Surprises in Jesus' "Sermon" at Nazareth

Last Sunday I began a new message series entitled "The Unexpected Kingdom."  Through Easter I will focus on Jesus' understanding of the Kingdom of God, and we distributed a booklet of daily devotions all based on Kingdom of God passages in Luke.

Much of Sunday's message, "Unexpected Announcements," focused on Jesus' visit to his hometown synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30).  When given the opportunity, he read a portion of Isaiah 61:1-2, stopped, rolled up the scroll, and gave it back to the attendant.  None of this was surprising.  But, after he sat down, he began his teaching on the passage by saying, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 

That was unexpected!  To hear someone claim that a centuries-old messianic prophecy was being fulfilled TODAY . . . I'm not sure we can fathom how shocking that announcement was.  Jesus implicitly was saying, "I am the one God has anointed to do these things (preaching good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, recovery sight for the blind, release the oppressed, and the inauguration of the Messianic Age)!

Joachim Jeremias, the great German scholar, says there was something else in this "announcement" that Jesus' listeners did not expect.  Jesus stopped the reading in the middle of a sentence.  He read, "to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor," but he excluded "and the day of vengeance of our God" (as well as all of Isaiah 61:3-7).

This probably upset the congregation because they wanted to hear that last part.  Israel had lived in subjection to a series of world powers--Egypt,  Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and now Rome.  Given that, it is not surprising that the people longed to hear how God was going to take retribution on their enemies.  They looked forward to the part about vengeance the way many people revel in the descriptions of judgment found in Left Behind novels.  Read any of the apocalyptic writings that were popular among the Jews in Jesus' time and this will be obvious.  But Jesus omitted "the day of vengeance."  Why?

Although he talks about God's judgment on numerous occasions, the point Jesus seems to be making here is that God's Kingdom is not a Kingdom of vengeance, but a hope-filled Kingdom, a realm in which the poor, the blind, and the oppressed get to see their deepest hopes fulfilled! 

This was a completely new insight for me, but it helps make sense of the entire story.  I always have been bothered by the sudden plot twists in this account.  Why did the people all speak well of him following his announcment (vs. 22), but six verses later are so furious that they want to toss their hometown hero off a cliff?

Jeremias says that the Greek used in verse 22 is ambiguous and contextual.  In other words, Luke tells us that the people were "astonished at what he said," which is not surprising given his announcement that the prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing.  However, Jeremias says that the language here could indicate "good" astonishment or "bad" astonishment -- it just depends on the context.  Therefore, he says it should be translated:  "They were all astonished at him because of the words of grace that came from his lips."  Notice "words of grace" rather than "gracious words." 

So, according to Jeremias' interpretation, Jesus intentionally stopped reading in the middle of Isa. 61:2 as a way of explaining the nature of God's Kingdom and that the Kingdom was open to Gentiles.  This astonished the people because they always had believed that the Kingdom of God was for His chosen people, i.e. the Jews!   Jesus' "words of grace" were offensive to them.  This is why he then cites the stories of the Sidonian widow (4:25-26) and of Naaman, the Syrian (4:27). 

From start to finish, then, Jesus used Isaiah 61:1-2 to say that:

1. the Kingdom of God has arrived;
2. that he is the herald and exemplar of the Kingdom;
3. that he has been anointed to bring good news to the least and the last; and
4. that the Kingdom is going to be much more inclusive than any of them had imagined. 

That made them mad.  It was a message that challenged their deepest prejudices.

Do you think any of my sermons will ever start a riot?!

Desperately Seeking Solace

In anticipation of the release of Tom Shadyac's new film, 'I Am', Mark Moring wrote about and conducted a thought-provoking interview with this successful movie director . . .

When budding film director Tom Shadyac hired a relatively unknown Jim Carrey in 1994 to make a silly movie called Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the careers of both men exploded—and so did their bank accounts. Shadyac, who went on to direct The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty—several of them morality tales that reflected Shadyac's spiritual beliefs—dove right into the lifestyles of the rich and famous with huge Hollywood homes and expensive cars.

Tom Shadyac

As often happens, it wasn't long before Shadyac discovered that wealth and the accumulation of stuff didn't buy happiness. It hit him especially hard on his last mansion upgrade when, after the movers left and he was standing in the foyer all alone, he had what he calls a spiritual epiphany: Materialism isn't working.

Shadyac heard but ignored that small voice inside for a few more years until a 2007 bike accident left him with a concussion and then post-concussion syndrome, where he suffered migraine headaches, a constant ringing in his head, and severe mood swings. When he was depressed, he even wanted to die: "I was done," he said. He wondered, "If I were to die, what did I want to say to the world before I left?"

Eventually, Shadyac turned a corner in his recovery, and in doing so, re-evaluated his life and priorities. He embarking on a quest for the answers to two questions: "What's wrong with the world?" And, "What can I do about it?" He grabbed a small film crew and traveled the world in search of the answers, then turned all that footage into a new documentary called I Am, now showing in limited theaters. 

(To read Moring's interview with Shadyac as well as a review of the documentary, go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/interviews/2011/seekingsolace.html?start=1)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Most Famous Poem

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a well-known German theologian and a leader of the German "Confessing Church" which refused to be co-opted by Hitler and the National Socialists.  He eventually was jailed and--ultimately executed--not long before the Allies successfully liberated Germany.

Bonhoeffer's best known books were The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together.  Although both of these have lots of food for though, it is his poem, "Who Am I?",  that haunts me.  It was published posthumously in his Letters and Papers from Prison.  Here is the best-known English translation of the poem:

Who am I? They often tell me I would step from my cell's confinement calmly, cheerfully, firmly, like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They often tell me I would talk to my warden freely and friendly and clearly, as though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me I would bear the days of misfortune equably, smilingly, proudly, like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of, or am I only what I know of myself, restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage, struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat, yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds, thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness, trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation, tossing in expectation of great events, powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance, weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making, faint and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the other? Am I one person today, and tomorrow another? Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others, and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling? Or is something within me still like a beaten army, fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.

Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine.

Your Brokenness Does Not Define You

John of Kronstadt, a 19th century Russian Orthodox priest, is credited with saying, "Your brokenness does not define you."  It's the newest of my favorite sayings.

At a time when his fellow-priests waited for the people to come to them, John actively searched in the streets for the alcoholics and other broken folk.  People said he would cradle foul-smelling gutter-dwellers in his arms and say to them, "This is beneath your dignity.  You were meant to house the fullness of God."

The singing group, Tenth Avenue North, has a song that says almost the same thing.  See what you think.