Nehemiah 8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10 / Psalm 19 / I Corinthians 12: 12 – 31a / Luke 4: 14 - 30
This
is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran
Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, January 26, 2025 by
Fr. Gene Tucker.
“LONGING FOR SOMETHING; THEN GETTING IT”
(Homily
text: Luke 4: 14 - 30)
(Introductory
note: For our worship this morning, and for the scriptural text for this
homily, I’ve expanded the appointed reading from Luke 4: 14 – 21, to include
verses 22 through 30. The reason is that, for this Sunday, we will be hearing
Luke’s report on Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in Nazareth. But normally, we
would hear the outcome and the aftermath of that visit in next Sunday’s reading,
verses 22 through 30, for the appointed text for Epiphany IV. But since next
Sunday, which is normally Epiphany IV, falls on February 2nd, it is
customary to follow the appointed readings for the Feast of the Presentation
when February 2nd (the fixed date for the Presentation) falls on a
Sunday. So, by including those verses we would normally hear on Epiphany IV in
this Sunday’s reading, we will be able to capture the entirety of Luke’s report
on Jesus’ visitation to the synagogue, both His visit and the reaction of those
who witnessed it.)
Ever
harbor a wish for something for a long time? As young persons or as children,
we might have harbored a wish to have a cherished item that our parents or our
grandparents own(ed). For example, as parents or grandparents, we might have
children who’ve wanted to have something we inherited ourselves from some
member of our family. Or, we might have wanted to have an old car or truck in
our younger years. As parents or grandparents, we might have found ourselves on
the other side of the idea, being the ones who own an old car or truck or some
other item.
But
what would have happened to us as children, or to us as parents and
grandparents as we grew older, if those dreams actually came to be? Chances
are, getting the thing that we (or they) so wanted to have, would have meant
big changes in life.
That
might be a good way to enter into our examination of Jesus’ visit to the
synagogue in Nazareth, which is where He grew up. (This is information that
Luke, alone, provides us.)
Luke’s
account of the practices in synagogues at the time of our Lord’s earthly
ministry is, perhaps, one of the earliest written accounts of what happened
during synagogue worship.
Luke
tells us that Jesus read from a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. (It’s reasonable
to assume that there would have been a reading(s) from the Law of Moses as
well.)
Jesus
reads from Isaiah 61:1 – 2, and a portion of Isaiah 58:6. We don’t know if this
portion was appointed by some regimen of reading from the Scriptures or not, or
if Jesus chose this passage Himself.
Isaiah’s
words are comforting: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
appointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to the captives, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor”.
What
happened next seems to be out-of-sequence. Luke tells us that, after having
finished, Jesus gave the scroll back to the attendant, sat down and then said,
“Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke then says that
all who heard Him spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words He said.
The
impression might be that the congregation gathered that day took a little while
to grasp that Jesus was saying that Isaiah’s prediction had come to reality in
their midst, fulfilled in him. We might think that the normal sequence would be
that those gathered would be impressed with what Jesus had done, and then He
would have said that the prophecy had been fulfilled. But Luke records the
sequence differently. Perhaps the sequence is in the order that it is for a
reason. It’s just possible that that’s the way events unfolded.
The
reaction of the worshippers is immediate. They say, ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
The
implication is that Jesus is one whom the residents of Nazareth know to be a
normal, everyday, native-son-made-good, but nothing more. Sensing what they are
thinking, Jesus offers (what must have been) a common saying, “Physician, heal
yourself”. Jesus then comments about the lack of acceptability that prophets
have among their own people. Following up on this comment, He then reminds them
that God’s prophets, Elijah and Elisha, were sent not to God’s chosen people,
but the Gentiles. Luke finishes out his description of events by saying that
the people in the synagogue were so enraged that they tried to throw Jesus over
a cliff.
Let’s
take a moment to return to the idea with which we began, the matter of actually
getting something that was long hoped for.
God’s
people in the time of Jesus’ ministry longed for the good, old days of Kings
David and Solomon. They longed for the restoration of their independence,
enjoyed under these two great kings of ancient Israel. They longed to chase the
Romans out of their land. Many thought that the Lord would send a great leader
and deliverer, the Messiah, to usher in a new, golden age.
Their
hopes and dreams seemed to be anchored firmly in the glory days of the past. It
isn’t so clear that many of God’s people thought that such dreams could be a
reality in their own lives, in the present time and place.
From
time-to-time, various rebellious movements, led by charismatic persons, would
emerge to challenge the status quo. Some claimed to have God’s anointing. All
eventually came to an end. Whatever messianic hopes were linked to these
various leaders vanished when they did.
Claiming
to have God’s anointing was an audacious claim to make. Claiming it meant that
God was going to be active in the here-and-the-now of life, in the person who
claimed the anointing. If such an anointing was, indeed, real, then it meant
that God was active in the present, not just in the glorious past of God’s
people.
The
logical conclusion is that, if God is active in the present, then there will be
changes, perhaps big changes.
Let’s
pose a question to ourselves: Is there something that we have longed for in our
lives? Perhaps it’s healing of some sort, or delivery from some temptation or
another. Or perhaps it’s the restoration of some broken or impaired
relationship.
Whatever
the case, the next question to ask ourselves is this one: “Have I asked God to
help grant this long-held, long-cherished desire?”
For
the reality is that God is active in the world today, often working quietly but
surely to bring about new life, new hope, and new beginnings. For God alone has
the creative power to create new life and new possibilities.
It
all begins with faith in God’s abilities, and the prayerful request to grant
our petitions and desires as is best for us. That’s often the beginning point in
receiving the reality of the fulfillment of our aspirations and dreams.
AMEN.
