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Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country.
And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the acceptable year of theLord.”
And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.’” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away.
Some thirty years have passed since our previous reading (Luke 2:22-38). Jesus has left Nazareth, his hometown, and has begun to teach in nearby towns. Now he returns to Nazareth to deliver an especially important homily.
Jesus’ homily unfolds the meaning of a passage from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah, with his declaration that “the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me” (61:1), spoke of some future person who was going to fulfill God’s purposes—an agent of God who would release those in slavery, bring liberty to the oppressed, and give sight to the blind. Jesus’ homily on this passage is short. “Today,” he says, “this scripture has been fulfilled” (Luke 4:21). Jesus declares himself to be the agent of God’s purposes whom Isaiah foretold.
What kind of release does Jesus bring? Quite simply, he brings release from everything that binds, enslaves, and oppresses human beings—from indebtedness and poverty, from political and economic oppression, from physical afflictions, from our sins, even from death.
Jesus begins to accomplish this liberation and healing even as the people of Nazareth sit and listen (“fulfilled in your hearing,” Luke 4:21). Through his presence, he makes forgiveness and reconciliation with God available to his listeners. And his words have divine power: those who respond to his teaching will be transformed into men and women of peace, justice, and love—even of enemies. By the Spirit, they will work for liberation, justice, and healing, so that the world might become a place for the flourishing of human lives. Ultimately, Jesus will bring the present age to an end and inaugurate the age to come. Then, in God’s kingdom in its fullness, he will give us total peace in God’s presence forever.
Jesus affirms that the Spirit is empowering him to carry out this vast work. Here we meet a profound mystery: the relationship of Jesus and the Spirit. Jesus is the Son of God, and so the Spirit, who is the power and presence of God, is with him in an utterly unique way. Jesus once declared that he and the Father are one (see John 10:30). It is equally true that Jesus and the Spirit are one. To see Jesus at work is to witness the Spirit in action; to receive Jesus’ teaching is to be nourished by the wisdom of the Spirit.
The people in Nazareth do not understand all of this. What they do understand, however, pleases them. They are politically and economically oppressed and are happy to hear that Jesus is bringing liberation. They have heard about his miraculous healings and welcome such healing power. Their question—”Is not this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22)—seems an expression not of incredulity but of approval. “How wonderful that our own Jesus, son of Joseph, is going to do this!”
Jesus had lived his whole life in Nazareth. So the Nazarenes look forward to Jesus using his newly revealed powers on their behalf. Perhaps they picture him as their town healer—a miracle-working magician providing healings for pay. There were such people in first-century Palestine (see Acts 8:9-24).
Jesus discerns their line of thought. He is saying, “I know you’re going to quote the proverb ‘Physician, heal yourself.’” The “self” the people have in mind is not Jesus (he is not sick) but themselves. As his family and townspeople, they regard themselves as part of him—a normal attitude in a family- and clan-based society. On this basis, they expect to be the main recipients of his healing gifts.
But Jesus has no intention of settling down in Nazareth again. He has left Nazareth for good in order to launch his mission. He foresees that as soon as he makes his intentions clear, his relatives and neighbors will swing around from approval to rejection. So he quotes this proverb: “No prophet is acceptable in his own country” (Luke 4:24).
Jesus communicates his intention for his ministry by referring to two Old Testament prophets, Elijah and Elisha. They didn’t concentrate their God-given powers solely on fellow Israelites but worked life-giving miracles for pagans from Phoenicia and Syria. Similarly, Jesus implies, he has not come simply to care for “himself,” that is, for his own relatives and neighbors and other fellow Jews. He has come to bring God’s saving love to everyone (see Acts 1:8).
Sure enough, as soon as Jesus makes the breadth of his mission clear, his fellow townspeople turn against him. They are angered by the idea that God would not put them at the top of his list of beneficiaries. They see themselves as poor, captive, sick, and oppressed, and expect that if God is going to care for such people, they should be the first in line. “Forget all the poor, captive, blind, and oppressed Phoenicians, Syrians, and others! We are the people whom God favors!”
By his homily, Jesus in effect invites his townspeople to support his mission to the world. But they reject the invitation—and him.
For us, the incident carries important messages.
The action of the Spirit, which Jesus initiates, is one of release and restoration. The Spirit brings freedom to all who are enslaved. There is no sinful distortion of our true selves from which the Spirit will not free us and heal us.
Yet the thrust of the Spirit’s action is not only toward us; it is toward the world. The Spirit does not come to fulfill my expectations for myself, my ideas of what my life should be. He gives me the opportunity to cooperate with his plans, his ideas of what I should be doing. This involves sharing in what the Spirit is doing for others. As long as I think that my life is mainly about me, the invitations of the Spirit will fall on my deaf ears—or even draw from me an angry rejection. Such self-centeredness is the primary oppression from which the Spirit comes to free us.