Luke 4.14-21 & Nehemiah 8.1-3, 5-6 & 8-10
If we go back a step in today’s Old Testament reading we
find Nehemiah, one of many Jews exiled into Babylon, effectively working as the
wine waiter for King Ataxerxes. He has had news of the sad state of the Jewish
remnant still in Jerusalem and much to his surprise the king allows him to
return home to rebuild Jerusalem.
Nehemiah has a sense of shame because he includes himself
among those who have sinned and ignored the Law of Moses.
Despite drought, lack of funding and opposition Jerusalem
is finally rebuilt.
We know that the state of our buildings has an effect upon
how we feel. If our schools are in disrepair those working and studying there
will start to question whether this reflects the value put upon their efforts
by others. If we visit run down neighbourhoods this is often a sign that there
are underlying problems and we naturally feel uncomfortable in the
surroundings. Even here our church wardens and others are constantly working
hard to organise repairs and maintenance, reflecting the fact that we intend to
gather and worship God in this building for a long time yet.
To have the opportunity to prosper people need buildings
that provide shelter and opportunities to come together as a community but buildings
themselves are only the beginning .
This is where our reading starts today. It still resonates
with many aspects of our communities in run down inner cities or remote rural locations
where the people feel they have been forgotten, that they don’t matter.
At the time of Nehemiah many of the people in Jerusalem
would have been regarded as the dregs of the population left behind by invaders
who didn’t even consider them worthwhile taking into captivity. Perhaps they
were physically weak, injured or disabled or too elderly to be considered of
economic benefit. Like our modern cities such people also lived among their
highly educated, wealthy neighbours, some of whom had done well in their exile
before returning to Jerusalem.
Just to complete the parallels with our own times one of
the challenges to restoration of their relationship with God was that the
population was more diverse than was previously the case, some had married
people of other nations and religions and had forgotten about their faith.
So it’s against this background that Ezra gathers the
people, notably not in the temple but in the public square, not to offer
sacrifices but to read the law and to pray. He knows that the people have to
come together again regardless of their social standing. They have to learn
once again about the will of God for them and put this above their own
differences to seek a common destiny.
It seems that the people yearn to be restored with God and
find meaning in their lives, so much that they stood hearing and learning in
the square for half a day, no 10 minutes sermons slouched on a pew for them,
but then they were playing catch up!
We are told that the people wept as they heard the words of
the law. Maybe some regretted not making the effort to keep God’s laws and
respond to his love, maybe for some it was tears of joy and hope that this
represented a new beginning for them not only personally but also for Judaism.
It marked the beginning of the synagogue worship where we found Jesus in Luke’s
gospel today.
Interestingly the people gathered in the square are told to
go and enjoy life but not to forget those worse off than themselves, and to
worship God. Simple but profound instructions for anyone reaffirming their
faith, do something practical to help your fellow man in need, give to the food
bank, financially support those trying to bring relief to the suffering, give
some help to a neighbour and in doing so glorify the God who loves you.
In doing so those helped may realise that they haven’t been
abandoned after all and find new strength and hope.
Such actions can be on a one to one basis but also form the
backbone of who we are and of what we try to build from faith communities
through to regions and nations.
Whilst it’s true that God never gives up on any of us it’s
a lot easier to believe this when we experience acts of love and support in our
times of need. We might suffer terrible illness or we might be stuck in a situation
we don’t want to be in, whatever we have to endure it’s made far more tolerable
if we can see love and hope around us, even if peoples efforts to bring change
for the better fail we know that they care enough to try and that in itself
should bring a smile to our faces.
So we heard in Luke’s gospel that Jesus went to a synagogue
in Nazareth where he was brought up. In the synagogue, sacrifice was not offered
it was a place for teaching and reading. A major difference between the
synagogue and the temple was that in the temple the priests were in charge, but
in the synagogue there was no priest and no designated preacher. Each man had
an opportunity to participate in the time of reading and learning. One would
volunteer to read a passage from the scrolls of the Old Testament, and then
afterwards, he would sit down and explain what those passages he read meant to
him so for Jesus to do so would have seemed perfectly normal to those hearing
him.
We all need a bit of encouragement, signs that people
believe in our potential, could this have been in the mind of the person who
handed Jesus the scroll. Had he heard Jesus talk to others, or heard of him?
Jesus read from Isaiah and his message for the people who
have returned from captivity in Babylon. We know that they were trying to
rebuild their lives and their ruins and becoming discouraged and it’s in this
setting that Isaiah says God will restore, God is here. The passage is one of
hope and freedom to people in despair.
So the congregation have heard Jesus read and no doubt when
it comes to the talking bit some will have been thinking I wonder how long
he’ll go on for today but before their thoughts could turn to other things
Jesus says. "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing." Did he really just say that some will have thought as they
struggled to come to terms with this life changing message? Jesus is dropping a
bomb shell on this congregation. He is telling them that he is God’s salvation
in the world. God’s promise of freedom has come to his people.
Now when Jesus said, "Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing. " He was offering similar hope to the people
oppressed by pagan enemies as Isaiah had to the returning Jews. But Jesus also went
beyond Isaiah, he didn’t mean that one nation would be restored, he was talking
about God’s plan of salvation for all people, instead of just the nation of
Israel.
Jesus says that part of his salvation is to preach the good news. The good news is that God is with us, God cares about us. There is forgiveness, there is hope, and there is renewal.
The old adage that good news doesn’t sell newspapers may be
true. Peace is good news yet no one would read a newspaper that said no one was
robbed in Seal today. Serving each other is good news but it wouldn’t sell many
papers to say that a Christian showed God’s love today as she comforted someone
mourning the loss of a loved one yet in performing these acts we become the
good news that Jesus speaks of.
Like the people in our readings there may be times when it
feels that problems are insurmountable yet for all prepared to look we see
again and again that God never gives up on us no matter what situation we find
ourselves in. My prayer is that as many people as possible come to know this
and that we each can play our part in making this good news known.
Amen
Kevin Bright
23 January 2022
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