|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Nehemiah 8:1–3,5–6, 8–10 |
Psalm 19 |
1 Corinthians
12:12–31a
|
Luke 4:14-21 |
In one of our summer vacations to Prince Edward Island, we visited the capital, Charlottetown and stopped by the old Anglican Church in the center, next to many of the government buildings. It is a beautiful stone church, surrounded by ancient trees shading a green lawn. As we went into the main entrance there was a prominent sign that read, ”This is a nut free zone. Please be considerate.” The notice took me back, it seemed sort of insensitive, I can understand why clergy get annoyed at certain parishioners occasionally, but I thought that really crossed the line of simple kindness. Then I saw another sign that said, “Some of those who are in our childcare and day care program have severe allergies to peanuts, kindly refrain from eating peanuts or products containing peanut butter in this building.” The explanation certainly made sense and I understood why the notice was posted right at the entrance where visitors would enter.
The larger issue of course is why is it that so many children today seem to be developing severe food allergies? That’s the question that raises serious concerns and controversy. Is it because of certain food additives or preservatives? Does their prevalence come as a result of chemical fertilizer or the way food is processed? Answers to such questions have enormous economic implications and make a lot of people very nervous and defensive. Giving people a larger perspective, inviting broader, if not universal horizons, is precisely what Jesus did and what got him into controversy and why there were powerful forces that turned against him and sought his elimination.
When Jesus first went back to his hometown, people recognized that he was a bright rabbi and an engaging preacher. He made good, the people knew it and they were very proud. But Jesus didn’t play into their pride. It would have been very tempting to give them what they wanted to hear, and then just eat up their adoration.
Instead Jesus confronted people with the broader issues that had been raised by the prophets. He read the appointed lesson from the prophet Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord has been given me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to those held captive, to give to those of clouded sight, new vision, to free the spirits of the oppressed, to proclaim God's time of favor." Jesus was telling the people of his synagogue, that by freeing the oppressed, you will find them in your midst and they will have different voices than yours. If you give sight to the blind, they will observe things from a different perspective. If you give liberty to those held captive, you will have a broader society, and you will have to deal with those who are not like you. That will require unlearning your biases, prejudices and stereotypes. You will have to work at accepting new information and changing your mind. Jesus was not talking about letting people out of the local hospice. Jesus was talking about the world and universal justice and freedom.
Jesus raises up the implications of God's grace, the indications of God's era of reconciliation among those outside the boundaries of a particular religion or nation. As we will read next week, this gospel story concludes with the people running Jesus off and rejecting him. The people become enraged with Jesus’ preaching. That is why the great contemporary Methodist preacher Fred Craddock is fond of saying that "Jesus does not go elsewhere because he is rejected in Nazareth, he is rejected in Nazareth because he goes elsewhere". Jesus would not keep God enclosed in our controlled bailiwick.
A current article in Christian Century1 noted that it is so tempting to preach about Jesus than to preach what Jesus taught. Preaching what Jesus taught is a lot more dangerous. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very personable and engaging individual and it would have been easy for him to be called to a well-paid pulpit and live in relative affluent security. But when King began preaching what he interpreted as being faithful to what Jesus actually taught, then his life was put in danger and hostility grew.
I suspect we are no different than the people of Nazareth in the first century, or the people in Selma or Birmingham in the fifties and sixties. We, too, are confronted with many voices, some from outside our personal experience and far beyond our comfort zone. They are voices from people who seem strange to us. Understanding what insight or perspective they have may be difficult, challenging, and threatening. Yet through some of them, the Holy Spirit may be leading us all to greater wisdom and deeper reconciliation.
1Lawrence Wood, “Living By The Word”, in Christian Century, Jan. 9, 2007
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
