To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elish the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. 

- Luke 4:14-30

Yesterday we read that after Jesus' Baptism,  He, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!"  For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  The text tells us about Jesus' spreading ministry in Galilee, and His growing fame.

 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed . . . "  As Christ is the eternal Son of God, He did not become the world's anointed Savior, my study bible says, but rather He has always been our Savior from before the foundation of the world.  It was Christ who spoke through Isaiah, who writes, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1).  We note that Christ does not say that "the Spirit of the Lord has come upon Me."  When the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Jesus at the Baptism (3:22), this was a sign that revealed an eternal, not temporal, truth to the people.

" . . . To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."  The time of the Incarnation is the acceptable year of the Lord, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).

 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elish the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.   My study bible notes that the double response to Christ of both marveling and rejection occurs frequently in those who encounter Him (see 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, whom Jesus mentions, and foreshadows the rejection that is to come by the whole nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Christ accepts death in accordance with the will of the Father, not at the will of the leaders of the Jews.  Here, the hour of Christ's Passion has not yet come (see John 8:20).

Christ is rejected in His hometown.  His words make them angry.  He simply won't reproduce miracles and marvels and signs they've heard happening elsewhere in Galilee on demand.  He refuses to "prove" that He is Messiah.  The people are indignant and incredulous.  How can this be the same person that they remember and know as the son of Joseph?  But He anticipates their demands, and He won't produce the signs they've heard about which have happened elsewhere.  Instead, He goes even further, and reminds them Elijah and Elisha weren't believed in their own country either, and were sent instead to Gentiles to give their signs from God.  It's as if, from the beginning, Jesus is aware of the pattern of rejection He is going to face, and He's prepared for the ministry that lies ahead of Him.  Predictably, the people respond with outrage; so much so, that they wish to throw Him off a cliff.  This won't be the only time that Jesus avoids death at the hands of those whom He's outraged, strangely "passing through the midst of them" (see, for example, John 8:59).  The Gospels give us an understanding that somehow there is a process happening which, despite the free will choices all have to accept or reject Christ, is unfolding in which the "hour" of His death -- which He calls His glorification -- is already known.  Things will unfold in a particular way.  Jesus' deep psychological understanding of those with whom He comes into contact reflects this awareness of human thoughts and responses.  Yet He presses through, because the message He brings and the ministry that is His is more important than pleasing and convincing His audience.  He has a truth to tell, to bring into the world, and that truth means more than persuasion.  It must be presented a certain way, and the choices that people make in response to Him must reach into the heart, beyond a point of mere outrage or initial emotional feelings.  It is those who can reach to that place of reckoning who will find faith in Him.  In our lives, to make good decisions, we're asked to reach beyond the conventional and accepted, and to find that place where real faith dwells.  It's a place that's like a bedrock in the heart, and yet so elusive.  It comes to us perhaps in single moments that suddenly stand apart from conventional awareness and experience of waking life.  It is a place that may be hidden deeply in the heart.  But it is with the spiritual eyes and ears capable of receiving that we suddenly are in that place of faith -- and this moment of understanding is one that occurs despite everything else going on around us and the visceral emotional cues we may receive from others.  Jesus wants that kind of faith, the faith that takes root deep in the good soil of a heart that's ready to hear that truth (see the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-23).  We should ask ourselves if that is the place we want to find and cultivate as well.  That's the place where He asks us to plant a seed that bears fruit, and continues to do so throughout our lives.  It's what He will ultimately sacrifice His life for.   Jesus quotes Isaiah, saying that the Spirit of the Lord has come to send Him to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.  These are those who hearts desire the wealth of spiritual riches He presents, whose broken hearts call for the balm of God's grace, whose freedom is only found in spiritual liberty, whose blindness cries for spiritual sight.  This is the proclamation of the acceptable year of the Lord, for all of us who recognize our need for what He gives, and truly desire what He has to offer.   Christ's mission establishes once and for all time, for all of us, that this acceptable year is always here and now.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.   And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14-30

Yesterday, we read that Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit (after His baptism by John), returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  Now  when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Jesus' ministry has just begun, and what we notice is the work of the Holy Spirit through all things.  It was the Holy Spirit whose power sent Him into the wilderness to be tempted (yesterday's reading), and by the power of the spirit He is returned to Galilee to begin His ministry.  Nothing begins without the power of the Spirit.  In the Eastern liturgical rites, all begin with a prayer to the Holy Spirit.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  My study bible tells us that the words of Isaiah are inspired by Christ to begin with.  He is the eternal Son of God and therefore has always been; He did not simply become the anointed Savior, but has been so from the foundation of the world.  Isaiah writes, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1) as it was Christ speaking through him.  Jesus does not say, "The Spirit has come upon Me."  When the Spirit of the LORD descended on Christ at His baptism (3:22), it was a sign revealing an eternal truth to the people, not a temporal occurrence.  This is an essential moment in His ministry; Luke tells us that Jesus specifically chose this verse to read in His hometown synagogue of Nazareth.  The acceptable year of the LORD is the time of His Incarnation, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.   And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  We see the response of those in His hometown to His ministry!  My study bible points out that this double response of the people of both marveling (v. 22) and rejection (v. 29) occurs frequently in those who encounter Christ (see 11:14-16; John 9:16).   Being rejected in His own country is a fulfillment of the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elijah whom Jesus mentions here.  It foreshadows His ultimate rejection by the Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Christ accepts His death according to the will of the Father, not of the authorities or the crowds.  We note that here, as elsewhere, He passes through the midst of them; the hour of His Passion has not yet come.

Right from the beginning of His ministry, we hear of confrontation.  Jesus has great good news that people can't accept.  They know Him, they know His family, they know where He is from.  How can He be the Person He says He is?  By this time of His preaching in His hometown synagogue at Nazareth, He's already well-known.  His ministry has become well-known.  But the people cannot accept the authority in the ministry and the Man; they assign to Him the place they think they know.  This statement made by Jesus, "No prophet is accepted in his own country," is mentioned in all four Gospels.  As my study bible points out, He is rejected as the prophets were rejected.  This 'microcosm' of His hometown is a reflection of what will happen eventually with the authorities and the stirred crowds at the Passion.  But Jesus has a response for them.  He is the Prince of Peace, but this doesn't stop Him from fully defending the authority by which He is sent into the world, and the work of the ministry that will continue when He is gone.  He speaks of the continuing action of God, via the Holy Spirit, in which the Good News of salvation will also be a light to the Gentiles.  He warns the people here in Nazareth with examples from Israel's past, from the Old Testament Scripture, about who is chosen and who is not.  It is an echo of the words of John the Baptist to those who came from Jerusalem to be baptized, not to rely on the ancestry of Abraham for salvation, as "God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." To whom is the message carried? It is carried to those whose hearts are receptive, to those with ears to hear and eyes to see, to refer again to words from Isaiah.  The reality of the Spirit once again reminds us of the power and authority of God that supersedes worldly institutions and "truths," that gives us an eternal truth and not a temporal one to believe in.  How are we all linked in Spirit to believers in other places and other times?  What is "sonship" all about?  How is it conveyed?  All of our temporal assumptions and certainties are called into question by this Good News of Christ, His salvation.  He doesn't shrink from confrontation nor from defending the role the Father has given Him -- even if it provokes outrage among those who've known Him all of His life.  Where is your loyalty?  What teaches you?  The quotation from Isaiah is all about liberty from oppression, setting free the captives, giving sight to the blind, healing the brokenhearted, giving good news to the poor.  What really sets you free?  What would real freedom mean for these who reject Him in favor of what they already know?

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.'"

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.   Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14-30

On Saturday, we read that Jesus, after His baptism, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written,  'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  The scene is set; Jesus' Galilean mission is well under way.  He has been teaching in synagogues throughout the region, and widely "glorified by all."

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.'"  My study bible indicates to us the interpretation of this text (see Isaiah 61:1-2) as that of proclamation of the Incarnation.   It tells us that as eternal Son of God, Christ doesn't become the world's anointed Savior, but has always been Savior from before the foundation of the world.  It tells us that it was Christ speaking through Isaiah to say, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1).  He doesn't say that the Spirit "has come upon Me," but rather "is upon Me."   At His baptism, when the Spirit of the LORD descended on Jesus, it was a sign revealing an eternal truth to the people, not a temporal one.   This "is" is the eternal present in the name "I AM," and in Jesus' statement, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58).  And what is the "acceptable year of the LORD"?  It is the time of the Incarnation, when -- as my study bible puts it -- "the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2)."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"   The seated position is the traditional position of a teacher, or rabbi.  His pronouncement seams clear:  the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in their hearing!  Jesus' townspeople marvel at His gracious speech.  Is this really the man we all know?  Joseph's son?

He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.   Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.    My study bible suggests that the double response we observe here  of both marveling and rejection occurs frequently in those who encounter Christ (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Jesus' being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha mentioned here by Jesus in vv. 26 and 27, and it foreshadows Jesus' rejection by the whole of the Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).    A note tells us that Christ accepts death according to the Father's will, not at the will of other human beings.  Here, the hour of His Passion has not yet come (see John 8:20).

In Luke's Gospel, this is the first time Jesus escapes death.  But it certainly isn't the last, particularly if we take into account the rest of the New Testament Gospels, including that of John.  Over and over again, we read that it wasn't yet His time, the hour of Passion, crucifixion, and Resurrection.  The notable thing here, however, is that this first brush with such a threat comes in His hometown.  It's a kind of early sign of what is to come, both in the "marveling and rejection" that simultaneously accompanies Jesus in His public ministry, and of the irate rage at the truth He tells them about themselves.  Because they're from His hometown, perhaps, they expect great things.  They're almost like spectators at a great event, or film-goers watching a movie they expect to be dazzled by.  Where are the great marvels and miracles they've heard about already?  What about the things He's done in Capernaum?  And, by the way, isn't this just that young man we knew and watched grow up, Joseph's boy?  They know Him as Jesus, Joseph's son.  This eloquent speech doesn't belong to such a person.  How is it possible?  But it is possible, and even the revelation of Messiah or Christ is possible.  It's possible that Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in their hearing.  But they want a sign.   They demand to be dazzled first.  They're waiting for something.  Faith doesn't come.  There's no trust.  Who knows if this is a human by-product of familiarity, or expectation?  Perhaps we demand conformity of "our own" within our own limits of expectation or desire.   Jesus' statement that "no prophet is accepted in his own country" is recorded in all of the Gospels, giving us an emphatic assurance of this truth.   His warning must also be taken seriously, when He gives explicit examples of the truth of the prophets being realized only by foreigners.  This warning isn't taken seriously enough for the townspeople to reflect on their own responses to Him and His gracious words.  It's met, as truth may so often be met about ourselves, with wrath and perhaps disgust -- a murderous rage at His words.   Jesus must accept this rejection from His hometown and His neighbors, the things that are familiar to Him.  So, once again, the Gospels give us an example about the reception of truth, truth about ourselves, truth about a spiritual reality we may need to accept or to take a good look at.  Our own personal reaction might be rage.  It might be fear.  We might endlessly demand proofs in order to avoid what it is we want to avoid.  It isn't easy, necessarily, to accept truth, particularly spiritual truth which transcends all our circumstances, assumptions, familiar understanding, and family and neighborly ties.  Jesus cites the experience of these great prophets, Elijah and Elisha, as proof of that, and as warning to these "neighbors." But then, in our present Gospel of Luke, we will also be given an answer that goes deeper than our understanding of neighbor, to a lawyer's question, "Who is my neighbor?"  Luke invites us here to think about what is a neighbor, and what it means to be truly related.  We ask here questions about our faith, and how faith establishes not only a different order of reality -- of a Kingdom present -- but also a different order of relatedness to one another.   It invites us to consider our own blind spots, a kind of rejection or denial that results in rage that is defense against personal change, transformation of our own viewpoint.  We go back to John's Gospel again for Jesus' repeated emphasis on love of the Father; this love in our hearts determines whether or not we are willing to see what revelation of truth God has for us, whether we can adapt to that reality or not.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.  Are we able to accept the wealth of the gifts we're offered, or to be truly healed?  Can we receive our liberty, and accept the sight He offers?  In His eternal presence, it is always the acceptable year of the LORD, but we need faith to realize it for ourselves.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed,

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'" Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14-30

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness. After His baptism, at which the Holy Spirit anointed Him, and the Father's voice proclaimed Him Son, the Spirit led Him to the wilderness where, after His fast, He was tempted to use His power in the "worldly" ways of the "prince of this world," the devil. Each time He refused, quoting Scripture, in obedience to the Father. His power will be used in His ministry not for expediency, but to serve that will, and bring a different kingdom into this world. See It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. Luke's testimony in this Gospel refers us again to the power of the Spirit which leads Jesus; in Saturday's reading, we were told He was "filled with the Spirit." At this point, His Galilean ministry has been successful, and He is "glorified by all."

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." It's interesting that we are told that it is His custom to stand up and read. Isaiah's prophecies are repeatedly referred to in the Gospels - most recently we have heard Isaiah's words proclaimed by John the Baptist (see Make His paths straight). Here, Isaiah refers to the anointing of Christ by the Holy Spirit. My study bible says, "The Spirit of the LORD descended upon Jesus at His baptism. Jesus will bring blessings long awaited by the Jewish people, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah." In this prophecy, as we were previously told by John the Baptist of the 'evening up' before the Lord, so Isaiah again teaches us what this is: the good news is preached to the poor, the brokenhearted are healed, the proclamation of liberty made to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, those who are oppressed are set at liberty, the acceptable year of the LORD is proclaimed. And in this is the action of the Holy Spirit.

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'" We again bear witness here to the work of the "fullness of the Spirit" in Jesus and His ministry: they marveled at the gracious words which proceeded from the mouth of the one whom they've known all their lives, the son of Joseph. Jesus refers to the reputation they must know by now of His successful ministry in Galilee -- and He knows they want proof of His Messiahship, to which Isaiah's prophecy refers. But He is their fellow villager! They want proof through spectacular acts of power -- and again, Jesus is faced with the same temptation He met in the wilderness: this time, among those whom He has known all His life.

Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." My study bible says, "Jesus exposes their unbelief. Through examples of God's mercy to Gentiles, He warns them that their heritage alone will not save them." But clearly, He accepts the ways of "the world." The familiar becomes a limitation to sight, to seeing Him for who He is -- and more particularly to the Spirit who is at work in Him: "No prophet is accepted in his own country." And, indeed, He teaches them of the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, which, like the wind, "blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes." We understand the work of God, of the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures and the examples He gives, and so do they. The "evening up" also includes the Good News and its work going to the Gentiles, to the ones not expected to receive, the outsiders. But, the irony is, in this warning itself is mercy: He is telling them they must open their eyes in faith.

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. This is not the first nor the last time we will be told in the Gospels that Jesus "passes through the midst of them" -- of a crowd that is bent on destroying Him. We have just finished readings in John's Gospel, where it happens several times at the temple. His pronouncements can bring the wrath of those whom He criticizes, who have failed to grasp what is at work in Him. His warnings are met with wrath. But His ministry is far from finished, and so He journeys on.

How is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Do you find surprises on your own journey of faith? Does the familiar limit your perception, until perhaps something startles you into new understanding? We read in the prophecy of Isaiah the words about the recovery of sight to the blind, the healing of the brokenhearted, good news for the poor, liberty for the captive and oppressed -- and even these very words will not bear the kind of fruit expected in Israel. Who, indeed, for example, are the poor? The prophecy will be fulfilled in ways only the Spirit can reveal to our understanding, and the love of God can fill. Christ's ministry will open up all kinds of ways in which the expected and familiar become new. And so it is in our own lives; I find that I can never be prepared for the work in my life and where God's love and leading will take me. All things are made new by this anointing, and it "blows where it wishes." Can we follow in His way with Him as He takes us forward?