Sunday 26/01/25
Third Sunday of Epiphany
Luke 4:14-21
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
In their wisdom, those who compile the lectionary for the church year, put today’s reading from 1 Corinthians 12 together with that from chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel. It is not an immediately obvious connection, perhaps, but if you look closely, there certainly is one! It is all about the part prophecy plays in our story of faith. Context is important, because we would otherwise miss it! The passage from Luke 4 begins with: ‘Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.’ But how did he get there? At the beginning of chapter 4, Luke records Jesus’ time in the desert, where he was sent by the Holy Spirit, and where he was tempted by the devil. And going a little bit further back, even, we find that this was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, after his baptism in the river Jordan, when God the Father spoke his words of affirmation: ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ And now we find him in the synagogue in Nazareth, his home town, reading from the prophet Isaiah. After he has read this particular passage, he says those remarkable words: ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ At first, the people are amazed and speak well of him, but the tide turns, when Jesus continues to speak, hinting at their unbelief at the words of the prophets. The situation becomes even critical but Jesus walks away unharmed.
What are we to make of all that, then? Well, in 1 Corinthians 12, there is the mention of ‘varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit’; ‘varieties of services, but the same Lord’; and ‘varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.’ The people of Israel had been used to the prophets in the past; each speaking the word of God to their situation at the time. They would also sometimes speak of a time further on in the future, about the Messiah. Isaiah, one of the so-called Major Prophets, had this particular reference that Jesus read out in the synagogue: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ With Jesus then saying that this scripture has now been fulfilled, he reminds the people that this is what they have been waiting for all along. Jesus has a special task to perform, inspired by God himself. In other words, Jesus is working ‘in context’ and in line with God’s plan of salvation, set in motion a long time before. It may not be easy to grasp that particular part of it: that Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s will, and, full of the Holy Spirit, is working for the salvation of the world. Yet, that is what he is, because of who he is. At first, Jesus is commended by his hearers. But then, when he holds up a mirror to them, and points out their stubbornness, his life is threatened, and he has to leave even his hometown.
So, what is our response, then, to hearing all this? Are we confident that we know how he is relating to us and to our needs? The congregation in the synagogue on that day were looking for Jesus to perform miracles, just like they had heard he did in Capernaum. It’s been so often the case: people saying that they will believe if they see a miracle, or if things turn out for them just as they want. But Jesus is not a performer, let alone an entertainer, although he has a sense of humour! He is much, much more than that. He is certainly a worker of miracles. And the greatest miracle is that he has come to show the depth of God’s love for us by dying for us, and defeating death on the third day at the resurrection. The promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus is the greatest miracle of all! May we not only believe that, but also fully grasp it, and live fully in that deepest joy! Amen.