Third Sunday after the Epiphany
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Scripture |
Luke 4:14-21 14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
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Devotional |
The ministry in Galilee is introduced by Jesus’ reading and interpretation of the words of Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth. This scene, therefore, functions as a keynote to the entire ministry of Jesus; setting forth the perspective from which it is understood. 1 Whatever we take to be the heart of the gospel will be the central shaping force in our life of faith. The earthquake in Haiti this week, reminds us that care for the poor is always present in our world. God’s Spirit inspires Jesus to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, to heal the sick, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim God’s Jubilee. God’s Spirit continues to inspire people to bring good news to the poor. There were a large number of relief agencies at work in Haiti before the quake. That is to say that this event announces who Jesus is, of what his ministry consists, what his church will be and do, and what will be the response to both Jesus and the church. 2 What is our response to this text today? The implication of this text is that if we are to follow the gospel. We should continue to keep coming back to this text to measure our work and commitment. How does our work measure up? What Jesus understood by these verses, however, differed sharply from what those gathered in the synagogue assumed they meant. Is our understanding different from what Jesus understood the meaning of his teachings? How does this scripture give us followers the opportunity to see ourselves as part of the larger community of God’s people? “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The time of God is today. Today continues through the ministry of Jesus and continues with the church. “Today” was never allowed to become “someday” nor did it mean “yesterday.” The eyes of the entire world are fixed on us. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 1 R. Allen Culpepper, The Gospel of Luke, in The New Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 9 p. 102 |