January 12, 2025
Luke 4:14-30
“Setting the Table”
Here is the big picture of what’s happening in today’s passage:
JESUS PROCLAIMS THAT HIS MISSION WILL BE TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR AND TO PROCLAIM GOD’S ACCEPTANCE OF THOSE WHOM OTHERS MAY WRITE OFF AS UNACCEPTABLE.
Don’t misunderstand. This doesn’t mean our focus will be solely on the social justice side of ministry. While the poor are mentioned, it is with a deeper, fuller, broader understanding of what it means to be poor. Plain and simple, today’s passage encompasses Jesus as Messiah, liberator, Savior, bringer of justice and peace. He is the Ruler of the World.
With that in mind, here, then, is Luke 4:14-30:
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a
report about him went out through all the surrounding
country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.
Amidst a plethora of details in today’s passage, the first thing to pay attention to is what Jesus doesn’t say. Here’s the passage, from Isaiah 61, Jesus reads:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn.
Do you see the portion of verse two Jesus leaves out? The day of vengeance of our God.
Now, Nazareth was a nothing Podunk of a town. Archeological excavation has revealed Nazareth was quite poor. It had a population of less than 400, no paved streets, public structures, or fine pottery. Most of the people there would fit the definition of “downtrodden.”
So here comes Jesus, hometown boy, reading a well-known passage about promise. Promise to the downtrodden. Forgiveness of debts. Sharing of the wealth. Freedom for those imprisoned. The wealthy and ruling class…the oppressive class… would be made to pay for their oppression.
They want to hear Isaiah’s line about the day of vengeance of our God.
But Jesus omits it. Not because he forgot or didn’t know it was there. It was intentional.
Why didn’t Jesus finish the sentence? It’s all about the trajectory of God’s salvation history. Jesus’ audience would have preferred the year of liberation and the day of vengeance together. But listen to what Jesus says in John 12:47-48:
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
This is all about God’s salvation history. If someone rejects Christ, they’ve
already invited judgment upon themselves. Again, remember the arc. The
first coming of Jesus Christ ushers in the acceptable year of the Lord. It is the time of salvation. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of
salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
What the people want to hear, along with all the good things coming their way, are the bad things about to happen to their oppressors. Yet, Jesus doesn’t give it to them. This is a bit of a foretaste of things to come. When people don’t get what they want or think they deserve, things can get ugly. Which is why we go from Jesus rising up to read only for the people, later, rising up to run him out of town and throw him off a cliff.
Foretaste…three years later, Jesus will ride triumphantly into Jerusalem, only to be run out of town, onto a hill, and crucified. This is the trajectory of God’s salvation history.
What Jesus was trying to get across to the people of Nazareth, and what
Luke wants us to understand, is we are living in a time of grace and patience. Now is not the time for judgment. In Jesus Christ, God offers full pardon for our sin. We know…we know we have rebellious hearts. Only idiots say, “The heart wants what the heart wants.” Only fools say, “I have to follow my heart.” As Jeremiah 17:9-10 reminds us:
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Now is the time of grace and patience. God will cleanse our hearts. In Jesus Christ, God will speak truth into our hearts and minds. Jesus ushers in a day of good news…a day of release and healing and liberation.
Here is an interesting side note. We see it in the way Luke structures this story. Remember, verse fourteen tells us, “Jesus begins his ministry.” His appearance in the synagogue {which probably took place in someone’s home rather than a dedicated dwelling, especially as the Greek word, sunagogais, literally means “gatherings of people,” not buildings} was the first time Luke reports on Jesus’ public ministry. But we know Jesus did other things in other places leading up to this moment. We know that because Luke tells us in verse 14, “And a report about him spread throughout the whole region.” As the curtain is raised on his public ministry, it’s not surprising that a reputation of some sorts precedes him.
That notion…word spreading about Jesus…sets up the anticipation of Jesus’ arrival in Nazareth. But these words spoken in the synagogue make it clear that Jesus is not a publicity hound looking for splashy headlines. He has no desire to ride a wave of popular appeal. It is always about the trajectory of God’s salvation history. And that drive…that driving desire… sets the table for the opposition to come.
As we move to a clearer understanding of these verses, let’s break down two key points.
First, the poor at not only economically poor but also those who are
marginalized or excluded from the ebb-and-flow of life. These are
outcasts in all kinds of ways.
Second, opening the eyes of the blind means more than physical sight. It goes deeper than that. This is nothing less than opening eyes to see that salvation is in Christ and Christ alone. As we’ll see much later in Luke 24:14-31:
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
Hearing that, we cannot help but call back to Jesus reading from the scroll in the synagogue.
Finally, there’s the all-inclusive promise, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Some say that the Greek word translated, “oppressed,” is primarily a warfare image. Think of it as someone at the mercy of another. That’s oppressed. It’s all-encompassing. It also implied being “shattered.” Anywhere someone is broken…by their own sin…by the sin of others…by economic hardship…whatever the cause, Jesus is the cure for whatever oppression we endure.
I love what John Piper says about Luke’s framing of the word “oppressed.” He points to those who are powerless and abused by the heartless. Next week, we’ll look at many examples of the oppressed and others addressed by Jesus’ synagogue teaching. We will particularly touch on one of the most oppressed and disadvantaged groups in America – the unborn.
Until then, always remember. Having been taught by Jesus in the synagogue, we will work and pray for the liberty of the captives. We will proclaim the good news to the poor. We will work and pray for the recovery of sight for the blind. We will work and pray for the liberty of the oppressed. And then…here’s the beautiful thing…and then, when our work is done, and Jesus returns, we will walk down our own Emmaus Road, opening up to endless fields of thick, green grass and clear streams and warm sunshine, gathered with wonderful friends and perfect health. And we will hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” And there we will be, in the presence of Jesus, and the whole jumble of our lives will give way to an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Jesus rolled up the scroll, and we heard him say, “Today this Scripture Has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
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