St Luke 4: 14 – 22
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He 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.’
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’
Reflection
Jesus enters the synagogue in Nazareth, he stands up to read from the scroll he is given and reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
We don’t really know much about synagogue practice in the first century, however the story told by Luke fits well with what we know from later developments. In Jesus’ day the prophetic reading may not have been controlled by the lectionary, rather it was chosen by the reader, who could be any adult male. The words chosen by Jesus were not from one chapter, but combine words from Isaiah 61 and Isaiah 58.
Jesus closes the scroll, returns it to the attendant and sits down. Then in what appears to be the shortest sermon ever he begins to say to them ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’. A short sermon perhaps, or just the beginning and Luke does not provide us with the rest of it. Maybe these are the significant words and as we read on we understand they create quite a stir.
The words from Isaiah speak of a year of Jubilee, a Sabbath of all Sabbaths to take place every forty-nine years, seven times seven years. A year of liberation for the soil, a remission of the debts of debtors, aid for the impoverished, release of slaves from slavery. It is doubtful whether these Jubilee laws from Leviticus were ever put into effect, but these laws are an acknowledgement that everything was held in trust to God, and everything is dependent upon God’s saving activity.
Some may remember the Jubilee Campaign started in 1989 and continuing today. A campaign calling for the remission of debts held by the poorest countries of the world, and working on behalf of children at risk.
You could describe this sermon as a manifesto for Jesus’ ministry. In his commentary on Luke’s Gospel George Caird has written ‘the rest of the Gospel is simply a working out of this programme’.
Prayer
O God,
as the Spirit came to Jesus,
anointing him to bring good news to the poor,
release to the captives,
and recovery of sight to the blind.
May we his church today,
be led by the Holy Spirit
as we continue Christ’s ministry.
Amen