Sunday’s sermon was about Jesus’ “homecoming” to Nazareth, the community where he grew up in the southern part of the Galilee region of Israel. The account from Luke 4:14-21 is believed to contain the “first recorded words of Jesus’ public ministry.”
Jesus had begun traveling from town to town across Galilee teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the arrival of God’s kingdom.
He drew great praise from the people, “making good impressions” all across the region, according to Pastor Karl.
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Upon
Jesus’ returned to Nazareth, he was scheduled to attend the local synagogue on
the Sabbath, conduct a reading from the scrolls and engage in teaching. Luke
tells us:
As he stood up to read, the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And he opened the book and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
“Then
he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down (as was the
custom for the teaching moment). The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were
fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled
in your hearing.’”
It
was a directive from the Messiah himself. The people of Israel were free and
liberated. The wait is over. The future is now, Pastor Karl explained.
Amazement quickly faded to skepticism, however, as the people perceived that nothing had changed. There were no visible miracles from the young man who was advertised as the Son of God. The locals still viewed Jesus as the “carpenter’s son.” They became quite angry, as if to say: “Who does he think he is?”
Commenting on the crowd’s reaction, Pastor Karl said: “They didn’t see it, they didn’t get it; they missed it. Are we flexible and open to new ways? He may express himself at any time to open doors for ongoing encounters with God? Or are we too distracted? God is here. Today.”
This point of view is underscored by Dr. Michael K. Marsh, rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Uvalde, Texas.
He wrote: “Today the Spirit of the Lord is here. Today is the day of anointing. Today is the day to bring good news to the poor. Today is the day to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Today is the day to let the oppressed go free. Today is the day to proclaim 2025 as the year of the Lord’s favor.”
“Today is the day to love, today is the day to tell the truth, today is the day to forgive, today is the day to end racism, today is the day to welcome the migrant, today is the day to feed the hungry, today is the day to reconcile and make peace,” Dr. Marsh said.
“Today, not yesterday and not tomorrow, this day, is the day of fulfillment. Today is the day. If not today, when?”
Preaching on the same topic (Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth) on the same Sunday as Pastor Karl…the Rev. Jonathan Marlowe, a co-senior pastor at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Cornelius, N.C., described the behavior of the Nazareth crowd as just “plain sorry,” a Southern term that means “ruder than rude and about as bad as it can get.”
Rev.
Marlowe cited passages written by John Golda, founder of the Hearing From Jesus
Ministries organization: “The people of Nazareth’s familiarity with Jesus and
his family blinds them to the truth of his identity. They cannot reconcile the
Jesus they knew as a carpenter’s son with the divine authority He now embodies,
leading to their rejection of him.”
“Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth underscores the challenges of speaking truth to those who are unwilling to listen. Yet, it also demonstrates the power of truth to challenge entrenched beliefs and transform hearts, even in the face of opposition,” Golda wrote.
“Like Jesus, let us courageously proclaim truth, even when it is met with resistance or rejection. May we be steadfast in our commitment to God’s word, confronting unbelief with grace and humility.”
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