The Gospel of Luke 4:14-21 focuses on the power of God’s word as revealed in scripture. In Hebrew tradition, God is manifested through the power of the spoken word. This time it is in a synagogue in Jesus’ home town of Nazareth and it is Jesus Himself who reads and interprets and makes His message clear. This might be called Jesus’ first sermon.
Jesus is fresh from spending 40 days in the wilderness immediately following His baptism by John. This is how he is to begin His public ministry. He goes to His home town of Nazareth to attend a local synagogue on the Sabbath as was His custom. As the synagogue did not have professional rabbis, members of the congregation read the scripture passages. Thus Jesus stood up to read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
Of all the Hebrew scripture texts from which to choose, our Gospel reading gives us the one that Jesus found to read and proclaim. Was this not because Jesus found in the words of Isaiah the fundamental phrases that encapsulated His ministry?
The passages from Isaiah are not a continuous reading, but rather a text woven from two chapters. The text describes the mission of Jesus: He comes to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim the release of captives and the oppressed; to restore sight to the blind and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Jesus, in His inaugural sermon in Nazareth, was ready to unleash a powerhouse of wisdom wrapped up in a metaphor – a metaphor wrapped around His own person and mission. But would His listeners “get it?” Having just overcome the wiles of Satan Himself and with the understanding of what His ministry would be about, He boldly voices it to the congregation.
Perhaps we can feel sympathy as we imagine ourselves in the seats of Jesus’ listeners. It takes a great deal of courage to speak God’s word in its fullness in he presence of people who have known you all of your life! After all, this is their neighbor Joseph’s son who is making these outrageous claims about having received God’s Spirit and fulfilling the scriptures!
Let’s bring these thoughts a little closer to our situation. The fact is that the task of sharing the Good News of the Gospel has been entrusted to each one if us. We were given that mission at our baptisms. And Jesus’ interpretation of His mission relates to all of us because we have been made members of God’s family.
Even more, the Gospel is always related to human need. For example, if a person is dying from cancer, the Gospel becomes God’s guarantee of the Resurrection to eternal life. If a person is permeated with guilt, the Gospel becomes God’s assurance of forgiveness. If a person is experiencing extreme suffering of any kind, the Gospel becomes the prayer “God is our refuge and strength.” The Gospel, therefore, always speaks to human need. It is never truth in a vacuum. The Gospel is always personal and is God’s truth and God’s message. In the end, it speaks to God’s action to each person in whatever situation.
It was not only the congregation of that synagogue Jesus addressed that needed radical transformation. So do we today.
In Jesus’ proclamation of His ministry, He gathered up all the hopes of Israel for the Messianic Dream. He spoke of the dreams of Isaiah and all of the prophets. He announced the inauguration of the long-expected era of divine salvation, redemption, healing, and joy. That one moment in Nazareth prefigured everything Jesus was to do in His public ministry.
Jesus’ ministry of bringing to life the City of God within the conditions of humanity continues today in the life of the Church and stands at the very heart of what the Church must do in history. This ministry is condensed as we step into the Liturgy. In it the worshipping assembly of the Christian community embodies the whole of ethical philosophy and the way of life founded on holiness, justice, and righteousness.
It is in the Eucharist that we share our resources by offering gifts: seek forgiveness publicly and offer one another a sign of peace. As we come to the Lord’s Table, people of all classes and races are welcome no matter where they find themselves on their journeys of Faith.
Therefore, the Church stands as a permanent sacrament and, continuing Jesus’ ministry, draws the world into the City of God.
Source: © The Rev. Peter Groschner, January 24, 2016. Luke 4:14-21. Reprinted with permission from the author.