There’s no prizes for guessing the film as it’s

on the screen…but out of interest, when was it

first screened? 1977 – 42 years ago.

What was thought to be quirky was that the

story started at episode 4, rather then episode

1 (although it was the first time we had seen

any of the characters)

Yet how does this fit with our narrative from

Luke 4? (no connection to Luke Skywalker by

the way)

1

We read the passage and we ought to

remember that the gospel writers are not

writing a chronological account of what

happened; rather a faith account.

So what occurs in John Gospel from John1:19

– John 4:42 fits between Luke 4: 13 and 14

verse 14 being where our passage today

starts.

The context is also that Jesus had been

ministering then for around 12 months before

he returned to Nazareth.

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(This picture is staged in the rebuilt synagogue

of what it may have looked like in Jesus’ time).

In our reading of the passage we can wrongly

assume that Jesus left his time of temptation

and hot footed it straight to Nazareth; rolled up

at the synagogue and immediately stepped up

to start reading, teaching and preaching.

So much of what we may have been taught

has done from our western perspective and

how our literature treats narrative.

As we see here, there are other ways of telling

the narrative, and putting the events together.

3

We are quite used to receiving invitations to

one do or celebration or another.

And so it was in Jesus’ time...’invitations’

feature in many of Jesus’ parables as well as

in his time of ministry; parable of the Wedding

Banquet; Jesus invited to the Wedding at

Cana; Simon the Pharisee inviting Jesus to

his house and there is no end of these.

Jesus would have been at the synagogue by

invitation… as what we would term the guest

preacher.

Whether Jesus chose the passage from Isaiah

or whether it was the set text for the day in

uncertain

4

The significance of Jesus sitting down was that

he showed he was not simply going to read the

words as one who read.

The Rabbis sat to teach – they never stood up

when they taught – that is our way of doing

things, not theirs.

As Jesus sat down every eye would have been

upon him – to see what he did and said next.

5

When He sat down He did not return to His old

seat. History tells us there were two seats at

the front of the synagogue, one of which was

kept empty at all times as it was the seat the

messiah would sit in. This is the seat that

Jesus sat in. He was demonstrating to them

that He was the messiah.

This cannot be proven hard and fast as some

synagogues did not have a ‘Messiah seat’ –

there is no record either way of the Nazareth

synagogue.

However it’s what Jesus definitely said that

causes a stir.

6

Whether coupled with sitting in the reserved

Messianic seat (if one was there) or whether

as a stand alone statement; this was Jesus

openly and publicly declaring His Messiahship.

Jesus was not only confirming the prophecy of

Himself that he had just read out; but it was a

confirmation of all that they had heard about

him.

The prophecy from Isaiah wasn’t only what

would happen in Jesus’ ministry from that point

onwards but what had already happened since

He left the desert after his time of testing.

7

We are told that reports about Jesus had

spread throughout the surrounding country;

Jesus must have been bringing life

transforming change into the lives of the

people.

Everyone wanted to hear and see this itinerant

radical Rabbi…Jesus we are told taught in

their synagogues (plural)..He was the one to

try and get to. It’s fairly certain that every

synagogue would have been packed to the

doors…the only times when there wasn’t a

crowd was when Jesus was alone with His

disciples or when he was in prayer.

8

Jesus was proclaiming Good News to the poor

and a large part of the population would have

been poor…this Good News didn’t relate to the

minority but the majority.

The Good News that they can receive their

Salvation – all they needed to do was ask God.

This was counter cultural as the Jewish

thinking was that material wealth meant you

were right with God and receiving his blessing.

Jesus’ Good News was and is that everyone

regardless of life circumstance is able to have

their Eternal Salvation and Life.

9

Jesus was already telling people and continued

to tell everyone that He has come to

set the captives free;

Jesus tell them that He comes with healing and

his ministry proved this – free those imprisoned

by any physical or mental illness or spiritual

captivity.

Freedom from any oppression; political,

religious and financial – freedom into every

area of their lives – all radical teaching for a

nation under occupation!

Jesus tells them that he year of the Lord’s

favour, Jubilee Year was NOW – it has

happened, is happening and will happen!!

10

The text that Jesus read was well known and it

was one of the lynchpins of the prophecies

concerning the Messiah.

Then comes the punchline: Jesus pulls

together what they have heard about him and

his ministry and the passage he has just read

with the words ‘Today this scripture has

been fulfilled in your hearing’.

This caused a storm of protest and indignation

– Jesus has just declared the Messianic Age.

The time of liberty; the time when the

prophecies are fulfilled – which is exactly what

they have been hearing about but listening.

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What does this mean?

‘God is disclosed in the historical

‘’praxis’’(practice) of liberation. It is the

situation, and our passionate and reflective

involvement in it, which mediates the Word

of God.

Today that Word is mediated (is heard)

through the cries of the poor and the

oppressed.’ McBrien, R.P. ‘’Catholicism’’

(Harper Collins, 1995), pp. 249–250.

12

What does this mean here in the UK and more

specifically in our community?

It has been said that you will never freeze

anyone into the Kingdom (in a cold church)

But I would ad that neither will you starve

anyone into the Kingdom who needs food; or

needs clothes and has none or not enough; or

needs liberation from an oppressive life and

they are passed by. It is about faith in action.

It is about a lot of what we do as a parish;

facilitate Help for the Homeless; work with

families suffering food and clothing deprivation;

supporting those in any kind of need.

13

Bringing the practical outworking of the Good

News does bring liberty and freedom to those

receiving it.

It gives them Hope, in a society which can

seem so devoid of Hope.

The Bible contains over 3,000 verses that

speak of justice and poverty.

Jesus’s speaking out those 7 verses in Luke

was only glimpse of God’s heart for the

oppressed, fearful, hungry and homeless.

Where is Jesus now to bring this release form

captivity – He’s here in each of every one of

us.

14

Jesus spoke the words on the slide for all His

disciples including us.

James phrased it this way in James 2: 14 – 18 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if

you say you have faith but don’t show it by

your actions? Can that kind of faith save

anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister

who has no food or clothing, and you say,

“Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm

and eat well”—but then you don’t give that

person any food or clothing. What good does

that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t

enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is

dead and useless. (NLT)

15

We are called to daily follow in His steps, so the

words Jesus read for himself and His ministry are

true for us and always will be; (Luke 4: 18 &19)

“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 favour”

And for each of us, we have to work this out as

best we are able with the time and resources

given to us. It is our calling, our invitation to join

in the Lord’s work with Him and for Him.

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