01/03/2016 THE YEAR OF THE LORD
Luke 4:16-19, 21 And HE came to Nazareth, where HE had been brought up; and HE went to the synagogue, as HIS custom was, on the Sabbath day. And HE stood up to read: and there was given to HIM the book of the prophet Isaiah. HE opened the book and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
. . . .
And HE began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
[Revised Standard translation.]
Summary
Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, began HIS ministry in Nazareth, the city where HE had lived growing up with Mary and Joseph. HE had been baptized, HE had been tempted in the wilderness and now, HE was returning to Nazareth to proclaim the year of the LORD. HE was GOD’s son. HE, THE FATHER and the HOLY SPIRIT were one. HE was the Messiah. HE was ready to spread the good news, but the people of Nazareth were not ready. They couldn’t “see.”
Nazareth lived under Roman rule. Rome had an occupying army. To the people in Nazareth, Rome was in charge. In their eyes, Rome had all the power. The Roman influence was so great and the people were so lacking in vision that the people during the time often “saw” their years, and in essence their lives, as being synonymous and controlled by the people who ruled them. After years of living in exile, and talking about returning to power, it still had not happened, and the people just couldn’t “see” it occurring. The people read the WORD of GOD, but the WORD no longer had meaning for them. They couldn’t see the “life” in the WORD, even when it was standing right in front of them.
Years and periods of time were characterized as “the years and days of Herod Antipas (Herod the Tetrarch),” ruler of Galilee, or the “years and days of Augustus Caesar.” So when Jesus proclaimed that GOD was still in control, that GOD’s ministry on liberation, justice and mercy was still going forward, the people of Nazareth couldn’t “see.” All they saw was “Joseph’s son.” (Verse 22) When Jesus reminded the temple leaders that “faith” and “GOD’s agenda” are not defined by issues of nationality or race or religion, as evident by the healing of Naaman, the leper, a Syrian, and a gentile, no less, and that many Jewish lepers in Israel and around the synagogues had not been healed, the Nazareth temple leaders saw red. This was not what they wanted to hear. So, they pushed Jesus out—out of the temple and out of the city.
So Jesus moved on to another city, Capernaum, another city in Galilee, where the people accepted the authority of GOD’s WORD.