A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Randy Welsand
Jeremiah1:4-10
Psalm 71
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20
Luke 4:21-32
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LOCAL LAD ROCKS SYNAGOGUE " I'm truly amazed!" I can't believe he said that" "What Arrogance?" Some of the comments from the locals who attended yesterday's service at the synagogue in Nazareth. Wonder and awe at the manner in which Jesus, formerly of Nazareth, conducted himself at the regular reading of the scroll. This Jesus, who has been making quite a name for himself as a preacher in Capurnaum and other local communities as of late, had the honor of reading the reading from Isaiah 58, 61. His style and delivery was flawless. Quite unusual for one of such lowly upbringing I might add, his father being a mere carpenter after all. The problem was not that he did an unsatisfactory job with the scroll, quite the contrary. He even had the Rabbi's sitting up and taking notice! He was good, real good. The problems arose with his closing comments after the reading. Jesus dropped a bombshell on the proceedings by stating that the prophecies as foretold by Isaiah where in fact being fulfilled as he spoke! Claims that he knew what they were thinking in their hearts! And finally the message that even though he knew they wanted him to perform miracles like he had done elsewhere, he would not do so here in Nazareth because the home town crowd would never accept him like Elijah and Elisha before him. And then all hell broke loose. The gathering turned into a riot and Jesus was run out of town on a rail! details on page 4b. |
Interesting comments in Monday's edition of the Nazareth Times aren't they? Could even read similar reports in the St. Cloud Times or Morrison County Record. People like to read about miraculous things and riots. Hero's and villains. Good guys and the bad guys. And we all like to hear about someone we know. Some name we can put a face on.
And Jesus fit the bill in Nazareth that day. A miracle worker that most people knew. A miracle worker that snubbed his neighbors by refusing to perform miracles for them. The ultimate slap in the face and they were hot about it. Mad enough to take him out the city and pitch him over a cliff. Well he didn't go over the cliff, but he was soundly rejected and put to the test by the home town crowd. Not the first time in his ministry either. Or the last.
After he was baptized he was tempted by the devil. " If you are the son of God, throw yourself from this cliff and the angels will save you" As he hung on the cross, "You saved others, save yourself!" "Do for us here in Nazareth what you did in Capernaum!" Always challenges and rejections. If you don't do what I want, I won't like you any more. Jesus was rejected as were his followers and all the prophets before him. But he was never discredited.
He did not go over that cliff that day and he beat death by rising from the grave. As Jesus read the word that day in Nazareth, I'm sure that he hoped that those there would be listening with their hearts as well as their ears. That they would be swept up into the power of God's saving embrace. Bathed in the brilliance of his all-encompassing love and salvation. Instead, they just got mad.
Who is this person? They soundly rejected the possibility that this Jesus was the one foretold in prophecy. That this was the savior, the Messiah. Epiphanies can happen only if the heart has been opened to new possibilities. A closed heart will chose the dark even when shown the light. Take the low road instead of the high, prefer a lie to the truth.
Rejection was a big part of Jesus' ministry. Wherever he went, he found those who would have nothing to do with him. Some listened and believed, some did not.
We all have felt the pain of rejection. It is really hard to take isn't it? It stabs at the very core of your being. Especially when it comes from someone you know, someone you respect, someone you love. We would do just about anything to avoid this kind of pain wouldn't we?
Jesus gives us the answer. Don't give up. Keep on witnessing, loving, sharing. Where would we be today if Jesus would have said "that's it, I'm done"? We can only reach out in God's love, again and again and again. Jesus took it and moved on, never changing his plan, always reaching out to the next town, the next person. He never gave up nor should we.
I've have heard people say that this total ministry thing is never going to make it: "Gonna fail." "Can't work." "You are not cut out to be a priest." " You don't want to do that." But yesterday some of us went to a Total Ministry Summit and we met with total ministry people from all over the state. We saw that total ministry is working. It is doing amazing things in our churches. Jesus never gave up nor should we.
One of the messages of Epiphany is to listen to the Word of God an let it shape your life. "Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. " To each one of us. And do it. It has been foretold that God's Kingdom would not come to be without conflict and tension and rejection. I believe this is being proven out every day. Our task is just to stick with it as Jesus did. Jesus' followers have always taken a certain comfort in the thought that we all share in His rejections. We also share in His glory.