GOSPEL REFLECTION, MONDAY, 3RD WEEK IN LENT, 24 MARCH 2025

Luke 4:24-30.  We may tend to think of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, as a rather small backwoods village.  On the contrary, it was a town, even a small city of perhaps 20,000 inhabitants at that time.  It stood close to three main trade roads bustling with caravans bringing goods from afar.  This meant that the people of Nazareth had some important connections with further Jewish and Gentile communities. 

Close to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry Jesus visited Nazareth, and on the Sabbath went to synagogue as usual.  He was invited to read from scripture and to preach.  He selected a passage from chapter 61 of Isaiah proclaiming an important messianic prophecy.  Then he sat down to preach (as the rabbis did), declaring this prophecy to be “fulfilled in your hearing,” suggesting indeed that he in himself was that fulfillment and that people should feel blessed to know this.  This was met at first with ‘amazement at his gracious words’ (v. 22).  But people said in effect, ‘wait a minute; isn’t this Joseph’s son.  We know his whole family, so where did he get all this?’  Jesus went on to say no prophet is accepted in  their own hometown and then pointed out that the same happened to the prophets Elijah and Elisha who performed spectacular cures of Gentile people.  At this the people became enraged – ‘healing and salvation (the same words in Greek) is for us only, not for them’ – and chased him out of the synagogue to throw him of a cliff.  But he escaped.

For us, with our post-Easter knowledge of who Jesus was and what he did, we may more readily accept that Isaiah’s messianic prophecy is ‘fulfilled’ in the person of Jesus.  It is a matter of trusting faith.  But there are many who reject that.  So that is what is before us: where do we stand in our hearts, minds, and commitments?  Are we ‘amazed at the graciousness of Jesus words’ to the extent that we believe him, trust him, and commit ourselves to be with him?