“Something so seemingly simple”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Luke 4:14-21 (Forward, p. 81) CEV p. 1060
Today’s story of Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth seems, to us at least, so simple and straight-forward that we cannot imagine or fathom how anyone in the room could have taken offence at Jesus. Here He is back in His hometown, the town where He had been brought up, and, as is His custom, He goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath. So far so good. He stands up to read from the Hebrew Scriptures—presumably He has been invited to do so by the leader of the synagogue—which, again, given His celebrity status, would only seem logical. Here He is given one of the two Isaiah scrolls to read from, possibly due to it being part of the lectionary readings for the day. (Here we don’t know just how far back the practice of having set readings goes, but it is quite possible that it goes back this far). Jesus opens the scroll—again, we don’t know whether this was pre-set or Jesus’ own choice—and reads part of Isaiah 61 (verses 1-2 are quoted here). This ‘happens’ to be part of one of the Suffering Servant songs, but again, we do not know whether this was by accident or by intent. But, again, there seems to be nothing so far that would arouse any sort of amazement or dismay or opposition.
We are told that immediately upon finishing this reading, He sat down and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were upon Him. Presuming that He went back to His previous seat somewhere back in the room this makes no sense to us at all--unless, of course, that He sat somewhere else and that there was something significant about where He sat. And that is exactly what the Biblical experts tell us took place. Jesus went and sat in the Chair of Moses, a seat that was reserved either for highly esteemed visiting rabbis or for the Messiah. Jesus being neither, at least in the eyes of His former neighbours, would have immediately caused a stir. No wonder all eyes were upon Him. What in the world would Jesus do next, they asked themselves.
What Jesus did—or actually said—next did the opposite of putting their questions and concerns to rest. He told them that on this very day, in their very presence, this prophetic Scripture had been fulfilled. He told them, in no uncertain terms, that yes, this very passage that spoke of the coming Messiah had come true in their midst in His own person. No wonder they became upset, so upset that they wanted to kill Him. Imagine our own hometown boy, our neighbour, claiming to be the Messiah!
But notice two other things in the passage that He read. Firstly, it says that God’s own Spirit has anointed Him and chosen Him, putting Him on the same level as the kings, priests and prophets of old, a pretty radical statement if there ever was one. And secondly, it basically lays out His job description, a description of what Jesus would accomplish during His earthly ministry. It would be a healing, restorative ministry, one of unfettered good news for those who were suffering and marginalized. And indeed, that was exactly what His ministry was all about.
In reality, His ministry, and His claims, were all quite simple and uncomplicated, and yet, today in our world, even as yesterday in Nazareth, there are many people who cannot, or will not, accept them. And why, because these claims would ‘overturn their apple-cart’, that is, force some changes to their lives, and this they cannot stand. But then, look at what they lose out on. Let us, none of us, ever fall prey to doing the same. Amen.
Forward notes: “And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written” (verse 17).
“While I don’t mistake my turns as lector for that day in the synagogue when Jesus read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, I do feel called on those Sundays to share God’s Word as clearly and as earnestly as I can. On those occasions, I imagine that I’m teaching as Jesus was, reading from passages and words generations older. I envision the listeners as attentive to the words today as they were to Jesus and his readings centuries ago.
“Somehow, the years collapse, and the relevancy, whether to the world’s events or individual lives, shines through with truth and purpose. Today’s reading ends as Jesus finishes Isaiah’s words: ‘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.’ It’s my prayer once I or anyone else finishes reading that those in attendance will quietly breathe in what’s been said.”
Moving Forward: “Have you considered the ministry of lay reader? Talk to your priest about this possible calling.”