Jesus is rejected in Nazareth Luke 4:16-30
Imaginative Contemplation
Then Jesus went to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went as usual to the Synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures, and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.
· Jesus returned to his home town. A lot had happened to him since he was last there. He had been baptised by John the Baptist. He had spent time in the desert. He had preached in the surrounding countryside. Now he was back home.
· What changes did the people see in Jesus as he returned home?
· What aspects of the community did Jesus notice as he returned?
· What did the people expect from Jesus as he returned home?
· How did the people react to Jesus as he read from the scroll of Isaiah and expounded on its passage?
· Some people found his message inspiring. What inspired them? What inspires me in this text?
· Some people found his message disturbing. What disturbed them? What disturbs me in this reading?
Enter into the scene
I came from Nazareth originally, and knew Jesus as a boy. He was always ready to help, to listen. Then I heard that he had gone into the desert where John was baptising. People saw him being baptised and told me of the great excitement they had seen in Jesus as he came up out of the water. He seemed to be a new man,full of energy and enthusiasm. And then I heard that he disappeared for over a month. About six weeks later, I heard that he was back here in Galilee, teaching in the synagogues. Rumour had it that he was coming back to Nazareth. I was thrilled to hear this news. The sun shone warmly on my back as I hurried to our synagogue. Many people had gathered, anxious to hear what he would say.
The leader welcomed Jesus home and handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. There was silence as Jesus unrolled the scroll. It took a while. Obviously he was looking for a particular part. His chair scraped the floor as he got up to read text which was so well known to us. Isaiah is a favourite holy text for me.
There was calm attention in the hall as Jesus read the text. I heard Jesus sit down to expound on the text. But what Jesus said split the congregation. Instead of talking about being freed from the Roman oppression and rejoicing in the supremacy of ‘us’ over ‘them’, Jesus was showing how God had worked in the past with people who were not Jews, giving food to the foreign widow and healing to the Syrian leper. ‘A prophet is not accepted in his own country,’ said Jesus.
I could feel the change of atmosphere, could hear the grumbling and muttering as the people heard him speaking of the value of all people. Then the rumbling grew louder. “Who does he think he is, talking like this? What would he know about these matters, this upstart, this simple carpenter?”
Then to my horror, the crowd began surging towards the podium, surrounding Jesus and pushing him ahead of them. As they rushed towards the door, those near me crowded against me and I nearly fell. Out the door the rioters streamed, pushing and yelling abuse. Out on the street, they were surging up the hill. I gasped as I recognised the route they were taking, up the hill to that place where the valley is exposed and where I have heard of people being pushed over the edge to fall to their death. They were going to do this to Jesus! Several of us understood their intention and tried to get between him and the edge of the road. Then those angry men turned on us. We were able to stand our ground and push back the way we had come. And in the commotion, Jesus was able to slip through the crowd and leave his home town.
I returned home deeply saddened that our neighbours had turned against Jesus in this evil way.
For further reflection
Discuss with Jesus the following points:
· How can I proclaim liberty to the oppressed?
· Who are the oppressed in our world today?
· Do I oppress any one, or any group of people?
· Can I increase my knowledge of Fair Trade and live according to justice for all?
· ‘Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ How important is prayer in my life? What time do I give to it? Is my prayer mainly asking for things, or do I spend time in thanksgiving?
· Jesus extends his healing to the whole world. What is my attitude to people who are different from me? (Different race, religion, disabled, poor)
· Jesus’ words angered many of his fellow townspeople. They tried to get rid of him because his message was contrary to their expectations. How do I react to people whose expectations, ideals and attitudes are different from mine?
· They tried to kill Jesus, but he escaped. There is a time for everything. Things happen in god’s time.
Prayer
Lord, make your Kingdom come, may your will be doen on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.