Luke 4:14-21; Matthew 5:1-11

(The Jewish Annotated New Testament, NRSV, Oxford University Press, c 2011, 2017)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

There’s no place like home.

Many of us go home for holidays, birthdays, and family events.  They can be fun, memorable, and awkward.  Jesus, as we heard in this Gospel,  returns to home to Nazareth in Galilee to begin his ministry.   

It was memorable.

At first, the people were impressed by his teaching in their synagogues in Galilee, but on the sabbath, while at home, Jesus went to the synagogue for worship, as he always did.  He was invited to read from the prophetic scroll handed to him, which that day was Isaiah:

“ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

Because he has anointed me to bring

Good news to the poor.

“He has sent me to proclaim release

To the captives and recovery of sight

To the blind, to let the oppressed

Go free,

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

When he was finished reading, Jesus sat down, as was the custom.  Everyone waited for Jesus to begin teaching.  Can you imagine the anticipation?  They’d heard of his teaching, and here he was, their Jesus of Nazareth, about to share his knowledge and wisdom.

Then he said: “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

What did he just say?

Did he say what I think he said? 

Jesus is calling himself the messiah?

In next week’s gospel, we get to hear what happens next.  Jesus had a way of rattling people’s chains and then some.

We know that he turned society upside down with his revolutionary teaching, and gave people a new way of thinking and looking at the world, of embracing faith, and most of all, how we should interact with one another.  To love God, Jesus, and one another. To care for those who are sick, lonely, homeless, hungry, and those living on the fringes of society

This reminded me of the Beatitudes, which I believe go hand in hand with this scripture from Isaiah. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

This is revolutionary, isn’t it?  No one heard this before Jesus.  Doesn’t it go hand-in-hand with today’s composite verses from Isaiah?  Everyone is included.  Everyone gets a seat at the table.  Everyone is loved by God.

Jesus tells his hometown that he will bring good news to the poor and bring justice to victims of injustice.  In the Beatitudes, he expands on this.  The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah to deliver them, and here he was, right before their eyes.

He is right before our eyes, in our hearts, our souls, and our minds.  The message hasn’t been lost.  It has a way of showing up just when we need it the most. And we need it right now.

In April of 2009, I had the privilege of attending the “Mobilization to End Poverty” Conference in Washington, DC, hosted by Sojourners.  For those of you not familiar with this organization, its focus is on social justice. 

I saw right action and the gospel being lived out during that week, and we were sent to our congressional meetings and panels by the late, great congressman, John Lewis.  He was the keynote speaker at our opening service at Shiloh Baptist Church.  It was one of the hottest April evenings in Washington DC’s history, and the temperature went up when Congressman Lewis got up to speak.

He told us about his work in the South with Dr. King when he was a college student and told us about a conversation with his parents when he went home to tell them about what he’d done that summer – ride the buses, march for equality across the Selma bridge, and spend some time in jail.  Mr. Lewis’ parents responded by asking him, “Son, why do you want to get in the way?” 

His answer: he had to find a way to get in the way of injustice, discrimination, poverty, and hunger.  And that’s what he did throughout his long career. 

That’s what he commissioned us to do on that April evening sixteen years ago, and we are still taking care of that business.

That’s what Jesus invites us to do now – to be faithful in our words and deeds and to live out the gospel, and we had an example shown to us just this last week.  I’m sure you heard about it.

I invite you, my fellow Christians, to follow the recent example of Bishop Budde and speak the truth to those who haven’t heard it– or won’t — to love one another as Christ loves us and to invite those who have ears to hear, listen when we speak and show the good news. 

To walk in love more than ever.

God, thy will be done.