Jesus entrance into this world seemed a two-sided affair in my eyes. First, being born in humble surroundings with earthly parents not of a wealthy status, shepherds (not a symbol of royalty) coming to see Him at His birth, and living His life under foreign rule (the Roman Empire).
The other side of His story lends itself to a disruptive and an almost confusing time at His birth, the mass murder of infants because of His very birth, His own earthly mother and father forced into exile shortly after His birth, and Magi arriving from the East to proclaim Him the next King, upsetting Herod and Roman authority.
Then, our only childhood record of Him is when He was twelve years of age and remained at the Temple in Jerusalem while His entire family had joined the others in returning to their home village of Nazareth. After His mother and father had finally found Him (after almost four days of search), the whole episode led Mary to exclaim: "Son, why have You treated us this way?" Yet Jesus responds in an almost rebuke type manner saying they failed to recognize His real mission. (Luke 2:41-49).
Not exactly a "poster boy" for the good and behaved child, would you say?
Then, eighteen years later, Jesus is about to begin His public ministry. Now we discover real reason He has come, and why He has come to save us.
His opening sermon, the announcement of "Liberation for all men" starts out quite odd however, as did a number of events in His life as I continue to study His life among us.
First, His initiation into public ministry came when He was in his hometown of Nazareth. In most common moments such as this, when a person is about to launch out into his/her career, there is a nice "send-off" is in order. A celebration is in order, a recognition of accomplishment, complete with cookies, ice cream, and perhaps the drinking of wine. It gives an opportunity for one to receive congratulations from both family and friends. The beginning a career is officially christened mixed with hope and blessing from friends and family.
Well, this story is a little different...
Luke describes what happened in chapter four, and beginning around verse nine where Luke describes how Jesus had returned to His hometown of Nazareth, recently completing His forty days in the desert and being tempted by the Evil One. Then, a little further down in verse fourteen it reads: "And He was powerful...in the Holy Spirit". In fact, His power had become quite obvious to many and reports of Him and things He was doing for others had quickly spread throughout the entire region.
Now,Jesus was home! He was about to officially launch His career and enter public ministry. In Luke 4:15 it reads: "He had returned and taught regularly at the synagogue; recognized, honored, and praised by everyone."
Wow! What a setting! Everything seemed perfect! Jesus was about to be launched into the ministry! Suddenly things changed. What happened? It didn't go the way one might have thought.
It began to unravel when Jesus, as was His regular custom, had come to the synagogue, and had stood up to read a passage of Scripture. This particular passage was from the book of the prophet Isaiah, and Jesus read: " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach the Good News to the poor, He has sent me to announce release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free and deliver all those who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamities, and to proclaim this is the time of the Lord's favor. This the year the Lord has chosen."
After reading this passage of Sacred Scripture, Jesus rolled up the scroll, kissed it, and handed it to the attendant, just as custom of the day dictated. So far so good, a typical Jewish service in that day and culture.
With all eyes upon Him in the synagogue that day, Jesus continues as was the custom to render the meaning of what He had read from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus announces in an almost "valedictorian style" to all present, as Luke describes this moment in chapter four, with Jesus proclaiming " These Scriptures you have just heard (today), this passage I have just read aloud to you, has just been fulfilled...this very day...right in the presence of each one of you!"
Okay, Jesus drops a real bombshell in His explanation. He just announced that not only is He to enter the public domain as a minister,but He himself is the very One Isaiah had written about!
In Luke 4:22 it reads: " everyone spoke well of Him and had marveled at the words of Grace He had spoke, and now the congregation is stunned. They contemplated His words and thought, "Wait a minute, isn't this Joseph's son, and have we not known Him since He was a small child?"
But this story is far from over, it was just getting warmed up! Jesus seems to become verbally aggressive toward those in the synagogue. In the following verses in Luke 4: 23-27 He states: "You are now going to tell me, Why Doctor, why don't You heal thyself?" He was referring to all the healings and miracles He had performed in Capernaum, yet had not done such things in Nazareth. The people in the synagogue that morning then challenged Him in return saying: " Why don't You do these type of things in Your very hometown, right here in Nazareth!" Jesus then answers their question with these words" Allow Me to let you in on something, no prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown!" Jesus gave a couple of illustrations with Elijah and Elisha( two favorites of the Jewish people) to support His train of thought.
Now it appears the party is over. Jesus launched Himself into ministry alright....
Luke then describes how the people of the synagogue became furious, seething with anger. They went into a rage! They stood up, physically pushed and drove Jesus out of the Temple, out of the village of Nazareth, and continued to push Him to the top of an edge of a tall hill. Their intention was to push Him over a cliff!
Luke 4:30 is one of those verses of Scripture that require me to do a "double-check, Aaron Rodgers style." Luke describes what happened at this moment as Jesus stood at the top of this cliff. Luke writes: "But He passed through the crowd and went on His way."
That's it! This was the beginning of Jesus entering public ministry.
Okay, am I missing something here? I have a few questions lurking in my mind. Why did "Mr. Nice Guy"Jesus seem to go off on these people in a seemingly sudden matter? Did He know something about His friends and relatives that I didn't pick up on?
And the "passing through the crowd thing? What?, or should I say Whaaaaaaat?
Jesus. He is quite different in His approach to life at times. Maybe that's why I like Him so much. He is so unpredictable. I will have to look more into this!
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