Jubilee

The story of Jesus being back in his hometown is also found in both Matthew and Mark, but Luke’s telling of the story has a different take on it. In the other two Gospel’s there is a focus on their unbelief which I usually attribute to Jesus being back in his hometown and the people can’t get over the fact that Joseph’s son who should be a carpenter is now some prophet. Because of that Jesus isn’t able to do many miracles or healings.

Luke’s focus is not on disbelief or unbelief, even though they do mention that this is Joseph’s son. Luke instead focuses on what appears to be the town’s desire to keep Jesus for themselves. So here in Luke the phrase is this not Joseph’s son seems less like a derogatory phrase and more like a phrase of possession. Look at Joseph’s son, look at how well he speaks. After all Luke says the crowd was amazed at the gracious words that he said to them. They like Jesus. They want Jesus. So not only were they amazed at his words but Jesus can tell that they have also already heard whatever the teachings and healings he did at Capernaum. They are impressed with Jesus and they want him to stay.

Jesus rejects their request to keep him in Nazareth. He tells stories of two of the greatest prophets Elijah and Elisha and how there were important parts of their ministry which involved protecting and healing people that were not even Jewish. God’s prophets were sent to people that were not a part of one particular group over another. God chose to be God to all people. Because of that rejection to be the hometown prophet they try to drive him off a cliff.

Obviously we don’t have a bodily Jesus to try to keep physically in our church, or town or denomination, but we have seen in our world how people and churches have tried to keep Jesus for themselves. I have heard people who have been been told they can’t come to church because of this reason or that reason. I was in a church where someone made the comment to the senior pastor that it was disrespectful that a young man was wearing a hat in church and baggy shorts. The reply of the senior pastor was, “Isn’t it great that he is here at church?”

There have been countless times where I have had people tell me personally whether at a wedding or funeral that they weren’t sure about coming because they didn’t know if God was going to strike them down for entering God’s house. I have heard about a group of bikers that came for a funeral and people were nervous seeing them come up to the church, but one of the bikers told the pastor how scared he was entering the church. That there was something BIG in here and he wasn’t sure about it.

Honestly all these stories and so many more that I have both heard and experienced have really made me wonder at what point did the idea of Christianity, of a relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit become something that was seen as something that was for one group and not another? Was it something we held onto for ourselves intentionally or was it a progression over the years and how that is how Christianity is viewed?

When Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah what he says and what he doesn’t say are very telling for us and how we should approach the Gospel. First, he reads from Isaiah 61 and the focus of the text is on caring for the poor, the captives, the blind (or sick), letting the oppressed go free, and proclaiming the Jubilee. So what Jesus says is that his ministry IS for that. It is for these people and that is who he came for and who need to hear the message. These are the people that we should be serving. These are the people we should be reaching out to share God’s story with.

What I believe Jesus is telling his hometown is that these are the people he came for. It’s not that his message, God’s message, isn’t for them, but they know it. They’re living it. Jesus says later in one of the Gospel’s that he didn’t come to healthy because they are not in need of a physician. Jesus isn’t rejecting his hometown, but he is telling them his ministry is more than about being a hometown hero, it’s about serving those who are in most need of it.

What Jesus isn’t saying is the very next verse in Isaiah 61 where it talks about God’s vengeance. The rest of the passage from Isaiah 61 is very hopeful, but Jesus could have read the whole passage to continue to bring the rest of the hopeful message, but he intentionally stops there. He leaves out the part about vengeance. Jesus came to heal and to forgive and to proclaim the peace of God. There is nothing about Jesus ministry that speaks to anything but hope for the future for all people. To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, which is also known as the Jubilee Year. The Jubilee was celebrated every 50 years where all debts were forgiven, all indentured slaves were released from their service. It was a year of starting over for all people.

I think we could all use a starting over year. In fact I’ve seen some memes on social media about how 2021’s only job is to not be as bad as 2020. It’s not just about a starting over, a starting fresh for us. It’s about inviting the rest of the world to start over with us. To reach out to the poor, the oppressed, the widow, and the captive. To let them know that Jesus came for them. That the Gospel message is for them. To let them know that God loves them and they, like us, have the Holy Spirit waiting upon them. That Jesus came for all people without exception and without wrath or vengeance in mind. That there won’t be a lightning bolt that will strike them if they come in these walls or watch us online. And that we can go to them and meet them where they are so that they can know that God’s message of love and forgiveness extends beyond this place and beyond this time we gather each week.

Because in all truth, we were just like them at some point in our lives, or our parents or grandparents lives. At some point someone shared the Good News with your family. At some point someone knew the Gospel message was for everyone and now you are blessed to be a part of that message. So share the love of God as found in Christ Jesus with someone in need of it. Plant the seed and let God’s love grow in them. It is a message of love, peace, hope and forgiveness and God intends it to be a message for all people, so that everyone can have a relationship with God. A message of love, a message for all. Amen.