Reflection 23-01-22
Luke 4:14-21
Still Today
God of freedom, you break the seals and let the Spirit flow; make us impatient to greet the time fulfilled, the poor lifted up, the oppressed set free and your love made manifest in Jesus Christ, the Annointed Servant. Amen
This reading marks the transition in Jesus’ life - from the private to the public sphere. The previous verses tell us of Jesus’ conflict with temptations ending with the ominous verse 13: When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time; clearly indication this is not the last time evil will be close by, but Jesus comes out “full of the Spirit” so when he goes to Galilee people begin to notice him.
And then the visit to the synagogue in Nazareth – the place where he had been brought up, the synagogue where he had learnt all about the religious traditions that nurtured him. And here we read of him, on the Sabbath in the synagogue, as was his custom. So, nothing out of the ordinary, and he is given the scroll to read. It is what follows which opens a whole new world. This passage today has had a significant impact on the church over the centuries, bringing hope to all those people who live with no hope, and showing us all that God, in Jesus, is opening a dramatic new way. Still today, this reading is a source of inspiration, hope and challenge to the people of God, even to us here in Highworth this morning.
What we witness in this reading, is Jesus beginning his ministry. I can’t believe that Jesus is reading this passage from Isaiah 61 for the first time; so why is this different? I feel that the encounter with the devil and what followed have made him aware that now is his time, so we hear the most dramatic sermon ever preached: ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ In short, he is saying – this is what it is all about, this is why I am beginning my ministry, this is what God is leading me to; this is how I am to be judged. This is what I want for all of you. Still today, this is how the living of our faith is to be measured.
These words are what awaken hope to the people of all places and of every time: *…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.’
This becomes the roadmap of all Jesus’ ministry, just take a quick look at what he does immediately after this reading- because this is why the Pharisees reject him; it will be the way to the cross, for Jesus and for those who from then on believed this was the faithful way forward. Jesus breaks all moulds and liberates the people to create the new relationships of life: good news, release, recovery, freedom, and the year of the Lord’s favour – the Jubilee, as we find in Leviticus 25. Not something left in the past, rather something living and necessary still today.
But what was so radical about the Jubilee Year (= the year of the Lord’s favour)? Well, everything really. Every 50 th year (that is the year after 7 sets of 7 years) fields were to be left fallow, slaves were to be set free, debts cancelled, family land handed over as guarantee of debt should be returned to the family. And all this as a reminder that everything belongs to God.
Can you imagine such a reality? I feel that this concept of Jubilee is what inspired Jesus to preach about the Kingdom, because it clearly is an expression of the Kingdom creating a lifestyle of respect for creation including the land, human life and everything involved. Where we are called to love and serve others, where we seek justice and denounce injustice. Still today we need this lifestyle to be part of our life.
Jesus reminds us that it is not (only) about words, but it is (also) about actions. So, when we are challenged and moved by the Word of God, what can happen to us? What does it mean to us? As we read in Psalm 19, which called us to worship today: the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart… My prayer is that the Word of God speaks to s in such a way that we are moved to live in a way that creates community, not only among ourselves, but to the wider world.
Can you imagine a world where life is built on this sense of year of the Lord’s favour? I often wonder why texts like this one have not been taken more seriously over the centuries, or why those who did take it seriously were marginalised and rejected by the church. It does have two centre points, so we shouldn’t dismiss it that easily – it is part of the prophet Isaiah teachings, and it is also taken up by Jesus as the agenda for his ministry.
The challenge to us here and now is to bring these two aspects together – I pray that the world will see more and more that ‘Today this scripture has been fullfilled in your hearing"