Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 1:1-4; 4;14-21

IF YOU COME TO CHURCH EVERY WEEKEND AND EVEN HALF-WAY LISTEN TO THE SCRIPTURE READINGS, AFTER A WHILE MOST OF THEM, ESPECIALLY THE GOSPEL PASSAGES, BEGIN TO SOUND FAMILIAR. AND OF COURSE THAT'S NOT SO GOOD; ONCE WE HEAR THE SAME READING FOR THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME, WE DON'T LISTEN CAREFULLY AND WE MISS A LOT OF WHAT IT MIGHT BE SAYING. WE SORT OF DISMISS IT.

THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN NAZARETH WERE LIKE YOU AND I. THEIR WORSHIP SERVICE CONSISTED OF SCRIPTURE READINGS AND PRAYER AND SONG. AND SOMETIMES THEY LOST SIGHT OF WHAT WAS BEING SAID BECAUSE IT WAS SO FAMILIAR.

I LEARNED SOMETHING INTERESTING WHEN I WAS RESEARCHING THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE. NAZARETH WAS A LITTLE VILLAGE, BUT MORE LIKE A SUBURB OF A LARGER CITY CALLED SEPPORAH, WHICH WAS FILLED WITH A MIX OF JEWS AND GENTILES MANY OF WHOM WERE ROMANS. THERE WAS A LOT OF URBAN UNREST IN SEPPORAH, RIOTING BY ONE GROUP OR ANOTHER; THERE WAS CRIME; THERE WAS POLICE BRUTALITY BECAUSE ROMAN SOLDIERS DIDN'T PUT UP WITH MUCH. AND THE CITY WAS PUT UNDER A MILITARY GOVERNMENT MORE THAN ONCE, IN AN ATTEMPT TO QUIET THINGS DOWN. SO IT WAS PROBABLY A LOT LIKE CHICAGO. NAZARETH WAS A LITTLE TOWN MADE UP MOSTLY OF JEWS, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS SO CLOSE, IT COUDN'T COMPLETELY AVOID BEING SWEPT UP IN THE TROUBLES. BETWEEN THE TAXES AND THE BRIBERY AND THE BRUTALITY OF THE ROMAN SOLDIERS IT WAS NO WONDER THAT THE NAZARENES HARBORED A SMOULDERING RESENTMENT.

SO HERE THEY WERE ONE SATURDAY GOING THROUGH A ROUTINE WORSHIP SERVICE. FAMILIAR MUSIC, FAMILIAR READING FROM THE TORAH, A SERMON, A PRAYER, THEN A READING FROM THE PROPHETS, ANOTHER SERMON, MORE PRAYERS, THEN MORE MUSIC AND GO HOME. AT LEAST THAT'S HOW THINGS STARTED OUT THAT DAY.

JEWISH MEN WERE SUPPOSED TO STUDY, AND MOST DID, AS MUCH AS THEY COULD. SO OUT IN THE LITTLE TOWNS WHERE PEOPLE WORSHIPPED IN THE SYNAGOGUES, SOMETIMES THERE WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO HAD ACTUALLY STUDIED WITH ONE OF THE MASTERS, AND HE WOULD USUALLY SPEAK ON THE TORAH READING, THE FIRST READING. THE SECOND READING FROM THE PROPHETS OR THE WISDOM BOOKS WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY COMMENTARY FROM THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN SELECTED TO READ IT. SO NOTHING WAS OUT OF THE ORDINARY. AND PEOPLE HALF LISTENED TO THE FAMILIAR WORDS FROM ISAIAH “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME...” BEING READ BY JESUS, THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD GROWN UP THERE AND WAS BACK FOR A VISIT. BUT THERE WERE TWO THINGS THAT WERE DIFFERENT. FIRST, JESUS DID NOT FINISH THE READING. AFTER THE WORDS “AND TO PROCLAIM A YEAR ACCEPTABLE TO THE LORD” SHOULD COME “AND THE VENGEANCE OVER HIS ENEMIES THAT BELONGS TO HIM” BUT JESUS DIDN'T READ THAT PART. THE SECOND WAS EVEN MORE UPSETTING: JESUS SAT DOWN TO GIVE HIS COMMENTARY, BUT ALL HE SAID WAS “TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING. NEXT WEEK WE WILL SEE HOW THE CONGREGATION GOES FROM ADMIRATION TO TRYING TO THROW HIM OFF A CLIFF IN A VERY SHORT TIME PERIOD. AND WE MIGHT WONDER WHY?

I IMAGINE NO ONE HAD PROBLEMS WITH BRINGING GLAD TIDINGS TO THE POOR. WELL, AS LONG AS THEY WEREN'T TOO GLAD BECAUSE IT WOULD SURE MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT IF THE POOR DECIDED TO TRY TO CHANGE THINGS ONCE THEY HEARD THE GLAD TIDINGS. WHY THE ROMANS WOULD BE ALL OVER THE PLACE. LIBERTY TO CAPTIVES? DON'T BE SILLY. YOU COULDN'T RUN A DECENT FARM WITHOUT A FEW SLAVES THAT YOU HAD PAID FOR FAIR AND SQUARE. AND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE JAILS MOSTLY DESERVED TO BE THERE – ROBBERS AND THIEVES BUT THE WORST OF ALL WERE THE TROUBLE MAKERS, WHO WENT ABOUT UPSETTING EVERYONE.

BEING ABLE TO SEE IF YOU WERE BLIND WOULD BE A GREAT THING, RIGHT? BUT IF YOU COULD SEE, YOU'D HAVE TO GET A JOB AND WORK AND COULDN'T LEGITIMATELY BEG ANYMORE; AND YOU'D GOTTEN USED TO NOT SEEING AND IT REALLY WASN'T SUCH A BAD LIFE; YOU WEREN'T SURE YOU COULD HANDLE THE CHANGE. AND TO LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE? THAT WOULD REALLY BRING DOWN A WORLD OF HURT. SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS COMING ALONG TALKING ABOUT FREEDOM, OF THROWING OF THE YOKE OF THE EMPEROR. AND THAT ALWAYS MEANT THAT SOONER OR LATER PEOPLE WOULD BE GETTING CRUCIFIED AND TAXES WOULD BE RAISED AND THEY'D PUT NEW RULES INTO PLACE SO THAT PEOPLE COULDN'T EVEN GET TOGETHER WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE ROMANS.

SO THE PEOPLE WERE LISTENING TO JESUS RECITING THE WORDS OF ISAIAH, AND THEN HE SITS DOWN AND SAYS, “I'M THE ONE ISAIAH IS TALKING ABOUT; I'M THE ONE WHO IS GOING TO MAKE THESE WORDS MORE THAN A NICE DREAM.” AND WHEN THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT HE WAS SERIOUS, AND WORSE, THAT HE MIGHT EVEN ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING, THAT WAS IT.

ONE OF THE SAD THINGS ABOUT HUMAN NATURE IS THAT IT DOESN'T CHANGE. WE STILL LISTEN TO THE REVOLUTIONARY WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, THE SUBVERSIVE MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST, THE AWESOME PROMISES HE MAKES TO THOSE WHO WILL BE HIS DISCIPLES; WE EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD AS A WAY OF INVITING HIM TO CHANGE US INTO OTHER CHRISTS. BUT IN OUR HEARTS WE DON'T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE, AND ESPECIALLY TO CHANGE IN WAYS WHICH WE CAN'T FORESEE OR PREPARE FOR.

BELIEVE ME, WE PREACHERS ARE NOT SPEAKING FROM A POINT OF MORAL OR SPIRITUAL SUPERIORITY. I DON'T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE EITHER.

BUT HERE WE ARE, SITTING IN THAT SYNAGOGUE IN NAZARETH, AND JESUS CHRIST TELLS US THAT FROM NOW ON THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE; SOME OF THOSE CHANGES WILL BE WONDERFUL, BUT ALL OF THEM WILL DISRUPT OUR LIVES. AND WE WILL EACH HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO JOIN THE MOB THAT WANTS TO THROW HIM OFF OF A CLIFF, WHERE HE WON'T BOTHER US ANYMORE, OR CHOOSE TO JOIN HIM IN THE REVOLUTION HE IS PREACHING. BECAUSE THE WAY THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY JESUS IS THROUGH YOU AND I. WE HAVE BEEN ANOINTED, WE HAVE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, AND IT IS OUR JOB TO SHOW THE POOR THAT THEY HAVE REASON TO BE GLAD; TO FREE THE CAPTIVES – OF DRUGS, ALCOHOL, HOPELESS SITUATIONS; TO GIVE SIGHT TO THE BLIND – BY OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS TO SHOW THEM THAT THERE IS A BETTER WAY; AND TO MAKE THIS YEAR ABOVE ALL PREVIOUS YEARS ACCEPTIBLE TO THE LORD. JESUS TOLD HIS NEIGHBORS THAT SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW AND WONDERFUL WAS HAPPENING, AND INVITES US TO GET ON BOARD. WHAT WILL OUR REACTION BE?