Monday
Jesus 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 favour.’ (vs 16b-19)
Background
In today’s reading, Jesus was just beginning his ministry and, filled with the power of the Spirit, had begun to preach in the synagogues in Galilee, praised by everyone (Luke 4:14-15). As part of this ministry, Jesus came to Nazareth, his home town.
During synagogue worship, Jesus stood up to read from the prophet Isaiah. Interestingly, although the text of Luke 4:18-19 is taken from Isaiah 61:1-2, it also contains a fragment from Isaiah 58:6, a call "to let the oppressed go free". When Jesus sat down to teach, as was the custom, with all eyes fixed on him, he claimed that the fulfilment of this prophecy was seen in him (4:21). In doing so, Jesus claimed to be anointed by God, the one spoken of by Isaiah, who would bring salvation.
Although Jesus’ listeners recognised the words of grace that Jesus spoke and were impressed, they were also sceptical. The comment, "Is not this Joseph’s son?" (4:22) revealed a disbelief that Jesus, who they thought they knew, could be one anointed by God for this special ministry. The proverb, "Doctor, cure yourself!" (4:23) was almost an insult and might be compared with the words spoken later to Jesus when he was dying on the cross: "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" (23:35b) Jesus had insight into the minds of his hearers and spoke challenging words against them. He implied that the unbelief of those in Nazareth would lead them to miss out on what God was doing.
This story of Jesus’ rejection in his home town of Nazareth has been called a rehearsal for how his life ended, when crowds the turned against Jesus at the end of his ministry and demanded his death. Here the crowd turned against Jesus in a rage and sought his death, but Jesus was remarkably able to pass through the crowd and go on his way, because his time had not yet come.
To Ponder:
- A popular saying claims that ‘familiarity breeds contempt.’ How much might this have contributed to the crowd’s reaction to Jesus here?
- Unfortunately religious differences are often contributing factors to conflict today. How do you picture Jesus escaping from the violent crowd in this account?
Prayer
Lord, I pray for all experiencing religious tension and conflict in the world today. In war and violence, bring your justice and peace. Amen.