Fulfilled How?
Ordinary Time III; January 21, 2007
Luke 4:14-21
“And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.” That was, apparently, the usual way of doing things in the synagogues of the time. The Chazzan selected the scroll Isaiah and handed it to Jesus, who probably then was able to choose whatever portion he felt moved to read. There was probably also a reading from the Torah, which someone else was given to read and interpret, and perhaps from the Kethubim (Writings) as well. Anyway, the Chazzan selected Isaiah, from Isaiah Jesus selected a few verses from chapters 61 and 58, and then sat down to interpret for the people.
Next week’s Gospel reading has to do with how the people react to what Jesus says, so we’ll leave that for now. Instead, we’ll focus on what he says, especially those rather shocking words, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
In your mind’s eye, see the Prophet who originally spoke those words standing in the ruins of Jerusalem. The people have lost their independence and are subject to a foreign power; they have been a conquered people for some decades. They see their hopes, their way of life, their sense of self-determination in ruins. The Prophet says that the Lord’s Spirit is upon him, for the Lord has anointed him to bring good news to the poor and oppressed, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the year of the Lord’s favor.
Now, in your mind’s eye, see the people of the Nazareth congregation hearing Jesus reading those words. These words are a reminder of God’s faithfulness in the past, for the captives did return to their homes and their lives were restored. But they are also a promise of a coming servant of God. After all, the Bible doesn’t save the words of the prophets just so we can remember the past; the prophets contain promises that God still makes good on. The words of a promised servant of God, filled with the Spirit of God, who will proclaim liberty to the oppressed gives hope to a people once again occupied by a foreign power. The Romans are not bad people, but no one who thinks of themselves as a sovereign, free people wants foreign troops in their land.
So Jesus says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Obviously he means himself: in him the promise is fulfilled. Fulfilled how?
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me…
Jesus had gone to the Jordan River to hear his cousin John preach. John’s preaching, as I hope you recall from a sermon last month, was fiery and challenging. Jesus joined the crowd that pushed down into the river to be baptized, but when he was baptized, he had a vision. He saw the Holy Spirit come upon him, assuming the form of a dove, and he heard a voice: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (3:21-22) 1 So Jesus knew that whatever he was supposed to do, he was being sent by God.
You and I had best hold that thought carefully, because lots of people claim to be sent by God. Usually, when someone says to us, “God sent me,” then you and I are cautious. Moses told the people to be cautious anytime someone claims to be speaking in the name of God: reserve judgment, wait for events to unfold, because not everyone who claims to be a prophet of God really is (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). Once again, I think of my favorite piece of Christian comic relief, Pat Robertson, who claimed on January 2 that God told him that a terrorist attack late this year will result in the killing of millions of Americans. “I’m not necessarily saying it’s going to be nuclear. The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.” This is what he said on his show The 700 Club on Christian Broadcasting Network.2 Robertson has done this sort of thing so often and is so generally wrong, I wonder why anyone believes him anymore. But people do. Applying Moses’ test, we’ll wait and see if God really did tell him that, while praying that he’s wrong.
So Jesus claims to be sent by God and it is wise to test the claim. In particular, does he do the things the Prophet speaks of in this reading from Isaiah?
…to bring good news to the poor.
Here are a few of the things Jesus says that are certainly good news to the poor. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (6:20) You are probably more accustomed to Matthew’s version, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” but that’s not the way Luke tells it. Jesus is more blunt in Luke, and it’s definitely good news to the poor. The liberation theologians call it “God’s preferential option for the poor,” which makes us middle-class folks nervous, but there it is.
“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” instead of your comfortably-off friends (14:13). After all, your friends can repay you by inviting you to their house for dinner as well. If you want to act like people who care about God, Jesus says, invite to dinner people who can’t repay you. You have probably heard of Christians who have decided that the best thing to do about homelessness is to start inviting people into their homes. Maybe they keep the good silver locked up, maybe not, but rather than lobbying the government to fund a shelter, they extend the grace of hospitality.
Of course, there is the well-known story of Lazarus and the rich man (16:20-22). If you have ever seen Godspell then you can never forget that story. Lazarus is a poor man, covered with sores, who lies at the front door of the rich man’s house. The rich man doesn’t have a name in Jesus’ story, but tradition calls him Dives. Anyway, Dives enjoys his fancy house and gourmet meals, dropping his leftovers on the floor for his dogs to eat. Lazarus starves, however. When they both are dead, the rich man finds himself in the place of eternal torment and Lazarus is “in the bosom of Abraham.”
Whatever you make of it – and don’t worry, I’ll preach on all these things when they show up in the lectionary this year – Jesus certainly brings good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives…
Jesus proclaims release to those who are captive to powers of evil. There are lots of stories of exorcisms, including one that happens in Capernaum, right after this visit to Nazareth (4:33-35). Jesus astonishes people by casting out demons.
He proclaims release to those captive to sin. Jesus, quite against what the religious authorities think he ought to do, blatantly assures people that their sins are forgiven (5:17-26).
He proclaims release to social outcasts. Tax collectors aren’t poor, but they are looked down upon by all the right people. Jesus makes a point of having dinner with tax collectors and enjoying the company of the wrong people (5:29-31, 19:1-10).
He proclaims release to the dead. When the widow of Nain mourns the loss of her only son, Jesus brings the man to life (7:11-17).
He proclaims release to the captives of sexism. You bet: Jesus treats women as people in their own right, not as appendages to men, and includes them as his followers (8:2-3).
He proclaims release to those captive to a retributive theology. That is, to those who think, “If something bad happens to you, it’s because you sinned,” Jesus says, “That is not the way it works in God’s world.” (13:1-5)
I don’t know how much of that you believe, but Luke records all of it as examples of Jesus proclaiming release to the captives. Whatever else you may say, proclaiming release to the captives is certainly part of the mission of Jesus.
…and recovery of sight to the blind…
There are only two stories in Luke about Jesus giving sight to the blind, but those two are certainly there (7:21-22 and 18:35). One of my favorite mission movies – it was part of the Presbyterian Mission Yearbook on video – was about an eye hospital in Pakistan, where the Christians made the blind see. That suggests – and I hope you’ll think about this idea this week – that if you and I are followers of Jesus, and all these things in Luke 4 are the mission of Jesus, then our mission in the world is to continue doing these things.
…to let the oppressed go free…
If the people of Jesus’ day had any major disappointment in him, it was that after his mission, his Crucifixion and his Resurrection, the Romans were still occupying their land. He did not free them from their oppressors. Perhaps this statement is the same as “release to the captives,” and so we should interpret it that way. Or: if Jesus thinks of himself as the one who lets the oppressed go free, and doesn’t do that himself, then perhaps that is an important part of our mission in the world in his name.
…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
When John the Baptist was born, his father Zechariah said of cousin-to-be-born Jesus, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David.” (1:68-69) When Jesus was born, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (2:14) What more favor can you and I need than the presence of the One upon whom is the Spirit of the Lord, because the Lord has anointed him to bring good news to the poor? He was sent 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 favor.
Luke notes that after Jesus read the text and sat down to speak, the “eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.” When the Church Father Origen preached on this text, he said that he wished that all in his congregation, too, would fix their eyes on Jesus. When you want to see wisdom and truth, Origen says, look to Jesus. “Blessed is that congregation of which Scripture testifies that ‘the eyes of all were fixed on him!’”[1]
Lord Jesus Christ, our eyes are fixed on you and we trust in your promises. Send your Holy Spirit upon us to continue your mission. Amen.
Robert A. Keefer
Westminster
Presbyterian Church
Clarinda, Iowa
[1] For the sake of consistency, all references are from Luke except when otherwise noted.
2 From an Associated Press story on www.wittenburgdoor.com/newsletter/index.html.