Readings:
1 Corinthians 12; Luke 4:14-21
I’ve not been to Nazareth[1] – and that leaves me at a
definite disadvantage. When I try to
imagine myself into the Bible, it’s difficult to get past the pictures that
used to hang on the Sunday School wall or were found interleaved between the
pages of my Bible – pictures of a peaceful, gentle community, where Jesus was
welcomed and loved. The Nazareth of today is a long way from that perspective. Since the 1947 UN partition plan, Nazareth
has become what is known as the Arab capital of Israel – where the population
is made up, predominantly, of Arabian citizens, 70% of whom are Muslim and 30%
Christian.[2] You don’t
need to have visited Nazareth to imagine the tensions that are part of the
context of this city today.
A few years ago I
spoke about how recent archeological diggings near Nazareth suggest present day
tensions might be closer to the reality of Jesus’ day than what was depicted in
those well-intentioned Bible pictures of 1950s.
Just 6-7km
northwest of Nazareth is Sepphoris, which has been the capital
city of Galilee throughout many periods. Archaeologists[3] have laid bare its 4000 seat amphitheatre,
its elegant mansions, markets, banks, armoury and basilica – all set out on a
hill giving panoramic views of Lower Galilee – including Nazareth.
When Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., his son Herod
Antipas made Sephhoris his capital, rebuilding and fortifying it and creating
an administrative centre worthy of his pretensions. First century historian Josephus described this
cosmopolitan city as “the ornament of all Galilee”. If Jesus grew up in Nazareth, then the
Roman-style re-construction of Sepphoris was happening at the same time – and
within an hour’s walk of his home village.
The demand for labourers would have been great. It’s possible that Joseph and Jesus, living
so close and being builders by trade, were part of the construction crew.
Even if they hadn’t worked there, those living in
Nazareth would have been fully aware of all that wealth and fortification that
was being poured into the rebuilding process.
The peasants had good reason to hate the city – where absentee
landlords, owners of estates, and chief tax collectors enjoyed friendly
relationships with the Romans and lives of wealth and ease - at the cost of
those who worked the land[4].
About the time that Jesus was born, there had been a
riot in Sepphoris - part of the city was destroyed – and then not that long
after Jesus’ death, the Roman defenders were forced out of Sepphoris – the city
was burned and looted by peasants from the surrounding countryside. The Sunday School picture of Jesus quietly
at work in his father’s carpenters shop in peaceful Nazareth is being blown
away!
In the generation between all that rioting, looting
and burning, Luke tells us that Jesus – filled with the power of the Spirit – returns
to Galilee, where he gets rave reviews for his preaching and teaching. When he came to
Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath
day, as was his custom. In the shadow of
Sepphoris, controlled by the Romans, whom the
people fear and despise, his congregation knew all about oppression
and slavery to an administration and economy where
the rich get richer and the poor, poorer – one that doesn’t take much
imagination from our context today. And in that place, Luke tells us, Jesus stood up to do a reading, and
the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. So he unrolled the scroll
and found Isaiah 61, the place where it says
The
spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
- and the day of vengeance of our God.
...But no, I’ve got that wrong – I’ve read further than Luke said Jesus did. Did he censor the reading? For those listening in the Nazareth synagogue – they knew what was coming and what Jesus had left out. They also knew about “the year of the Lord’s favour” – the law proclaimed a “jubilee” every fifty years – a time when prisoners were freed and the land would revert to its original owners. Great idea – and desperately needed – but so far, it hadn’t happened.
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
- and the day of vengeance of our God.
...But no, I’ve got that wrong – I’ve read further than Luke said Jesus did. Did he censor the reading? For those listening in the Nazareth synagogue – they knew what was coming and what Jesus had left out. They also knew about “the year of the Lord’s favour” – the law proclaimed a “jubilee” every fifty years – a time when prisoners were freed and the land would revert to its original owners. Great idea – and desperately needed – but so far, it hadn’t happened.
Into this context Jesus preaches his sermon. “Today – right now – this scripture is being
fulfilled”. Ah – you can hear the
collective sigh that went through the congregation - at long last, the tables
will be turned – and – wow! One of our
own – has come home to lead the revolution – good old Joseph’s son. We’re going to get our land back! This time, we’ll be successful – we’ll kick
those Romans out. Can you hear their
minds racing – planning to go home to gather their grenades and Molotov
cocktails – or, at least their ancient equivalents? Sepphoris is doomed!
But then it hits them - Jesus left out that line
about God’s vengeance – he left out the ‘good’ part about revenge and
punishment and enemies getting their just desserts.
Instead, in what he says and doesn’t say – what he does and doesn’t do – Jesus preaches about God who brings not revenge, but love and healing – even to foreigners! – love even for the Romans in Sepphoris; even the Romans who murder him.
Instead, in what he says and doesn’t say – what he does and doesn’t do – Jesus preaches about God who brings not revenge, but love and healing – even to foreigners! – love even for the Romans in Sepphoris; even the Romans who murder him.
And, that’s not what his congregation wants to hear
– they are so angry, they drive him out of town and want to throw him over the
cliff! And then comes the saddest line
in the story; from the part we didn’t hear this morning. "He passed through the midst of
them and went on his way." Were
they so angry they couldn’t see the possibilities for the whole community –
including their enemies. Did their rage and
desperate need for revenge blind them from the offer of God’s favour – of full
and abundant life? ….. Jesus passed
through the midst of them and went on his way. The greatest opportunity
possible had just come to them, and they got so angry they lost sight of
it. How very sad…..
And just a generation later Sepphoris, Jerusalem,
the great Temple, the whole countryside, all that was left of this great
nation dissolved in flame and fury and blood. And it didn’t stop in that generation – for
even today Nazareth, and all the land around it, is dying in a spasm
of hatred, fear and war. But this
hate and fear is not only confined to Israel.
All over the world, the rage grows.
When the life-style of the greedy minority prevents the needy majority
from access to basic essentials, the powerless turn to terrorism and revolution
– and the level of violence escalates.
We know the rage of those who are poor and have nothing to lose. We’ve seen the anger in our own streets –
anger that vandalises buildings, destroys relationships and makes our streets
unsafe – anger that attacks people with beliefs different from our own – anger
that stabs young people and murders elderly widows.
It’s very easy to be sucked into this fear and anger - so easy to lose sight of Jesus, the teacher, living and travelling in a violent land – Jesus, who said, “turn the other cheek, carry the other person's coat, love your enemies.” Jesus, who points out that God loves the stranger, the weak and the poor. It's too easy, when we're following our own agendas of revenge and punishment, too easy to ignore his message, too easy to leave him on Sunday School posters and between the leaves of an ancient book. While our focus is on punishing our enemies, Jesus and his message don't seem that relevant.
And since we also live in a country growing in fear and anger, filled with people--even Christians, especially Christians-- who have their own agendas and have rejected Christ's message of love for everyone, we have reason to be scared that Jesus will also pass through our midst and go on his own way. Is that what we want?
A poem by contemporary writer, Tom Shuman
what to do, what
to do?
we don’t know
what to do with you,
Jesus!
home from [university]
on [mid-term] break,
you stand up in church
and read the scriptures
with such wonder and awe,
all we can do is nudge one another:
“I had him in kindergarten,
he was always ahead of everyone else!”
“he was always helping the younger kids
when he was in youth group.”
We can hardly wait to hear
your sermon . . . until
you start talking about
how we are
to welcome the immigrants,
to open the jail doors,
to give more to those
who will only squander it.
Then we whisper (in a stage voice):
“whose bright idea was it
to ask him to preach?”
And so,
we close our hearts to you,
and let you slip through
our souls,
as you go to fulfill
God’s hopes for us,
wishing we would follow you
on that winding road
of grace.[5]
we don’t know
what to do with you,
Jesus!
home from [university]
on [mid-term] break,
you stand up in church
and read the scriptures
with such wonder and awe,
all we can do is nudge one another:
“I had him in kindergarten,
he was always ahead of everyone else!”
“he was always helping the younger kids
when he was in youth group.”
We can hardly wait to hear
your sermon . . . until
you start talking about
how we are
to welcome the immigrants,
to open the jail doors,
to give more to those
who will only squander it.
Then we whisper (in a stage voice):
“whose bright idea was it
to ask him to preach?”
And so,
we close our hearts to you,
and let you slip through
our souls,
as you go to fulfill
God’s hopes for us,
wishing we would follow you
on that winding road
of grace.[5]
E te whanau, it doesn’t have to be that way ... it’s not too late for the scripture to be fulfilled. Today the jubilee can still be proclaimed. This can be the year of God’s favour. Imagine what it might be like if we did follow him on that winding road of grace.
[1] I am indebted to Don Hoffman (who has been to Nazareth!) and whose
sermon is quoted from extensively and has formed the basis for mine.
Don Hoffman, Creston Christian Church crestnch@televar.com Creston,
Washington, USA - sermon posted on Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Thursday,
25 January 2007 5:11 a.m.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazareth
[3] www.centuryone.org/sepphoris.html
[4] According to Josephus, the peasants hated the city – and the city
people were fearful of the villagers.
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