Get Out of Town
a sermon based on Luke 4:21-30
by Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel
 

            Our scripture reading this morning is a continuation of last week's reading.  And for those of you who may have missed it- we'll backtrack for just a bit.  The setting is the synagogue in Nazareth.  Nazareth as you recall, was the place where Jesus had been brought up.  Jesus was spending time in the region traveling from synagogue to synagogue teaching.  He was filled with the power of the spirit and news of his ministry was spreading  like wild fire.  Luke tells us that Jesus was praised by everyone.  Jesus was somewhat of a local celebrity and so no doubt the crowd was curious what he would do and say that day in the synagogue.  You can imagine the excitement in the air.  Jesus is going to read today- Mary and Joseph's boy.  Hey did you hear what Jesus did in Capernaum?  I can't wait to see what he'll do today in Nazareth.  Hey, we better get there early and get a front row seat.  The people gathered in the synagogue and watched Jesus as he took the scroll from the attendant, the scroll of Isaiah.  Jesus  unrolled it and read this passage
 

"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, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. to preach the sermon.  They waited.  They wondered.  What  would Jesus say?   And as all the eyes of  the synagogue were fixed on him. Jesus began to speak, saying  to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  We can imagine their reaction:  “Wow, did you hear what that Jesus said”?  They nodded and nudged each other.  “That's Joseph's son.  Boy, that Joseph must be proud.”    The congregation was simply amazed at Jesus' gracious words.  The audience was with him, after all, this was the boy next door, a hometown hero, their neighbor, one of them.

            Yep, at first the crowd in the synagogue welcomed Jesus' words.  But you have to wonder if they were really listening or if they were just caught up in the excitement of the day.  Perhaps they thought that Jesus' words were for them: that they were the captives, that they were the blind, that they were the oppressed- figuratively speaking, of course and this was their lucky day.    Great speech, Jesus.  Good sermon, preacher.  Fine young man, that Jesus.   But it started somewhere in the crowd- wait a minute, I don't get it, what did he say? A mummer ... Hey,  is he saying what I think he's saying?  Hold on,  does he really think that he is the Messiah? I can't believe this!   Hey,  how do you suppose this carpenter's boy will  fulfill this prophesy anyhow?  They doubted Jesus' credentials.  Just who does he think he is anyway?  But Jesus wasn't finished yet. 

            Jesus could sense the shifting mood of the crowd and he cut right to the chase, saying: “no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown...but you need to hear this word of truth.”  Jesus could have delivered a safe sermon, but he didn't.    He didn't back down or water it down.  Jesus did not come to please the crowd, he came to speak the truth- plain and simple. And he reminded them of two stories that they all knew.  The first story was about the widow from Zarephath.  You probably remember the story from when you were in Sunday School    There was a terrible famine and this widow had only a handful of meal and a bit of oil, barely enough for herself and her only son.  But she shared it with the prophet Elijah and because of her great faith in God, her jar of meal and her jug of oil were never emptied.  And the second story was about a Syrian general, named Naaman-  who had leprosy.  Another prophet, Elisha told Naaman to bathe in  River Jordan seven times and Naaman would be cured of his disease.  Well Naaman wasn't too excited about doing this- after all, there were rivers closer to his home.  But Naaman's servants finally convinced him that it couldn't hurt to try it . And after Naaman bathed in the Jordan, he was cured.  Naaman was so grateful to the God of Israel that he actually carried soil back  to his home country, so that he might continue to worship the God of Israel.  You might be wondering why Jesus shared these two stories.   And it's because both these stories were about God's intervention in the lives of outsiders, of God's intervention in the lives of folks who weren't like them- who weren't Jewish.   There were many widows- just as  there were many general's and God helped these two.  The point Jesus was trying to make was this:  That God's love is not limited to folks on the inside- but God's love is extended to folks on the outside; that God's love is bigger and wider than we can even begin to imagine and guess what folks- this folks is what my ministry is about:  I am reminded of  a hymn written in 1854, by Frederick William Faber .  His poem goes like this:
 

            There's a wideness in God's mercy- like the wideness of the sea.

            There's a kindness in God's justice which is more than liberty.

            There  is no place where earth's sorrows, are more felt than up in heaven

            There is no place where earth's failings, have such kindly judgment given

            For the love of God is broader, than the measures of the mind.

            And the heart of the Eternal, is most wonderfully kind

            If our love were but more faithful, we would gladly trust God's word

            And our lives reflect thanksgiving for the goodness of our Lord.
 

Faber said "There's a wideness in God's mercy".  And Jesus said, The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor- to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor".  And instead of being pleased at Jesus' words, their smiles faded.  Their amazement at his words quickly turned to anger.  They were enraged.   How dare he!!!  Like vigilantes, they turned against Jesus and they not only drove him from the synagogue, they also drove him out of town and nearly drove him off a cliff.  And why?  Because they didn't want to hear of God's grace and mercy for outsiders.  They didn't want to hear of God's love and care for people who were different than they were.  They didn't want to hear that God's love extended beyond their narrow circle- to folks of a different culture. They didn't want to hear that God's love included people from a different religious persuasion.  They didn't want to think that God might even be partial to people who weren't like them.  They simply didn't want to hear it.  Get out of town, Jesus!  It seems to me that we are sometimes like those folks in the synagogue.  That we sometimes become enraged when God's grace is given to people who we don't approve of.  It makes us mad to think that God's mercy and love might be offered to people who are different than we are: people of a different religion, people of a different political persuasion, people of a different sexual orientation, people from a different socio-economic group, you know-  people who are, different.   It makes us mad to think that God might actually love those people-   people who we know aren't worthy of God's love- I mean we know this and we wonder why God doesn't seem to take notice.  I mean we know about their extra marital affair, we know of their substance abuse.  We know of their gambling problem.  We make ourselves judge and jury.  We are secretly delighted when we see our enemies get their comeuppance.  After all, we know who is deserving of God's grace and love and mercy and you can be sure that it isn't those folks.  They deserve what's coming to them and don't we just love to gloat over it.  That they are finally getting theirs.  And boy, doesn't it gall us to think that someone like him- someone like her - someone like them- might even be invited in by God.  We don't want to hear of it! 

            Why is it that we insist on drawing circles- circles around God? Circles that separate insiders from outsiders- us from them?  Is it that we're jealous?  That we think that God only has a measured amount of love and that if God's love is spread around, that we won't get our fair share- or might it be that we are truly fearful for ourselves- that God might withhold God's grace and mercy from us?  We draw the circle so that we can be sure that we're in- and not out.    And Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and the Lord has anointed me to bring good news"  And this is good news for you  for me .  The good news is that the God we know in Christ Jesus is a God of grace.  The God that we know in Christ Jesus is a God of mercy.  The God that we know in Christ Jesus is a God of love!   The song says "There's a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea.  There's a kindness in God's justice which is more than liberty".   Friends, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing!  Amen.