“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
They knew what Jesus was implying. The year acceptable to the Lord had finally come, the true Jubilee year, in which the prophetic promises, specifically those about the Messiah were fulfilled. Jesus implied to the crowds that what they had heard about his ministry, proclaiming good news to the poor and setting captives free, corresponded exactly to the prophetic promise from the Isaiahian scroll from which he read. But it would only be fulfilled for each of them based on how these received what they heard. Only those with ears to hear would truly experience that the passage was fulfilled in their hearing it, because for those who listened with faith the Scripture, when proclaimed by Jesus, would achieve an inner transformation.
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
We know Jesus has a mixed reputation in the world. But aren't many people still quick to praise Jesus at first? They know his reputation for being compassionate, wise, and entirely focused on love. Perhaps, in the imagination of the public, he is even a spiritual being who can help us with our problems so we can back to living our lives in comfort.
They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
The message of Jesus often tastes sweet at first, but comes with a challenge that might be bitter to us. When he seems to us to be just one created being among many, even if he is the most powerful and compassionate of them, he then becomes someone with whom we begin to compare ourselves, even if unconsciously. We see him as someone who should be addressing our needs as we understand those needs to be, and in precisely the way we desire. We see him as just one more piece of a universe that still revolves ultimately around ourselves, which we believe we ought to be able to orchestrate for our own motives. If this is impossible for us we won't necessarily reevaluate Jesus himself. Rather, we will tend to look for ways to dismiss the dramatic nature of his claims.
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say,
‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
When we hear about the powerful miracles that Jesus still works in the world today how do we respond? Do we demand that he do the same for us, displaying not faith, but a sense of entitlement? And when we ask but do not receive don't we begin to think of Jesus more as a son of Joseph, constrained by the limits of time and space, rather than Son of God?
And he said, “Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Jesus had greater freedom to work in people who were able to experience him for the first time without any prejudice or preexisting bias. Those with whom he grew up were not at an advantage, despite seeing the excellence of his character as he matured into adulthood. That was perhaps what gave them their first impression on his return, that about his "gracious words". But it was not enough to save them from feeling jealous of Capernaum. Having grown up near him without knowing fully his Messianic identity did indeed give them a sense of special entitlement, a sense so strong that seeing others receive before them was viewed as a insult.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Jesus did not, as we might expect, continue on to a message where he assured the people of Nazareth that he loved them just as much of the people of Capernaum. He did not immediately begin to heal and liberate in their midst in order that they not feel left out. Rather, he leaned into their criticism. But he did so by explaining that this was not simply the way of Jesus the son of Joseph, but rather God's way, with plenty of precedent.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
Of course this response seems harsh to us. And it was provocative. But it was provocative to unmask the hidden jealousy and entitlement that would have otherwise remained beneath the surface. Having it provoked and tested gave them an opportunity to either resist, which they did not appear to do, or to repent when they saw themselves becoming something terrible.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
They had believed that Jesus was merely one of them, and that they were therefore especially deserving of his blessings. But it now appeared that, whatever Jesus was, they were something less, something tainted. They would need to come to terms with that before they could revisit the message Jesus spoke, and come to understand themselves, not as deserving, but as those in desperate need. Just as we recently saw with David, a fall isn't necessarily the end. It can be precisely at rock bottom that the most important changes begin. We can hope that it was so for the people of Nazareth.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
We have been tasked with the same mission as Jesus, proclaiming to the nations that true freedom is found in him, and that in him we can finally know a year acceptable to the Lord. But we, even more than he himself, will face resistance. Part of the reason for this is that we have much greater liabilities than the Sinless One. We are not perfect. We don't do or say everything right. People are much more correct when they think they know us to be mere sons and daughters of Adam and Eve than they were about Jesus's parentage. But at the same time there is a hidden reality within us, the presence of Jesus himself, which is not immediately evident. It is because of this reality, and not anything we are of ourselves, that we have something to offer. Yet since it is hidden, and since it is still often at odds with our behavior, we should expect it to be difficult for others to recognize. We ourselves are often legitimate obstacles to the presence of Jesus within us getting out of us to reach others. But his presence is able to work wonders through us, even while we are still imperfect, if we trust in him and not ourselves.
Be not crushed on their account,
as though I would leave you crushed before them;
for it is I this day
who have made you a fortified city,
a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land:
We ought not say of ourselves that we are merely sons and daughters of humanity, subject to the same limitations. That is now only a partial truth, and no longer the dominant reality for those who have been baptized. We should remember that we are sons and daughters of God himself, that it is this reality that compels us to speak, and this truth that is the content of our invitation to others.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
We are called to grow up, such that our lives begin to take the same shape as Jesus himself, which was always only love. We can no longer be like Nazareth where the people believed that they could demand the gifts without knowing the giver. We can no longer call our love to truly be such while it remains jealous and self-seeking. We are called to put first things first. Then and only then will we receive all else besides. Those who love are trustworthy with the divine gifts, they remain self-forgetful, and continue in service of the mission. Those who still have some other priority would use gifts only to insulate our lives with comfort, and this is something that Jesus wisely will not allow of his disciples.
The best part about seeking the giver rather than the gifts is that the giver himself turns out to be the greatest treasure we can know. As we come to know him more and more we can begin to experience our desires coming to rest, and profound peace can begin to rule in our hearts.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
No comments:
Post a Comment