spirit"; Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit by performing an exorcism and brings an outcast back in to the community. It significant of what Jesus preaches, `release to the captives.'

The literary form of the passage is a chiasm. Jesus stands, receives the scroll, unrolls the scroll...