My Dear people,

In the gospel today, after Jesus had read the passage from Isaiah, they were all looked intently at him. They wanted Jesus to be the wonderworker for them as he had been in other places. They were not interested in the disposition of their hearts. Jesus knew that, so he challenges them, that the passage was fulfilled in their hearing, and that no prophet is welcome in his own town. Instead the people turned against Jesus. These biblical precedence of non-acceptance are drawn from Elijah (1 Kgs. 17) and Elisha (2 Kgs. 5) narratives, in which stories the persons singled out to be recipients of God’s favor are non-Israelites. This is not meant to slight the Jewish people, but to show that God had planned the message of salvation for the whole world.

The anger of the people builds on their earlier mixed reaction (v. 220). It is caused by Christ’s prophetic stance in challenging his townspeople, as well as indicating that God’s favor is now extended to all people. Their attempts to thwart God’s plan by blocking Jesus’ “way” (c.4) are futile as Jesus’ escape previews his later victory over death.

Since Luke wrote the Gospels primarily to the Gentiles, he brings out emphatically the importance of the gospel being preached to the whole world, and the acceptance of the gospel by the Gentiles. From the beginning the outcome of the ministry of Jesus was for the whole of humanity.

With Jesus, the time of waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Scriptures is over. The messianic jubilee announced by Isaiah is at hand! “Behold, now is the acceptable time” (2 Cor 6:2) Here and later in his ministry, Jesus will emphasize that God’s blessings are available “today” (see Luke 19:5,9,23:43). Moreover, the fulfilment takes place, literally, in their “ears.” The people should thus consider themselves “blessed” for seeing Jesus with their “eyes” (4:20) and hearing him with their ears. However, Jesus will twice warn that those with “ear to hear ought to hear.”  Will the people of Nazareth take heed?

Initially, they do: all spoke highly of him. The verb martyreo here, meaning “bearing witness, testify,” is used frequently in Acts when referring to individuals who are “well-spoken of” by the people. The people are amazed at the gracious words of Jesus, witnessing to the power of his preached words (see Luke 4:32).

However, the people are also perplexed: isn’t this the son of Joseph? This is what “was thought” (3:23), though the reader knows quite well that Jesus is the Son of God (1:32, 35; 3:22). Despite the Davidic lineage of the people of Nazareth, perhaps Jesus’ origin was simply too humble for him to be considered the Messiah. The parallel passages say that “they took offense at him” (Matt 13:57); (Mark 6:3).

Only Luke the physician records Jesus’ proverb, “Physician, cure yourself.” Jesus interprets the people’s reaction as a demand for a sign from him, like those that were done in Capernaum. Unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke has not yet specifically recounted the things Jesus did in Capernaum, although Jesus has already been active in many towns of Galilee (4:14-15). Luke recounts this Nazareth scene first because it provides the key for understanding the events of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus continues with the first of his six Amen sayings in Luke. Jesus gives a general principle that no prophet is accepted in his hometown, implying that he is himself a prophet. Jesus has just proclaimed the jubilee, the year “acceptable” (4:19) to the Lord, but now he is the one not “acceptable.” This occurs in his own native place, precisely where the law said that one returns during a jubilee (Lev. 25:10 LXX). With this ironic play on words, Jesus is about to issue his Jewish listeners a “prophetic challenge” regarding the scope of the jubilee.

Calling on two Old Testament prophets as supporting witnesses: first, Elijah worked a miracle for a Gentile widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon, enabling her and her son to survive a famine. Second, Elisha worked a miracle for Gentile Naaman the Syrian, who was cleansed of his leprosy, foreshadowing of how in Jesus the Gentiles will be led to worship the one true God. In the end of the Gospel, Jesus will commission his disciples to extend the jubilee proclamation of forgiveness “to all nations” (Luke 24:47).

In summary, Jesus’ Nazareth discourse is indeed a mission statement that sets the program of his ministry of preaching and healing. It presents the gospel in miniature: Jesus the Messiah fulfills Scripture, preaches good news to the poor, gives sight to the blind, proclaims liberty to usher in the jubilee, restores Israel’s captives, reaches out to the Gentiles, and finally experiences rejection but escapes, thus foreshadowing his death and resurrection.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente