Luke 4:14-30
Sometimes, the sermon appears, almost unbidden. The ideas come and the
words flow.
Sometimes it doesn’t seem to matter how much reading, praying,
contemplating and reflecting I do, the sermon stubbornly refuses to be written.
Today’s
reading is tricky.
It is very
challenging to us as listeners. And the challenge is hidden and easily missed.
On first
read: Jesus has arrived in Nazareth; tales of his mission, his actions, his
teaching had gone before him, and the people were delighted to welcome him
home.
This was one
of their own, coming home, his kudos would extend to them; his cachet would rub
off on them. This was a time of civic pride in one of their own made good.
The shock
comes not when he chooses to read from Isaiah, and then claim that the prophecy
has been fulfilled. But after that, when he tells them in no uncertain terms
that they were not fit to receive the blessing; not chosen to receive God’s
chosen; not good enough for a blessing.
It really
was outrageous.
It was like
me standing here and telling you, there was going to be a great spiritual
revival but that God was going to pass over Earlston because none of us is
chosen. (I’m not saying that… not at all!)
I have been
trying to work out what it was that Jesus said that triggered such a violent
response; why were they so outraged? Why did their response lead to such an
aggressive reaction? What did he say that so disturbed them? And what did they
do to provoke Jesus’ challenge?
It is
frustrating, because the text is sparse, and so much is subliminal, unwritten.
The first
thing we need to remember is when and for whom this gospel was written. Luke is
writing for the new “Christians” the majority of whom are Gentiles; he is
writing from the perspective of one who has investigated thoroughly,
interviewed witnesses and gathered as many of the stories as he can. And Luke,
whoever he was, has not been a first-hand witness, he did not know Jesus,
follow Jesus, hear Jesus for himself.
Luke is
writing for these new Christians, the ones who come from other traditions, the
ones who were not Jewish from birth. So, when Jesus reads from Isaiah, and then
exclaims the scripture is being fulfilled the Nazarenes are cast as the
unacceptable.
It is
important to note that when it says Jesus sat down – this is because he is
about to teach. The tradition was to stand to read scripture and then the
teacher would sit to explain and expound on the scriptures.
The next
part of his teaching is this: remember that when God was with Elijah, he sent
him to the Gentile widow not the Israelites to feed them during the famine;
when God was with Elisha, he sent him to the gentile king to heal him, not to
any Jews who had skin diseases; when God sends me to teach and heal and work
miracles, it is not to you, but to everyone else – you will not hear me and
believe.
And this is
why they were so mad!!
The
implication is that God is sending him not to Nazareth, but from there to the
rest of the “world” – the Isaiah reading is basically Jesus’ manifesto for the
rest of his mission on earth… the time of grace, of jubilee is announced; but
these first ones to hear it are rejected. It’s no wonder they were outraged,
scandalised. And it is no wonder that the rising fury led to a mob of people
determined to drive him away, out of their lives and out of their town, and
more, to drive him out of life all together.
The image of
the mob, pushing, shoving, closing ranks, moving like a tidal wave up the hill,
hemming him in, ready to throw him off the cliff – is tangible, the atmosphere
tense, the mood disturbed… and suddenly he’s gone!
No longer at
the head of the crowd being carried along; suddenly he slips away, escapes,
never to set foot in his home town again.
So, how do
we, with the gift of hindsight and the distance of all those years, respond to
this? What must we do to be sure we hear and act? How do we fulfil Jesus’
manifesto right now in our 21st century community?
That
manifesto again:
Preach the
Good News to the poor
Proclaim
release to captives
Bring sight
to the blind
Liberate the
oppressed
Proclaim the
year of Jubilee – God’s favour.
In our 21st
century world; the rich get richer; the poor lose out; the land is over used;
the forests burned; the air polluted; and God’s little ones are overlooked at
best and abused and disadvantaged
What are we
to do about it? because it all feels too big; too much; too impossible for us
to tackle the reality.
We are not
called to fix the whole world
We are
called to fix our own small part. Because if everyone did just that, and truly
cared for everyone they came across, the world would be a far better place.
The people
of Jesus’ home had become complacent; they followed the rules and thought that
was enough. They had become self-satisfied.
We cannot do
everything; but we can do something.
What can you
do?
We have many
different ministries in our church: from coffee fellowship on a Sunday morning;
to praying through prayer requests; to helping with worship or joining the
Wednesday morning café; and, in future when we have other events or projects or
start new things, come along – bring a friend, help us to grow.
I have been
doing a lot of reflecting this past few weeks as we approach my sixth
anniversary it is a good time for me to take stock, and for us to work together
to begin to grow our church; time to consider new ways to reach out to those
who do not have a live church connection.
We know
there are plenty folks who feel a connection, but don’t actually do anything
about it… so I want to look at ways of reaching them.
Also, they
are many, many folks who have lost touch, who find Sunday morning isn’t the
right time for them – and I’m wondering what we might do for those too.
I can’t do
it all by myself; but I can be a catalyst for new things; for God-given
inspirations that come in many shapes and sizes.
The Spirit
of God is alive and working in and through each of us
The Spirit
proclaims once more the year of God’s favour – it is for us now to hear and
act.
It is for us
to be God’s Church – alive and well in our community and beyond.
Those who
heard Jesus had a choice – to respond or to reject.
And so do we
– what will it be?
Do we
respond and answer God’s call; can we build God’s church anew for our time and
for our people?
God’s manifesto of justice and grace is the mandate that
stands the test of time
And it is for us to act and respond to that call
Today
Right now in 2017. We can be God’s chosen ones!
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