Luke 4:14-30
(sermon note:
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a boy who walked into an ice cream shop and asked the attendant, “Do you have spinach ice cream?” “No,” he replied. After a week the same kid went back to the ice cream shop and asked, “Do you have spinach ice cream?” “No” he replied. “That’s ridiculous.” After a few days, the same boy walked into the shop and asked the same question, getting the same response. “I’ll fulfill this boy’s wish,” the attendant said after the boy left. “I’ll make a spinach ice cream.” A week later the same boy returned to the ice cream shop and asked, “Do you have any spinach ice cream?” “Well, as a matter of fact, I do,” the attendant replied. “Wow!” said the kid. “That’s disgusting!”
Which just goes to show…sometimes it just doesn’t pay to fulfill the wishes of others! I imagine that poor attendant worked tirelessly for hours trying to concoct a recipe for spinach ice cream that was somehow edible. And in the end, all his efforts were in vain. That little boy wasn’t interested in actually eating spinach ice cream. He just wanted to be critical of the idea of spinach ice cream. Typical kid, always critical of anything that’s a little exotic or out of the ordinary…
Not unlike the folks who gathered in that synagogue a long time ago to witness Jesus stand up and begin his teaching and preaching ministry. For them, his preaching and teaching was just about as palatable as spinach ice cream! They just couldn’t get past the fact that he was the son of the local carpenter. Not to mention the implausible idea that he was able to read from the scroll at all. Very few people knew how to read at the time. How did Jesus, a carpenter’s boy, learn how to read? Of course, we don’t know. Perhaps he snuck in the synagogue where the rabbis secretly taught him how to read. Which might explain why they allowed him to stand up and read from the scriptures. Only the rabbis were allowed to read from the scriptures and maybe Jesus had ingratiated himself enough with them to be allowed to read himself. All these minor little details that get overlooked in retelling the story so many years later.
But perhaps the most scandalous aspect of the story is Jesus’ choice of passage to read from them. He chose to read from the book of Isaiah, a book he would continually turn to throughout his public ministry. The book was written over several hundred years as it chronicled the pre-exile, exile, and post-exile times of the Israelites. Times when the Israelites were living God-displeasing lives and were punished for it through exile and yet given a chance to rebuild their lives after the exile. The prophet, Isaiah, first spoke the words that Jesus referenced: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Isaiah spoke those words several hundred years before Jesus came on the scene and yet Jesus hijacked them to begin his public teaching and preaching ministry. Pretty bold move stealing another prophet’s words! But Jesus is more than a prophet! Jesus is a Savior and a Messiah! And he was doing more than simply proclaiming the words…he was fulfilling them. He would go on to actually bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed! He would go on to actually make the spinach ice cream, not just talk about it!
And boy, did that cause quite a problem in this wicked world of ours! We heard how the people of Nazareth wanted to take him to the cliff’s edge and throw him over for even suggesting that he could and would fulfill the prophet’s words. The world is terrified of the prophet’s words! The world wants to enslave and oppress, imprison and blind us! The world doesn’t want us free and aware! But God does! God wants to set us free more than anything. Well, maybe love us but then set us free. I love those words that Jesus spoke: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” These words resonate with anyone who has ever preached or taught. We want to know that our words resonate with people. That our words have an impact on people’s lives. That our words actually matter! Jesus had the courage to actually say, “My words will transform you whether you know it or not…whether you like or not!” Talk about chutzpah! But we know he was right; his words DO transform lives. His words are both transformative and live giving as we can witness in his earthly ministry.
And Jesus’ fulfillment isn’t the only fulfillment of scripture. Paul took up the mantle and continued Jesus’ transformational and life-giving ministry. Recall in his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (13:8) By loving each other, we fulfill the whole purpose of the law. The law only helps us to love each other. And in his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes, “For the whole law is fulfilled in a single commandment, ‘You shall love you neighbor as yourself.’” (5:14) Friends, we can have the same courage that Jesus had in making that bold statement in the synagogue so long ago. All we have to do is love each other. Look out for each other. Be aware of how our words and actions affect others. Actually put into effect the words of Jesus just as Jesus put into effect the words of Isaiah. We can and should fulfill the words of Jesus!
As we set out on another year of discipleship, of faithful fulfilling the words of Jesus, let us not be afraid of how this wicked world might react to it. You’ll notice the last sentence in our reading, “But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” Be assured that we, too, will pass through this wicked world unharmed if we but trust God to protect us. Because He will and for that we give thanks. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
