Declaration of the Mission

 

Luke 4:14-21 is the Lectionary text for Epiphany III on next Sunday, January 23.

 Luke’s Gospel has Jesus coming back from His temptation, full of “the power of the Spirit,” and going to His hometown.  He went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath and stood to read the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah.

 Jesus stood on the scriptures.  In His temptation, He stood on the scriptures, even debating the devil over them.  Now, Luke’s Jesus returns to the Prophet to explain His Mission in life.

 And His mission is vast.  He is going to usher in Jubilee.  God’s Kingdom is come and God’s will shall be done on earth as in heaven.  He is Messiah, Emmanuel.  And what it means is not what some would think it would mean.

 Some would think that it would mean an end to Rome.  That iteration of empire had run roughshod over the people of God in Galilea and the world.  Here, a bold young man would claim to be Messiah, and surely that would mean a defeat of Rome and a restoration of Israel as a powerful political and economic player on the world stage, whose sovereign was none other than the Almighty God.  If you are going to claim to be Messiah, Jesus, surely it is to restore the nation to its former glories.  That Israel will be on top once again.

 Some would think that it would mean and end to the world as we know it, and the spiritual salvation of a people.  This has nothing to do with politics or economics.  Humans get all caught up in politics and economics, justice and peace.  This has to do with God’s Day of bringing an end to the misery of this world and ushering in a spiritual age in which God is King and everyone recognizes it, or else.  Those who have not been on the side of God will get theirs and those who have kept the piety and practice will be duly rewarded.  The people of God will be on top, finally.

 But Jesus in Luke spells out His vision and mission quite plainly.  He is here, as Messiah, Son of God, to proclaim God’s Kingdom on earth.  He is here to usher in the living of Kingdom Values in Agape Love and Grace.  It will have an impact on every aspect of life in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now.  It will not mean a political shift at first, as hearts and minds need to be transformed first.  It will not mean pervasive economic justice at first, until hearts and minds see the wisdom and necessity of economic justice.  It means that God is on the side of the poor, those wrongly incarcerated and enslaved, those suffering physical ills and those who are held down, back and out from Shalom.  It was a proclamation of the mission of God to let those who are suffering the ill effects of empire, that God is on their side and will give them comfort in God’s presence, power and love.

 It is a declaration to all the people that God values something other than greed, hatred, lust for power and desire for status.  God values the lowest, the least, the beaten down and beaten up, the victimized and abused, the infirm and broken.  God values Shalom for All in Agape Love and Grace.  God sent the Son of God to proclaim God’s allegiance will those who have been most shamefully treated and affected by empire’s evil.

The reaction of Jesus’ hometown crowd is quite telling.  We will cover their reaction on next Sunday.  I find it to be consistent with those who claim to follow Jesus in our nation, today.  That’s all on that for now.

 Jesus’ proclamation and declaration of God’s intention and value, God’s heart, is powerful for us.  Any who claim to follow Jesus must look at this momentous occasion of Jesus’ public mission statement as our own.  It must be our mission.  If we follow Jesus, we must go where Jesus went, do what Jesus did and “have the same mind (and heart) that was in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 2:1-11)   If we still await God’s intention for our lives as followers of Jesus, we have missed this.  If we think that it is purely about putting us on top in the world, finally, we have missed it.  If we believe it is all about taking us up into heaven, we have missed it.  This is about us living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us, as we have that in the Gospel witnesses.  It is about siding with the poor, releasing those imprisoned or enslaved, healing for those with physical illnesses and disabilities and ending oppression by ending the oppressive systems of empire.  It is about changing hearts and minds so that is possible, by living the examples of Jesus.

 We have much work to do.  If followers of Jesus are all about replacing one oppressive system with our own, we are not following Jesus.  If followers of Jesus are all about waiting for God to sort it out and take us to heaven, we are not following Jesus.  There is power in the Good News of Jesus.  We are called to share the powerful Word of Agape Love and Grace to change hearts and minds so that ALL may have Shalom in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now.  Proclaim that Good News.  Live it.  Show people a different and better way – Jesus’ Way of being in the world.  THAT is our mission.  It is not just talking the talk, but walking the walk of Jesus, even to the Cross for the sake of the Kingdom and God’s children in it. 

 Jesus boldly declared His mission before a hometown crowd that did not exactly, immediately get on board.  We will face such crowds in our nation today if we proclaim Jesus’ Good News and value the poor, imprisoned, sick and oppressed.  We will be called all manner of things other than faithful.  But to be faithful to God is to be faithful the one sent by God to usher in Kingdom values and change hearts and minds to live in alignment with them, thus transforming the world.  To be followers of Jesus, we must follow Jesus where He went and in what He did and said in this part of God’s Kingdom.  That is faithfulness to God.  Jesus’ Mission is Our Mission, or we are not followers of Jesus. 

 Pastor Jamie