Luke 4:16-30

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Psalm 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102

Luke 4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,

and went according to his custom

into the synagogue on the sabbath day.

He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll,

he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,

and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.

He said to them,

“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

And all spoke highly of him

and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”

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.’”

And he said,

“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

Indeed, I tell you,

there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah

when the sky was closed for three and a half years

and a severe famine spread over the entire land.

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,

but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.

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.”

When the people in the synagogue heard this,

they were all filled with fury.

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.

But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, send your Spirit upon me. Anoint me with the oil of gladness so that I may proclaim your Gospel to all those I meet through my words and actions today.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus Proclaims the Fulfillment of Isaiah in Nazareth: During the weekdays of the next thirteen weeks that lead up to the season of Advent, we will read from the Gospel of Luke. We begin with the story of Jesus’ return to Nazareth, an event that takes place after his Baptism in the Jordan, his forty days in the wilderness, and his first weeks of ministry in Galilee. Jesus, Luke tells us, returned to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” and taught in the local synagogues. The welcome that Jesus received throughout the villages of Galilee is in stark contrast to the rejection he faced in his hometown of Nazareth. At first, the people of Jesus’ hometown spoke well of him and were amazed at his words in the synagogue. When Jesus spoke about the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in his person, the people were happy and pleased. Jesus’ message seemed to be a message of hope and glad tidings. It was a message about the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, and the inauguration of the Great Jubilee Year. Those held captive and those who were oppressed would be freed; those who were blind would see. How have I welcomed Jesus’ message in my life?

2. Why the Nazoreans opposed Jesus: Things seemed to be going well in Nazareth, but when Jesus turned his attention to the people’s desire for a miracle to prove that he was God’s Anointed One, the people of Nazareth began to doubt. They didn’t understand how it was that the humble son of a local carpenter could now preach and teach with authority and wisdom. They couldn’t see how the “son of Joseph” could now claim to be the Lord’s Messiah. Jesus read the thoughts of their hearts and quoted a popular proverb to them: “Physician, heal yourself.” A physician normally heals others but is told in the proverb to heal himself. In this context, the proverb means “Do for yourself – and, more importantly, for us your kinsmen – the miracles you have done for others.” Throughout his public ministry, Jesus did mighty deeds and signs and worked many miracles. Many of these mighty deeds followed upon people professing faith in him as the Messiah and Son of God. The people of Nazareth, however, did not respond to Jesus’ message with faith, but with doubt and skepticism. What is more, they rejected him, just as Israel rejected Elijah and Elisha. The two prophets were not accepted in their native places and the two miracles they accomplished, referenced by Jesus, were done not for Israelites but for two non-Israelite Gentiles. Elijah provided food for the widow of Sidon during the famine and Elisha cured Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy. How can I respond in faith to Jesus today?

3. Human Wisdom and Divine Power: Jesus announced that mighty works would not be done for Nazareth, just as mighty works were not done for Israel in the time of Elijah and Elisha. This announcement filled the people with fury and they drove Jesus to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth was built. But Jesus passed through the crowd without difficulty and left his hometown to continue his ministry in Capernaum, which became his home base in Galilee. Like the Gospel, the First Reading proclaims the mystery of God. Jesus is the Son of God whose entire life is a revelation of the Triune God. Paul is an Apostle, a servant of Jesus Christ, who proclaims the mystery of God to the Gentiles. Paul proclaims divine wisdom and not merely human wisdom. He proclaims Christ crucified. The faith that Jesus asked for from the people of Nazareth and the faith that Paul asked for from the Church in Corinth do not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God. Paul demonstrated his message of salvation, not by convincing them with eloquent words of human wisdom, but with the Spirit and power of God. Am I convincing in my proclamation of the Gospel?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I do not reject you or your message. You are everything I need and desire. Help me to understand your word more deeply and live according to your word each day.

Living the Word of God: Like the people of Nazareth, Capernaum, and Corinth, we too are challenged to believe in Jesus more deeply each day. Our prayer is simply: “I believe Lord, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).