“Fulfilled in Your Hearing” - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21

January 24, 2010

Kay E. Huggins, New Life Presbyterian Church

Recently a friend emailed me following a charming coincident, best described as grace, to affirm: Sometimes God works in mysterious ways and sometimes God is downright blatant! I’m sure you know what he meant. There are times when God’s grace is puzzling, covert and mysterious; there are other times when God’s work among us is absolutely obvious, undeniable and palpable. In today’s gospel lesson both types of grace intermingle as Jesus returns to his home town and delivers his first sermon in Nazareth. Of course his words were meant for that small gathering in first century Palestine, but because they were known to Luke, we have the privilege of listening in...and if we are wise, we have the privilege of hearing God’s authentic word.

The story begins in mystery; it’s the type of mystery able to turn a small town upside down and inside out. The young man, Jesus, has returned to his home town. He comes back accompanied by wondrous tales (rumors?) of amazing sermons and spectacular healings. It was difficult to believe these reports, especially as Jesus seemed the same son of Joseph and Mary the community had always known. Yes, they had noticed he was a serious sort. But, they also knew his playful, joyful side. They had observed his obedience to family and responsibility. But, they also remembered his solitary trips to the wild country. According to some in the village Jesus was an “odd duck” but to others his personality and manner were a constant source of delightful intrigue.

Thus it was, that on the Sabbath, as Jesus entered the synagogue, the eyes of all were upon him. The leader of the synagogue motioned for Jesus to come forward. Everyone held their breath, anticipating what he would read and how he would interpret. Time slowed as Jesus’ every gesture and every step was thoughtfully observed. With a steady gait Jesus reached the front of the room. He stood there as natural and as common as they boy they’d known and loved forever. Then, the attendant handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus smiled as he received it, turned to the congregation, bowed slighted and reverently unrolled the large Isaiah scroll.

Since there was no text assigned, a guest was free to pick any reading was from Isaiah. For many in the room this scroll, this season of reading through Isaiah, was a favorite. The congregation loved the words of Isaiah that soared with visions of God’s triumph and spread out as encouragement for everyday life. Relaxing into the moment, the congregation wondered what the text would be. Did Jesus have a favorite passage in mind? Some tried to remember: was his Hebrew reading from Isaiah, two decades ago when he joined the synagogue? Was the Isaiah scroll the favorite of Jesus as well as the members of his home town synagogue? As Jesus turned the scroll, the congregation smile. “This is going to be great,” was their collective thought, “one of our own, reading and preaching.” And the silence and the smiles widened.

Jesus found the place in Isaiah 61 where it is was written:

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 favor

Then, Jesus rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down to preach. (In those days, prayers were said standing up while preaching was a sitting down activity.) As Jesus prepared to speak, he scanned the room. His eyes met those of each congregant. These were his people, his relatives, his friends. These were the people he’d sat beside Sabbath after Sabbath reciting prayers, singing and listening to God’s word throughout most of his life. He loved his hometown congregation as much for the love they’d always shown him as for their innate preciousness. Before he spoke, Jesus paused to feel that graceful surge of being “at home” deep within his soul.

Jesus kept close to his feeling for the Nazareth community synagogue. Indeed he allowed that feeling, that connection to shape his sermon. As he continued to look directly at the beloved congregation he spoke, slowly and softly:

Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

Time collapsed. Everyone was stiller than still. The words from the Isaiah scroll fluttered above the heads of all...as little holy dreams. Lovely words. Words of hope. Words of redemption. Words of God’s tomorrow. Words of brilliant change. No one blinked. Jesus’ sermon -- remarkable in its brevity -- hit home.

Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

In an instant, Isaiah’s message was comprehended. Effortlessly, Jesus gave life to the dusty dreams and the fleeting images of Isaiah. For a moment -- that moment of “today” -- the scripture was not only comprehended, but it was alive. Everyone in Nazareth vibrated in divine absorption: time split open, God’s promised future appeared.

For a moment -- that moment of “today” -- everything, everything!, held together. What was hidden became undeniably present. What was puzzling became palpable. What was mysterious became blatant. Jesus declared God’s year of favor fulfilled. In the silence the thoughts of all who heard Jesus’ sermon tumbled into a magnificent alignment.

Their first thought was the Year of God’s Favor. Being so distant from Nazareth, from the Jewish prophets and from a world tied absolutely to God’s will, it is difficult for us to enter their first attention. For us, the year of Jubilee is little more than an outdated dream or a quirky old law. However, for the congregation of Nazareth, the year of God’s Favor or the year of Jubilee was a reality sure to come. This is what they knew; this is what we’ve forgotten:

• In the year of Jubilee, after seven sabbatical cycles of six years of work and one of rest for humans, livestock and land, there was to be a magnificent reordering of societal life. This reordering was God’s will.

• In the 50th year everything was redistributed so that each and every Jew once again had an equal share in the nation and a just place among God’s people.

• In the year of Jubilee all inherited land (i.e. the promised land given by God to each clan) that families had been forced to sell, was to be returned to the original owners;

• In the year of Jubilee all debts, whether ancient or recent, were wiped away;

• In the year of Jubilee all slaves were emancipated and all prisoners were released.

• The Year of God’s Favor was a joyful restoration of equality for all -- a year when the most impoverished were given substantial hope of land and freedom and a year for the rich to give back their material wealth, so that all might stand with full dignity before God.

• To be part of Jubilee -- whether as poor or rich, master or slave, debtor or collector of debts -- experienced God’s will completely. When the shofar sounded the year of God’s favor, the nation’s restoration, redistribution and redemption began. During the year of Jubilee, nothing was excluded, everything was realigned and all were free to live with dignity before God.

As the congregation in Nazareth held the reality of Jubilee among them, a second corporate thought focused among them: their new life in the redeemed society. They imagined their own village “righted” by Jubilee. No longer would those sad young boys sold into slavery have to work so far from home. They would be released! Returned! Restored to Nazareth just as the prophets of old proclaimed. Likewise, the poorest families, who had cut their holdings into slivers of promise, would see a future bright with land sufficient to till and harvests equivalent to survival. Even the foolish who squandered their living in ways contrary to God’s ways would get a second chance. And the wealthy, especially those who became rich through greed and betrayal, who lived “above” the judgment of God, even the wealthy would get a second chance to participate in God’s justice.

To the congregation in Nazareth, the year of God’s favor was huge force lifting up the village and like a rug, shaking from it all the grim and dirt and dust. Then the village settled back upon God’s good earth in such a way that everyone smiled, shared and started over as brothers and sisters, neighbor and kin: peaceable, hospitable, loyal. As the sight of the restored beloved community came into focus, a third thought penetrated into the congregation. Jesus was the one breaking time. He was the servant of the Lord. The anointed one of God. The long awaited messiah. The spiritual presence of God on earth. Jesus declared to them: Jubilee, restoration and himself as the servant. It seemed too good to be true, yet his words still rang in their ears:

Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

And that my friends, is where we leave this tale unfinished. The end will be told next week...but for this week there is only the brilliant reality of Isaiah’s words fulfilled in a little congregation. For Today there is only

Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

It’s in your hearing little congregation, It’s in you: You are the ones to break the time. You are the ones to make Jubilee real. You are the ones to right ancient wrongs. You are the ones to release the captives and free the prisoners. It’s in your hearing. It’s in you: Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Amen and amen.