Passing Along

Luke 4:14-31
As we read scripture, we are apt to think of Jesus in a lot of ways: as a teacher, a preacher, and a healer; as the Son of God and the word of God incarnate; as the Messiah and the chosen one. All of these titles, and so many more, lead us to think of Jesus as interacting with the people of his day, meeting needs and sharing God’s love. Even when he was filled with righteous anger, it was for the purpose of leading people to God’s will. But do we say when Jesus simply walks away from a situation? Our gospel reading for today offers an example of Jesus doing just that. “They got up,” Luke tells us of the crowd in the synagogue, “drove [Jesus] out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way” (Luke 4:29-30). Faced with the prospect of being killed, Jesus merely excused himself and took his leave.

On the one hand, this part of the story points to the God-given charisma that Jesus possessed. When he decided that things had gone far enough, Jesus was able to stare down the mob that threatened him and to “pass through the midst” of them. He could never have done that were he not filled with holy authority. But more importantly, we should recognize that this account points ahead to Jesus’ passion and crucifixion. He might have been killed by the crowd in Nazareth that day except that it wasn’t his time to die. Then again, he clearly could have avoided death in Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans had it not been God’s will for him to die. Jesus was never merely a victim of the events going on around him, nor was he ever swept up in what was happening. He had a role to play in the work that God was doing, and he accepted that role, and he lived it to perfection.

The crowds at the synagogue in Nazareth that day were unaware of the events that would later unfold for Jesus. But if, in hindsight, they associated what they had witnessed with the crucifixion of Jesus, then they may have wondered how the same man who had walked away from his encounter with them could have been put to death later. The answer lies in the love of God who sent a Son to die, not in a capricious way, but according to the divine will and at the right time. This is why we can also refer to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” and know that when Jesus suffered it was not by accident.

Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners and in whose name we offer our prayers of gratitude. Amen.

Prevailing Mightily

Note: The readings on today's blog are actually the readings for tomorrow, September 23, 2010. I apologize for getting ahead of myself.

Acts 19:11-20
Luke 4:14-30
Today’s readings from Acts and Luke stand as brackets on either side of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Before his passion Jesus teaches with “gracious words in Nazareth (Luke 4:22). Not only does he lay claim to the prophecy of Isaiah as his own ministry, but he goes so far as to proclaim that “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). This is the speech of one with authority and with power. Later, when the crowd has become enraged and would throw him off of a cliff, Jesus “passed through the midst of them and when on his way” (v. 30). Here, too, Jesus displays his God-given authority. After his resurrection and ascension, even after Pentecost and the birth of the church, Jesus is still one with authority and power. According to Acts in Ephesus “the word of Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). Paul may be an instrument of this work, but Jesus is the one who grants the actual healing. The events of Holy Week and Easter have in no way diminished Jesus’ ability to change lives and to make the truth of God’s reign known.

But the stories from Acts are so old. Much of what we read there seems implausible to modern readers, if not impossible. Can Jesus Christ really make a difference today? Is the ministry as defined by Isaiah still in effect? Or have the power and authority of Jesus weakened until they no longer really exist? I understand questions like these. And I don’t blame the people who ask them. But I also believe that the grace of God in Jesus Christ is an active presence in the world today and that it appears in a multitude of ways. Imperfect people like us, and even the imperfect communities of faith to which we belong, demonstrate the work of God through Jesus Christ in extraordinary ways. The challenge is to keep our eyes on what God is doing in and through the world, and not to get bogged down by the disappointments and the failures. This is easy to say, I know. But the challenge of discipleship is to believe that Jesus Christ is at work even now and to seek ways to be involved in that work never giving up hope in the one who died to set all people free from sin and death. Whether it be in Luke’s gospel or from the pages of Acts, the Jesus we encounter in scripture is the same Jesus who is loose in the world today and in whom we find hope and healing. Jesus is prevailing mightily in our world and will continue to do so.

Prayer: Lord, when our confidence fades and our hope seems lost, remind us that your power and might are still present to us and help us to live into your coming reign. Amen.