Spirit Filled Homecoming Luke 4:14-21 January 24, 2016 Dr. John E. Morgan

“Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit returned to Galilee.” Whenever a passage starts with “then” it’s helpful to see what just happened. Where did Jesus return to Galilee from? He just returned from the wilderness where he was tempted for 40 days. After an ordeal like that you would imagine Jesus would be empty, not filled. We might think he must be exhausted, spent, burned out – but Luke tells us he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and he commenced his traveling ministry through the countryside of Galilee. Amazing. Although, I can relate to the energized feeling that comes after a strenuous victory. He must have felt ready, he had passed the most extreme of testing and defeated the tempter. It was his training for the pressures of his ministry and he was ready. Luke more than the other gospels points out that Jesus’ ministry was Spirit filled. More than 12 times we hear from Luke that Jesus or the disciples were “in the power of the Spirit.” Luke tells us it was the Holy Spirit that came to Mary and brought her the miraculous pregnancy. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John, “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like dove.” (3:22) Following his baptism he was “full of the Holy Spirit…and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness where for forty days he was tempted.” (4:1-2) “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit returned to Galilee.” When Jesus reads the passage from the scroll of Isaiah he will announce, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” The Spirit leads him where he will go in his ministry, into the wilderness to Galilee and finally to Jerusalem where he will face the cross, the tomb and resurrection. The Spirit supported him in the wilderness as he faced the temptation. The Spirit went with him to Galilee and was upon him as he preached in the synagogue and read the words of Isaiah. It’s also good to remember that in Acts of the Apostles, the risen Lord told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem “where you will receive power when the Spirit comes upon you.” As he traveled through Galilee he made many stops in the synagogues. Each time he entered a town he would seek out the worshipping community and teach them. He started his ministry as a preacher, explaining the word of God. It’s remarkable, Luke tells us, that his preaching was praised by everyone! That is amazing to any preacher. Children are the most honest. "A group of 9-and 10-year-olds attended worship one Sunday morning and then each wrote a letter to the minister reflecting on the experience." Here are a few samples of their letters: Dear Reverend, I liked your sermon Sunday. Especially when it was finished. --Ralph, 10. Dear Reverend, I like to go to church on Sunday because I don't have any choice. --Margaret, 10. Dear Reverend, Thank you for your sermon Sunday. I will write more when my mother explains to me what you said. --Justin, 9. Dear Reverend, I think more people would come to church if you would move it to Disneyland. Loreen, 9. Another reason Jesus got such good reviews, some scholars say, is that he saved this challenging message for his hometown Nazareth. He was brought up in Nazareth, but we can assume he had been gone for a while. Because the word of his great preaching probably preceded him, the people of Nazareth must have been excited to see him arrive in their synagogue to preach. I wonder if this was the same synagogue where he worshipped growing up. Were there people there who remembered teaching him Hebrew in synagogue school? Did he amaze them when he was studying the Torah with the elders? Was this the place where he worshipped with his family, learning the Psalms and the prayers of his faith? It’s not surprising that they invited him to read from the scrolls that day and handed him the passage from Isaiah. Luke describes this scene with great detail. He went to the synagogue. He stood up to read. The scroll of Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll. And found the place where he wanted to read. He read, “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 he rolled up the scroll. Gave it back to the attendant. And sat down. All the eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. I wonder how long he sat there before he spoke? Was the room filled with anticipation? Did he look them in the eyes or did he look down at the floor? They waited for him to speak. Here at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus claimed these words for himself. We can see that this prophecy from Isaiah became a purpose statement for Jesus’ ministry. Many understand this passage as Jesus setting the agenda for his ministry. This is where the Spirit will lead him and this is what the Spirit will do with him. Let’s unpack this some. We already noted that Jesus is saying that the Spirit of the Lord is with him. Luke has been telling us all along, but here he announces it to the synagogue. He says the Lord has “anointed me.” You Greek scholars recognize that the title “Messiah” or “Christ” literally means “the anointed one.” Without directly stating it Jesus leads them to see he is the Messiah, but his anointing is not to be king, but it is to bring good news. First he brings good news to the poor. Robert Tannehill in his commentary on Luke/Acts writes, : “Poor may also have a metaphoric range. However, it has first of all a concrete application to people without economic resources, for these people receive special attention elsewhere in Luke. The description of Jesus’ message as good news to the poor fits into a larger picture, for Jesus is fulfilling the purpose of God who is especially concerned with helping the poor and hungry. The good news is an eschatological promise to the poor, but it is accompanied by an ethical challenge to those with resources, asking them to share now with the poor in order to relieve their situation.” Tannehill goes on to sight the many passages where the poor are lifted up in Luke: Mary’s Magnificat, Jesus’ answer to John the Baptist’s question if he is the Messiah, and of course sermon on the plain in chapter 6 with beatitudes for the poor and hungry. There are more teachings about the poor from Jesus in Luke than any other gospel. It is impossible to spiritualize this teaching about good news to the poor, it must address those who economically oppressed. Jesus proclaims release to the captives. In this context captive means something different than those incarcerated. In the gospel Jesus will bring release to the demon possessed. He seeks release for those who are in bondage to social, political and economic systems, but his action is not to overthrow the Romans, or take over the temple system, rather he calls for a new way of living – kingdom living. Jesus shows the coming kingdom as he heals those who are broken. He himself gives sight to blind and restores the lepers to society by making them clean. When he proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor, it is a reference to the year of Jubilee. In Leviticus 25 the Israelites were told that every 50 years shall be a jubilee year. They were told that in the jubilee year all property was to be returned to its original owner and debts were to be cancelled, wiped out. Indentured servants were to be released and equity shared with all. It was a fresh start for everyone. Shane Claiborne writes, “Jesus knew that the way out of Rome’s grip lay not in appealing to Rome or in trying to overthrow Rome, but in resurrecting Yahweh’s alternative economy right under Caesar’s nose.” (Jesus for President, p.90) Jesus read these challenging words of the prophet. Then he rolled up the scroll. Gave it back to the attendant. And sat down. All the eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. I wonder what they were thinking. Then after a long pause Jesus blew them away saying, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Did they think, “He is the One, our Jesus who grew up in this place is the anointed one, the Messiah?” Did some think that this might be the beginning of a revolution against Rome, a call to arms? Did they feel like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders? Did they hope that this would be true, that this was really good news, that they would be restored, that this was the beginning of the great jubilee? What does this declaration, this mission statement from Jesus mean for us? In Scott Hoezee’s reflection on this passage he says, “We come to worship each week from the brokenness that just is our life in broken creation. We believe the Kingdom of God has come in Christ, but we know full well that there is much that remains broken, incomplete, wounding. But we hold on to that kingdom vision and the peace it gives to us. Because the Lord God anointed Jesus to announce the year of the Lord’s favor. We have hope, we have peace, already now.” (calvinseminaryedu.org) Luke says, at first, all spoke well of him and were amazed at his words. You may have read ahead, or know how the scene ends, but we will have to wait, our eyes fixed on Jesus, until next week for the rest of the story.