There’s
a story about an elderly couple that was walking out of church one Sunday. The
wife said to the husband, “Did you see the strange hat Mrs. O’Brien was
wearing?” “No, I didn’t,” replied her husband. “Bill Smith badly needs a
haircut, doesn’t he?” commented the wife. “Sorry, I didn’t notice,” replied the
husband. “You know John,” said the wife impatiently,”Sometimes I wonder if you
get anything at all out of going to church”.
People
get different things out of going to church, depending, it would seem, on what
they expect to get when they go there. For example, I wonder what the people
who were in the synagogue in today’s Gospel reading expected to get out of the
service. Certainly they didn’t expect to see Jesus stand and read a portion of
Scripture, let alone comment on it. His sermon was and is one of the shortest
on record-“Today, the Scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing”.
What
did this message mean to the people in the synagogue? What does it mean to us
today? To the people in the synagogue, it meant that Jesus WAS the promised Messiah, the anointed one sent by God to redeem
his people. It means the same thing for us today. Christ loosens sinners from
the bonds of sin, guilt and corruption.
Luke
places this story near the start of Jesus’ ministry because it is the
foundation of the Gospels of Luke and Acts. He emphasizes God’s openness to the
Gentiles. This favoritism offended the Jews and eventually led to his
crucifixion. He was rejected by the multitude, who heard him, and they
crucified him because of their sins; however, WE must honour and obey him as our Saviour, the son of God.
By
this time, Jesus had already been tempted in the wilderness. He was prepared
for this experience because of the foundation built by attendance at services
in the synagogue, starting when he was a child. We also need to prepare for our
wilderness experiences. The best way for us to prepare is to have a strong
faith, especially through regular attendance at church, particularly if we
start attending as children.
Isaiah’s
commission as read by Jesus is similar to the Great Commission; namely, to
bring good news and proclaim release to the captives, restore the sight of the
blind, free the oppressed. This set Christ’s agenda, and it is also our commission
and agenda today. Jesus’ ministry involved loving the unloved and serving the
undeserving. He wants us to do the same today, especially since human weakness
has both [physical and spiritual dimensions. What Jesus said about the
Scriptures being fulfilled reads like a revolution, especially when it referred
to ending the world as people knew it and creating a new one. When the poor
hear the Good News, when captives are set free, and when the oppressed are
liberated, God is working in their lives and in our own lives. The revolution
happens when we walk with Jesus. The narrow focus on the downtrodden does not
take away from the broader vision, including the restoration of Israel as
referred to in Acts 15.
Jesus
knew exactly what the people needed to hear that day, and he knew exactly what
he wanted to share with them. All of the people in the synagogue, and all of us
today, were the poor, the hungry, the oppressed the imprisoned and the blind.
Christ looks beyond the surface to the core of our soul. He wants us to
repent-to make a radical shift in how we see ourselves. The doctrine of the
Trinity is interwoven here. He, as the son of God, is uniquely qualified to
help us. He sets us free because of his death and resurrection. It is a victory
over sin and death, but only if we stop trying to solve our problems ourselves
and turn to God instead. We are all captives to something, whether it is our
jobs, television, radio or something else. All of us can awaken to God’s
anointing power. It constantly inspires, enlivens and guides us and also
soothes, comforts, welcomes and transforms us.
When
he read the Scriptures in the synagogue, Jesus announced a “jubilee”, a
forgiveness of sin debt. In Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, which is found
in Luke 11:3, there is a sentence that reads as follows: “Forgive us our debts for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt
to us”. The biblical Jubilee was held every 50 years when fields lay
fallow, families returned to their ancestral homelands, debts were cancelled
and slaves set free. The jubilee restored a rough equality between families and
clans. The inevitable increase in inequality and injustice over the years had
to be leveled every half century. Faith in a sovereign God was reflected in the
structures of social and economic life which, in turn, echoed the pattern of
God’s realm. The community started afresh. Jesus “jubilee” allows us to have a
fresh start in our walk of faith. The jubilee is a time in which followers of
Christ are told that God’s promises shall come true in our midst and that God
will favour us with his blessings. The reality of God’s law is that it embraces
and welcomes “the least of these” in the community. All we have to do is
remember Jesus’ words, “Inasmuch as you
do for the least of these, you do for me”
Jesus
was the architect who designed the splendor of a new theology, a new sense of
the presence and glory of God found not written in the walls of the tabernacle,
but within the structures of our own selves. He treasured the past and honoured
the ancient teachings of the Jews. He fed his soul from the sacred rolls of
Scripture, especially when he was tempted in the wilderness. He also looked to
the present and the future. Jesus’ challenge was (and is0 for today. God is
with us today, and his call for action can be frightening. We are often
overwhelmed with pleas for support, and we often wonder how we should respond
and what good it will do. We must remain steadfast and true to Christ’s will to
help the less fortunate. Jesus’ words in the synagogue are words of hope and
inspiration for the oppressed the hopeless and the discouraged. We can and must
build Christ’s community of faith right here where we are. Caring for people
was Jesus’ main concern, and it must be our concern today. In the words of John
Walsh, host of the popular TV show America’s Most Wanted, “You CAN make a difference”.
The
concern for social justice is exemplified by the world’s response to the
current environmental crisis, especially in countries that have adopted the
Kyoto Accord. Countries that have pulled out of the accord, especially for
“financial reasons”, show their bias in favour of industrial concerns at the
expense of equality and justice. What would Jesus do and say if he was asked to
preach in our society today? Why would we think that the intensity of Christ’s
call would diminish, especially in a culture that is locked in consumerism? Can
we say, “The Spirit is obviously upon us because we go to the poor, the
captives, the blind and the oppressed”? Can we say that this is why God has
anointed us and thus we can dare to be followers? Is that the mission of the
church today or do we say, “That was Christ’s mission, but we’re still
hammering out our own vision statement”?
Many
of you have heard of the TV and radio host Art Linkletter. He used to host a
program called Kids Say the Darndest Things. One of the most annoying questions
children ask is “Why?” They ask because they are basically curious. Growing
minds starve for understanding, but the thirst for knowledge often disappears
as they get older. Is it because their curiosity is stifled by impatient
adults? Is it because they and we get used to things and stop asking questions?
Is that what happens to us when it comes to understanding God? Is out curiosity
stifled by impatient peers, or is it because we get used to things and stop
asking questions? The Word of God is both exciting and frightening at the same
time because of what it says about how we are living and how far we are from
God. This is especially true for those who come to church only for weddings,
funerals, baptisms, Christmas, Easter, services where a priest is present, or
when the service is from the Book of Common Prayer or the Book of Alternative
Services.
We
can refuse to listen, we can refuse to believe, and we can refuse to let it
make a difference for us, but it is still true. The Word of God stands forever,
because the Word gives us life. Jesus’ obedience to God created the foundation
upon which God can build and enter the temple called our heart. Jesus’
one-sentence sermon that day in the synagogue was the shortest in history, but
it is also the most powerful.
Thank you for your message. Very inspiring. May God continue His ever abundant blessings upon you and your loved ones now and always.
ReplyDeleteDeacon -( Anglican Church of Australia. )