Jesus came with good news to the people who needed it most. His message was not for the wealthy and the powerful and the secure. It was for the defenseless and the needy and the feeble.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
Luke 4:16-21
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus made his home among common people. The only time he was in the houses of the rulers of his land was when he was on trial, about to be sentenced to death by them. Not exactly a pleasant social call. He was an ordinary civilian, one of the people of the land. But not every common person was willing to accept him and his role. The average person believed that God’s Anointed would return to overthrow the Romans and establish a great military power like David’s.
We should not be surprised when our message is received in a similar way; after Jesus finished this sermon, they tried to throw him off of a cliff. We may have a message tailor made for our audience but without receptive hearts and a willingness to cast aside their assumptions, they will reject us as they did Jesus.
Ethan Kirl
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