Sermon and Video Third Sunday after the Epiphany
The Third Sunday After the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:16-30
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
The readings from Nehemiah and St. Luke show people gathered around a public reading of the Holy Scriptures. The circumstances of these readings could not be any different. But, the need for God’s Word is equally important.
The public reading of Scripture in Nehemiah is the first reading that the people of Judah have heard in the temple in Jerusalem for over seventy years. The people listening to Ezra’s voice are part of the third wave of Jews who return from the Babylonian captivity. When Persia defeated Babylon, Persia set the slaves free. The city walls and gates are rebuilt. The temple is rebuilt. Now Ezra reads the Pentateuch in a place that was devoid of God’s Word for nearly a century. In gratitude many wept as they heard God’s Word.
In Luke, there is already a regular habit of sabbath gathering in the Synagogue in Jesus’ hometown. This practice is so customary and normal, that it hardly bears mentioning. We are told that Jesus is a regular congregant and lector. The only reason we hear about this particular Sabbath gathering is because after Jesus reads, he explicates the text in a way in which the people did not expect.
In fact, the people were so enamored with how Jesus was reading and speaking that they missed the significance of his words. Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke immediately follows that remarkable statement with this observation: “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?’” Clearly, the people are proud of their fellow townsman. He is someone they are proud to call their own. His gracious words are a pleasure to listen to because they sound beautiful and delightful.
For the sake of their salvation, Jesus puts a stop to their admiration. The time has come for them to view Him in a different way. Jesus has been baptized. His earthly ministry has begun. The time has come for them to see Him for who He truly is. He is far more that Joseph or Mary’s son. He is the Christ. This is the one that Simeon announced will be a light unto the Gentiles. Jesus is the one of whom our heavenly Father declares, “This is my Son.” This is the one that John the Baptist declared is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is the miracle worker who can even transform water into wine.
The time has come for His towns people to have the veil lifted so that they can see His purpose for being among them. Standing before them is the embodiment of the messianic text of Isaiah 61. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scripture.
Jesus was anointed. Anointing is something that happens to kings and prophets before they begin their time of service. Olive oil is poured upon their heads as a sign of God’s call. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His Baptism.
Jesus has already started and will continue even upon the cross, to proclaim good news to the poor. The poor are not necessarily those without money, goods, and the comforts of this life. Rather, the poor are those who are poor in spirit. Meaning they are poor in God’s sight. They have no righteousness with which they can stand before God in the judgment. They are sinners deserving punishment.
The good news that Jesus brings is that He is their righteousness. At the cross, Jesus will bear the sins of the world so that he can exchange our sins for His righteousness. On account of our faith in Jesus as the Christ, we will wear Christ’s righteousness when we stand before the Lord in judgment.
Jesus comes to proclaim liberty to the captives, the blind, and the oppressed. Are we captive to sin? Blind? Oppressed? Yes. The law of God makes that clear. On our own, we fail to keep God’s law and expectations perfectly. On our own, we choose false gods for liberation, only to be bound by them. Sin and false gods lead us away from true freedom through the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is the key that unlocks those chains that bind us. His key is the cross, and the way out of the punishment is by His forgiveness.
Jesus makes the sharp point that God is not only for the Jews. Jesus comes for the sake of the salvation of the world. He comes to save his townspeople, Israel, and also the Gentiles that are all around them. Jesus makes explicit what God has already shown in Scripture. Jesus could have spoken of Jonah who was sent to Ninevah in Assyria to proclaim God’s judgment and encourage the city to repent of their sins and put away their false gods. Instead, he chose to focus on Elijah’s help of the widow in Zarapheth and the curing of the leprosy of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army. God is concerned for gentiles too. Jesus is born for the sake of the whole world, not just Israel.
That is when the men and women that he grew up with, played with as a boy, helped build their houses and barns and fences as a carpenter with his father and then on his own when Joseph died, realized that Jesus is not who they thought he was.
The reaction to Jesus and His message in the synagogue is a foreshadowing of what is to come. Jews who cling to God’s promise of a Messiah reject the Christ that is gifted to them. They put Him on a cross. The great gift of God is that he transforms their rejection into our salvation. In His death, Jesus is revealed as the Son of God, given for your eternal salvation.
The peace of Christ which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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