“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
Absolutely electrifying! Finally he is home, back in the synagogue of his youth. He was a celebrity; a rabbi with his own disciples, a healer, a teacher of note. He had enough disciples by this time that whenever he went to a synagogue, it was a full house. It was customary for visiting rabbis to be asked to read scripture, and they got to choose which it was to be. Jesus chose Isaiah, found what in our chapter and verse Bible is Isaiah 61:1, and began to read. It was the job description of the Messiah, with the following description of the restoration of justice and righteousness for all.
The place was absolutely still as Jesus finished, rolled up the scroll, handed it to the attendant, and then sat down. Sitting down was a cultural signal. It meant that he was about to teach, to say something important. Their eyes were ‘fastened’ on him and he said, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
Irrespective of their reaction to his announcement, the effect on his disciples was electric. He was claiming to be the Messiah. That was perfectly clear…and he was taking up the tasks of the Messiah, the very things he would teach them to value and to do.
I am deeply gratified by what he did not say. He did not say ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to build a great big church, to preach good news to all the good people, to raise lots of money for buildings and projects, and to rejoice in his generosity.’
No! God sent Jesus for us all, with a special emphasis on the poor, prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. Each of those categories can be understood as literal or figurative, but in either case the end result is the same…they need compassion, help, and care.
I’m on a bit of a soap box. Please compare the priorities of the institutional church in America with these priorities of the Kingdom of God. When you’re looking at the priorities, look at how and where the money is spent. Having been there and done that, I know that most of the churches in America spend 75-85% (or more) of the tithe money to pay for buildings, upkeep and maintenance, staff, utilities, materials, and program development, leaving little to spend intentionally on the poor, prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed, however you might define them. That is one of the reasons for the growing lack of trust in the church by America’s younger people. They see ‘organized religion’ as inflexible, unjust, selfish, and culturally irrelevant…plus they have gotten on to the fact that ‘the church’ is always asking for money.
But when the followers of Jesus set aside their own comfort and begin to respond to the needs of others, when service becomes their voice, and when they stop talking so much and put their faith into action in their communities…then people, young and old, take notice and begin to get with that program. This is not ‘random acts of kindness,’ but intentional engagement with the ministry of the Kingdom of God. The church of today can and must let go of its assets in order to follow Jesus’ call to be salt and light. We can do it!
Prayer: “Great Father, you have come into our lives as the living presence of forgiveness, compassion, and hope. Keep coming! Be those things in us so powerfully that we are caught up in your great movement and revolution. Use our intellect, our bodies, our assets, and (if necessary) our voices to bring hope, healing, health, and salvation to this terribly ill world. Grab us, wrestle with us, shake us from our complacency, and then show us where to begin. In the name of Jesus, Amen!”