‘Does the Congregation Like What They Hear?’ by Rev Allister Lane
30th January 2022
Luke 4.21-30
Today we hear the second part of Luke’s story of Jesus in the synagogue in his hometown.
Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming his own mission;
And then preaches about what this means in relation to him.
Jesus declares himself to be the fulfilment of God’s prophecy.
Jesus embodies what he proclaims.
And today we hear the response of the congregation.
Let me start with a ‘big question’:
do you feel (deep down) that if you do the right thing by God, you will become successful and popular?
If so (even just a little bit) this passage should challenge that notion.
At the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus was rejected and threatened with murder, by being thrown from a cliff top.
Why?
Why was Jesus rejected by his own people, in his home town, where he had been raised since a child?
Why were they so angry they wanted to kill him?
Was it because Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah and then applied it to himself?
Were they were appalled by the grotesque blasphemy in his apparent claim to be God’s Messiah?
If we look again at the Gospel passage we see that after Jesus made his announcement: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”, they were actually all excited and very proud of him.
“All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”
They weren’t appalled by his claim to be the Messiah.
At this point in his sermon, Jesus was popular.
Yet a few minutes later he was rejected as a pariah.
What made the difference?
Let’s look at what comes next in this passage…
It seems that Jesus bristles at the restricted vision of his hometown congregation:
“Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.”
And he refers to the stories of Elijah (and the widow) and Elisha (and Naaman).
Elijah and Elisha are familiar and favourite figures to these Jewish people.
The problem (I suggest) comes when Jesus mentions the widow at Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian.
Jesus is describing his mission, by referring to stories in the Jewish tradition when God’s grace came to them/they (non-Jews).
Jesus is preaching about God’s salvation being all-encompassing – even including the Gentiles.
Then their good mood turned foul. Praise turned to scorn and anger:
“When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.”
The hometown congregation weren’t angry because Jesus claims to be the realisation of God’s power; rather they are angry because he is not using that power the way they want him to use it.
They want him to use God’s power for them – but (Jesus says) he will not work wonders, as he has in Capernaum (v23)
And giving those two examples of God’s power in the lives of Gentiles, is like rubbing salt into a wound.
They are enraged because their demands of Jesus go unmet.
Do we ever respond like that?
When we are disappointed in God, we may get angry;
…or we may just disconnect a little bit.
The congregation in Nazareth are enraged because their demands of Jesus go unmet;
they are also enraged by who IS receiving God’s power.
Jesus describes God’s interest is in everyone, and the congregation’s response reveals they were racist.
They had no time for his preaching about new expectations of God;
it disgusted and infuriated them.
What had seemed a kindly congregation (basking in the glory of one of their own who was becoming successful and popular) turned into a wild mob wanting to lynch this upstart who dared to challenge the presumption of God’s favouritism towards the Jews.
Andrew Judd (former Mayor of New Plymouth) describes himself: “I’m a recovering racist”
He says he was not raised by racist family, but conditioned by a culture to dismiss ‘the murry stuff!’.
Anger, fear, ignorance.
He has found this can be overcome by connection – not dismissing others.
“If you’ve never experienced real racism yourself, you won’t know if you’re being racist to others.”
Expecting others to be like you; to fit into your system and culture assumptions without considering what they value …is racist.
NZ Human Rights Commission have a video made by Taika Waititi – the Acadamy Award Winning Director (Hunt for the WilderPeople, Boy, Jojo Rabbit and Thor)…
I have and uneasy feeling that if Jesus should come among us in the flesh today, challenging our church to embody God’s free grace for all types of people, we might find it expedient to edge him out.
I’m not wanting us to respond by feeling guilty – we need a vision of hope.
And that is why Jesus came to us,
speaks to us,
leads us into a reality where there is no separation.
He has seen to that on the cross;
so nothing has the power to separate us from God and from one another.
If we have fallen short of participating in the loving and inclusive world Jesus shows us, let us repent.
· Where have I neglected to care for or welcome people?
· Where have I ‘othered' someone?
Ask for God’s forgiveness to set you free.
EXAMPLE: US preacher (talking about Black Lives Matter protests) constantly talking about the problems/sin of ‘they’ (others).
I respect people who implicate themselves in the complex problems of humanity, rather than trying to distance themselves by blaming others and highlighting how they are different.
Here in our beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, we have the wonderful hope of Te Tiriti O Waitangi.
Jay Ruka sees this hope, and describes it in his book Huia Come Home:
“…the genius of God is woven into the narrative of our history. There is a divine thread of justice and a rugged grace embedded in the Treaty [of Waitangi]. All along, God’s hopeful intention has been to create a culturally partnered landscape called Aotearoa New Zealand. The Treaty partnership offers a relational hope that means so much in a world filled with cultural dissonance and worldviews that fail to see eye-to-eye.” (pp137-8)
To love and follow Jesus where he is leading us is a risky way to go.
It does not guarantee success and popularity.
Yet it is the only way that leads to abundant, exponential life and freedom and holy joy.