The Way of Love

Please stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.

Our reading this morning comes from Luke Chapter 4 verses 21 through 30. He, Jesus, begin to explain to them, "Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it. Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, "This is Joseph's son, isn't it?" Then Jesus said to them, "Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me, 'Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we've heard you did in Capernaum.'" He said, "I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet's hometown and I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah's time yet when it didn't rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. There were also many persons with skin diseases in Israel during the time of the Prophet Elisha, but none of them instead Namaan the Syrian was cleansed." When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger, they rose up and ran him out of town. They led him to the crest of the hill on which their town had been built so that they could throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the crowd and went on his way. This is the word of God for the people of God.

First, I want to point out that this story, this narrative is also found in Mark chapter 6 and Matthew Chapter 13. A really good resource for anyone, if you're interested in the gospels, is a gospel parallel. So this is a nifty book; it goes through and it compares passages from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And so, the reason I mention this is because it is really interesting to me because Luke has expanded so much on this particular passage.

In Mark and Matthew, it's very clear to them the reason why the Jewish people were angry because Jesus has just proclaimed himself to be the Messiah, which is blasphemy.

It says that Jesus couldn't perform any Miracles there because of their disbelief, but Luke doesn't seem to share their opinion.

For Luke, there's something else happening. So he's the only one who actually records what Jesus says in his sermon in the synagogue in his hometown. And that first verse, you may be thinking, "Pastor Jenna, you read that verse last week." I did. It was the last verse last week and it's the first verse this week. It's the lectionary makers' way of realizing, "Yeah, we cut the story in half so here's a little reminder of what happened."

For Luke...

The people are not upset because Jesus is proclaiming the spirit of the Lord be upon him.

In the very next verse, it says that everyone was raving about Jesus so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. This is Joseph's son, isn't it?

Have any of you ever known someone who went on to become famous?

Anyone? No?

Well, that flopped. Oh, one person! Yes! [laughter]

I remember in college. I had an acquaintance, we were in the same Bible study. He went on to become a contestant on American Idol and he actually made it to the Top 4.

So, kind of, a little bit famous. [unclear] I know that guy. Right? There's something that happens when someone from your hometown becomes famous, like hometowns will claim that, right? Matthew McConaughey is from Uvalde.

But all of Texas will claim Matthew McConaughey, right? He's from my state.

So Luke seems to think that something like this is kind of happening in this passage. That the people are listening to Jesus and now because they've heard of all these great miracles that he's been performing. Now they expect him to do the same because this is his hometown.

They are expecting it. They almost feel entitled... to this.

Jesus tells them,

"Just because you are part of God's chosen people doesn't mean that you automatically get insider privileges.

"You still need to have faith. You still have to trust God, you still have to receive things as a gift, not because you think you're entitled to it." Jesus tells them,

"There were a lot of hungry Israelites, but Elijah didn't go to any of them.

He went to a non-jewish widow and performed a miracle for her. Elisha, similarly, didn't heal everyone, didn't heal any Israelites with a skin disease? Instead, he healed Naaman the Syrian."

Luke is saying that from the beginning God has intended for the gospel to be heard by everyone.

I could cite verse after verse for you. Even Old Testament scripture that says Israel is blessed so that they can be a blessing to the nations.

That Israel is chosen so that they can be a light for God, so that they can be a witness to the world.

Being chosen doesn't mean getting a Golden Ticket. Doesn't mean that you automatically get to sit in the front row. Or the back row. Apparently everybody prefers that. [laughter]

Empty, empty pews up here.

But also,

it's hard for us to hear that message.

Last week I mentioned Luke 15, the prodigal son and the older brother. Many of us, we have lived, grown up in the church our entire lives. We feel like the older brother.

I've done everything right! Why are you throwing him a party? He said you were dead to him and he ran off and he wasted all his money.

I have done everything right. I am entitled to receive your blessing.

It's not easy for us to hear that message. This passage this morning is paired with 1 Corinthians 13. I'm pretty sure every one of you has heard this passage before.

How many of you have heard this passage at a wedding?

It's a good passage to read at a wedding. It absolutely is. It's a great model for how love should be, but I got to tell you, when Paul wrote this, he wasn't thinking about a wedding.

When we get to this passage, like, it's so separated from the rest of 1 Corinthians that we don't remember that the church in Corinth was deeply divided.

In fact, in the very first chapter, verse 10 says that Paul is begging them, "In the name of Christ, agree with each other and don't be divided into rival groups.

Paul is writing this letter, this passage... this beautiful passage of love to a church that is deeply divided.

I'm sure we have no idea what that feels like. [laughter]

We have no idea what it feels like to be in a nation where everyone is divided. Where everyone wants to talk but no one wants to listen.

Paul is reminding them. Yes, use your ambitions to strive for the greater gifts. Sure, seek to better yourself. But at the end of the 12th chapter he writes, "And I will show you a still better way."

All of these other spiritual gifts, they mean nothing if you don't have love

Jesus himself said the entire law can be summed up into love the Lord your God and love your neighbor.

All of the law can be summed up in love.

Paul isn't talking about love in the way that we tend to understand it today. He's not thinking of a romantic comedy. Nowhere in here does he say that love makes you feel good.

No, he's actually saying the opposite.

Love is holding someone's hand when you want to hit 'em.

In verse seven, it says that love puts up with all things, endures all things. In chapter 9 verse 12, Paul writes that we put up with everything so that we don't put any obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. We put up with everything.

We put up with gossip, with slander. We put up with the disagreements. We remember that we don't have to agree on everything in order to proclaim the gospel to the world. We don't have to agree on everything in order to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Paul is saying, "Look, love is a choice. Love is patient. Love shows patience. These are all active verbs, it doesn't get translated that easily into English. It's a doing.

There was a commentator who said that it would be more accurate to say that the measure of love in this passage is its capacity for tension and disagreement without division.

I'll say that again. The measure of love is its capacity for tension and disagreement without division.

I have heard of churches that divide over what seems to be no reason at all. But I've also heard of churches that apparently took this message to heart. Churches full of conservatives and liberals and Republicans and Democrats. Every kind of different person that you can imagine. It is possible to have a variety, a diversity of people within the same church and to be able to show Christ to the world.

But it depends upon our willingness to love each other.

I don't remember what, it was a movie. "I love you, but I don't like you very much right now." Right? Actually, there's a Christian comedian who says, "My advice to you when you get married, marry someone don't love. That way when they get upset, it's not that big a deal." [laughter]

Alright then.

I think today, more than ever,

it is imperative that we love each other the way God calls us to love. Today, more than ever, in a culture, in a society that is so rampant with division that people don't remember how to have conversations with one another. Today, more than ever, God is calling us to love [with a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love. Amen.]