Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Sunday, January 27, 2013 Luke 4:14-30 So far in Luke’s gospel everything that we have read has been an introduction or a preparation for the main message of his gospel. Luke has patiently set the scene for his gospel story of Jesus. Mark and Matthew did a similar thing, though, especially for Mark in a much shorter form. In his introduction, Luke has told us much about Jesus – he is clearly connected to the OT and those who welcome him are faithful “OT people.” Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna; even Mary and Joseph are faithful to the OT message and the God of the OT. They are all awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Luke has even written his introduction in the “style” of the OT – reflecting the style of 1 Samuel. Now Luke is ready to begin the story. Luke begins by again using his primary source, Mark. But as readers we need to notice that Luke has reached ahead in Mark’s gospel and taken hold of a story that Mark tells significantly later in the story. Luke begins with Jesus in his home town of Nazareth. Mark had begun with the calling of four disciples and a marvelous day in the city of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. Much later in the story in Mark Jesus visits his home town and is rejected there. Why did Luke pull this story forward and begin his story of the ministry of Jesus in this way? Another thing we should notice is that Luke has significantly expanded Mark’s version of the same story. Mark is brief and his point is simply to identify what we might call a troubling source of conflict. The major conflict in Mark’s gospel is between Jesus and the religious leaders and that conflict is deadly. But Mark needed to tell his readers about a secondary conflict between Jesus and his own followers, including his own family. It is Jesus own “kin” who reject him in Mark’s gospel – and what a mystery and tragedy that is. Luke changes the conflict to be between Jesus and “those in the synagogue” – perhaps some of his own family but not necessarily so – in Luke the conflict is with the “religious” people. Mark tells us that on the Sabbath Jesus taught in their synagogue. Luke expands this by telling us what Jesus taught – quoting from the book of Isaiah, from a section of Isaiah that is longing for the coming Messiah! In Luke it becomes abundantly clear that Jesus is claiming that he is the coming Messiah Isaiah so longed for! Jesus claims that he fulfills the words of Isaiah – “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing!” People are amazed, as they are in Mark, and they also question just who Jesus is, as they do in Mark. In both stories they think they know Jesus’ identity – he is the son of Mary (Mark’s version); he is the son of Joseph (Luke’s version) – Mark also adds the witness of Jesus’ brothers and sisters which Luke omits. Mark abruptly tells us that on the basis of this evaluation and supposed knowledge of Jesus’ identity, they, including his own family, reject Jesus. In Mark, Jesus marvels at their unbelief and reminds them of the proverb – “a prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown.” In Luke, Jesus provokes his own rejection by quoting a different proverb and then by reminding the people of the rejection of two OT prophets – Elijah and Elisha – telling stories of the failure of OT people to receive these two prophets of God while gentile “outsiders” do receive them. This is a real insult! And the people of Nazareth took it as an insult. In Mark’s version, Jesus simply leaves, unable to do much and bewildered by the rejection of his own people. Luke tells us that those who are insulted by Jesus seek to destroy him by casting him over a cliff. Incidentally, the people in Luke’s story ask Jesus to do the same wonders in Nazareth that he did in Capernaum – even though in Luke story Jesus has not yet been to Capernaum! The reference to Capernaum makes lots of sense given Mark’s storyline and is clear evidence that Luke is using Mark! What this tells us is that Luke’s storyline is Luke’s creation just as Mark’s was his. So why did Luke begin the ministry of Jesus in this way – grabbing a story from later in Mark, his source, and moving it up front as the very first thing we hear Jesus doing? In this story Luke is defining the mission of Jesus. Jesus comes to fulfill the longing of the OT prophet Isaiah – for that matter the longing of faithful OT people of God like Zechariah and the rest – as they long for awaited Messiah! Jesus does the work of the Messiah as defined by Isaiah. The content of the words quoted from Isaiah are essential! The Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus! Jesus has been anointed – “messiah-ed” – to “bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captive, to give sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to enact the Lord’s jubilee!” These are all the things Isaiah proclaimed that the Messiah would do! Jesus does them! The connection to Elisha and especially Elijah are crucial since Elijah was the one who OT people had come to believe would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Mark wanted his readers to come to know that Jesus is the Messiah only through the crucifixion of Jesus. Luke wants that news “out of the bag” from the beginning! What better way than to have Jesus begin his ministry with a clear declaration that he is the Messiah that Isaiah and the others so longed for? There is no secret in Luke’s gospel regarding the identity of Jesus – he is “stuck” with dealing with Mark’s insistence that the identity of Jesus be concealed and will still need to deal with handling that – but the identity of Jesus is clear and up front. Jesus is the Messiah! During the next few days we are going to look at some of the hopes of Isaiah and the OT as Isaiah and the OT people of God longed for the Messiah to come – the very Messiah Jesus claims to be in Luke’s beginning of his story of Jesus.