It's been a minute, hasn't it? Since I've been using a road trip as my metaphor for this conglomeration of blogs I will say that the past few months have been a whirlwind of car issues: a blown tire, a dead battery, a clogged intake valve. But after way too long in the shop or on the way home from the shop or on the way back tot he shop the car is finally out and road worthy, so let's back to this journey.
The second thing [following Jesus being tempted in the desert by the devil] that I come across in Luke 4 is Jesus's first recorded time in the synagogue in Nazareth. We find Jesus entering the synagogue, as was his custom, and standing up to read. To Jesus was handed a scroll from the prophet Isaiah. We do not know how much of Isaiah was contained in the scroll, perhaps the whole book, perhaps just a part of it, but however much it contained Jesus turned to what we know as Isaiah 61:1, 2, or at least most of it, which we will get to in a little bit.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
Then Jesus sits down, everyone looks at him and he states that in this moment this scripture has come true. At first the crowd is amazed and speaks well of him, until the troll speaks up and says, "Isn't this Joseph's son?" Then Jesus suggests that the crowd will want miracles, like he did in Capernaum, and tells them that they won't see them, and shares two stories, from their own history.
A) he speaks of Elijah and how there were many widows in his time, but he was sent to a widow from Sidon.
B) he speaks of Elisha and how there were many people who had leprosy in his time, but that he was sent to a man from Syria.
This enrages the people and they decide to drive Jesus out to a nearby cliff and toss him off it. Luckily, as you will see from time to time within the gospels, Jesus is a very stealthy kind of guy and he just walks through the angry mob and "went on his way"
There is your Luke 4:14-30 walkthrough, now let's unpack a few things, if you don't mind...
1) As I said Jesus picked these particular verses on purpose, this is no mere chance Bible page flip. Not only that but Jesus edited the Isaiah passage a little bit, and that also is no accident.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God
Do you notice the big thing missing from Jesus's reading? Isaiah talks of the one that is to come to both proclaim the year of the Lord's favor as well as the day of God's vengeance, whereas Jesus speaks of proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor and leaves out any mention of God's vengeance. I believe that this is because Jesus's mission had nothing to do with bringing God's vengeance to us, nor stopping God's vengeance upon us, but rather about making us all aware of the existence of God's favor upon us. God favor's us, in our brokenness, in our blindness, in our captivity, in our banality, in our sinfulness...in all those states and more, God favors us.
2) Why those stories, and why the rage that they caused within the people? First off a little difference between Nazareth and Capernaum: Nazareth was a very Israelite area and Capernaum was not. A question arises as to Jesus's origin, in other words, how can this man says things like this, he's just the local carpenter's kid, how can this man claim what he claims, it's the one who threw mud on the teacher, or kissed your daughter, or son, or cussed, or drank, or did whatever rates in your eyes as to make him/her lesser. Many of us has been Jesus in this instance, attempting to move beyond where and who we have come from while others are trying to remind us of our limitations.
So, as my Church History Professor, Dr. Froese would say, Jesus pricked them. He told them two short stories about how two prophets, men chosen by God to speak for God, had been sent not tot the hurting and needy in Israel but were rather sent to gentiles and God's power and grace shown upon them. In the same way Jesus is telling the people that God's power and grace has been shown among the gentiles in Capernaum but would be hard pressed to shine among those in Israel. I think that the main reason that Jesus could and did do miracles in certain places and couldn't and didn't do miracles in other places has to do with the expectations of those in his midst.
The people who couldn't let go of the past, couldn't let go of the origins, couldn't let go of the limitations missed out on the wonders that were available. The people who did not grow up in the traditions and stories and legends, who didn't expect anything from God, nor expect God to do anything particularly for them were shown things far and above what they thought even possible.
The takeaway:
From this friends I would ask you to do two things, first remember that God favors you no matter your situation, be it ideal or far from ideal; secondly allow God to be God, to do what God will or will not do, and let go of all those things that can hinder God, your past, your expectations, your requirements.
Peace and Love,
Kenny
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