Luke 4:14-21
Luke brings us into different spaces than any other gospel. Most often it has us grapple with who are the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed. Today isn't any different. Jesus goes to his hometown to tell them about the fulfilling of Isaiah's promised year of Jubilee.
It is no wonder that this is hard for them to accept. They are captive, under the rule of Rome. They feel as though it is their due to receive something wonderful. Yet isn't this the point. When times are hard and difficult we forget others. We fall into the trap of only seeing it in relation to us. They missed an important part of this promise.
Jubilee needs to be done even when times are hard. It brings our vision to something bigger than ourselves. The year of Jubilee proclaimed release to the captives, a restoration of lands which were taken for debt, a way back from all which had been taken away. In following this Israel was, or would have been, different from any other ancient society. Now one else gave freedom to their slaves, no one else returned land which had been taken to pay off debts. This marked the way in which they had been granted freedom from Egypt.
So doing release into a place where Rome ruled, and kept them as slaves to them because they were conquered by them would've been countercultural to their standards. Now the other part.
When we are focused on others what happens to all the petty squabbling about who is right or wrong. Don't we end up being changed from it? Also, we end up refocusing our view and this, in essence, frees us from having the narrow view of only ourselves, our family, our own people. With this freedom we can truly focus on what God intends for us in the way and life of Jesus Christ.
We just finished a year of Mark. People say that the Gospel of Mark is a beginning discipleship guide. Luke's gospel builds on this. Redirecting our attention from healing and not getting Jesus to following Jesus into the places we think are less attractive and less important.
We will have unique stories in Luke which happen in no other gospel account. They relate back to this beginning. Where will your focus be?
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