Luke 4 - Good News to the Poor

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0:13 The rest of us, we're going to finish up this little series we've been doing on these four core values where we did these values for our little network, adventurous, collaborative, focused and sincere. I like those words, adventurous, collaborative, focused and sincere. That's been fun for me to kind of pull out. I feel like it matches each of the places in this little network that we have in a different way. Last several months I've been spending more time in these different places in addition

0:47 to here. And this last week, each of the churches, the congregations are focusing on what makes them unique. And one of the things I've learned in spending my time in these other places is I really like this place. I really like you all. Yeah, thank you. So it's good to be back here and it's also good to realize what we enjoy about each other and what we enjoy about what we are a part of here.

1:18 And I was kind of trying to think about a text for that and I landed on this text in Luke chapter 4. If you want to look there, it starts at verse 14 and goes through 30. In this section of Luke Jesus has just come out of the temptation in the desert. You remember that he gets baptized by John the Baptist.

1:49 John the Baptist is reluctant to baptize him but then at the baptism, God recognizes him and the Spirit comes down and marks him out and says, this is my son whom I love, listen to him. And then he goes into the ministry and in chapter 4 he's just starting this ministry but it sounds like Luke didn't give us the whole portion because he says that he has a pattern that he just references. So if you look at verse 14 of chapter 4 of Luke it says, and Jesus returned, this is

2:24 returned from the fast in the desert and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee and a report about him went through all the surrounding country and he taught in the synagogue being glorified by all. And when he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read.

2:55 So the first thing that I like about this that's really kind of interesting to me is like we don't get a lot of the stories of that right at the beginning but Jesus, he waited longer than normally you would if you were going to be a rabbi. The fact that he learned carpentry stuff from Joseph before he went and started his ministry means he was kind of older by the time he took it over. So maybe he just like skipped that disciple phase where he would have been learning from

3:26 some other rabbi and went straight to the rabbi thing but what I like is that I don't know what recollection at this point he has of pre-incarnate existence. But like a lot has been leading up to Jesus starting his ministry. And if you think in John 1-1 it says like in the beginning was the word and the word was God and the word was with God and nothing was made except what's made through him. So like that the word of God that takes up residence or embodies or incarnates in Jesus

4:00 of Nazareth has been around since the very beginning watching all the things. So when we think about the burning bush or the pillar of cloud or fire or the angel of the Lord with Joshua and we think about the word of God involved in the story of Scripture that by the time he gets to the baptism there at the Jordan River there's been a long build up to that is all I'm saying. And so that when God speaks from heaven so that people can hear and the Spirit of God descends in the form of a dove that is the kind of grandiosity that we would expect with

4:34 the start of this kind of ministry. Now that's kind of a big deal and even that's a little bit smaller. It's not happening in Rome where all the streets lead to the center. You know it's happening on the wrong side of the desert in an occupied country but still you get the voice of God and then after he gets that he goes by himself into the desert for 40 days and then Luke says he goes to visit synagogues on the outside of town as was his custom you know. And I'm just kind of like he's building the reign of God on earth that is the source of

5:13 all life and goodness and will endure amongst death and evil for all time and the way that he kicks it off is he walks around and goes and talks to the synagogues. You know the synagogues in Galilee there and in Israel around like kind of in concentric circles emanating out from Jerusalem had some strict guidelines that they had to operate according to. You needed a synagogue in order to because you couldn't always make it to the temple for

5:46 your worship that was too far. So the synagogue you couldn't offer sacrifices but it was kind of the center of the community and you needed a certain number of families in order to make a synagogue and then when it got to a certain size you would start another one and they would be pretty ordered and structured in the way that they operated and still sometimes orthogogs or synagogues are this way where where you sit matters. So like the story that we were referencing to the kids today about like the wedding feast that's a mirror of their synagogue so you sit closer if you're more significant and more

6:20 important and further back if you're less significant and less important and often the significance and importance is tied to the dollars that you have and give. And so it's a very structured system and what I'm saying is like not big or grandiose and fraught and Jesus starts his ministry there with messages that no one even writes down. I guess I'm saying like Jesus found little weekly worship worth it.

7:03 That's what I'm saying. And he had a lot going on. Jesus was a very important person with a lot going on and he found weekly worship important. I guess is what I'm saying. And I like that about us. We have a lot going on and we're very important people and we find ourselves here because it doesn't look always like God speaking from the sky and dubs falling on our shoulders

7:39 but like important things happen in this space. And Jesus evidences that by starting his ministry in little synagogues outside with messages no one remembers. But this one someone remembers so let's go on. And so he stood up to read and the way they would go is they would, you know, they had if they had scriptures in these synagogues they were on scrolls which are not a very convenient way to read things especially if you have all of Isaiah which is a pretty long book on

8:12 a roll and in order to read it you have to unroll one and roll the other back like this. And so what would happen is when they go they would have if there was a speaker like Jesus is going around there's like itinerant rabbi someone would put him up in the house and he would stay there for a period of time until he went somewhere else. When he goes to the synagogue they just pull down the scroll they're reading and give them the section that they have and open it up and read it. So it's not like he would get to really pick very often unless he's going for memory

8:44 but if they're going to read it they're going to read where they are and next week they'll pick up where they left off, you know. And so he stands up and the scroll the prophet Isaiah was given to him and he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has appointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

9:19 He's quoting from Isaiah and Isaiah in this passage in Isaiah chapter 61 has been spending a fair amount of time in Isaiah's time telling Israel they're going to be wiped out, that they have abandoned their call of God and so God is going to remove them from their seat of treasured possession for a period of time so that no one will confuse him with them basically. He's like you guys are sullying my reputation around the world. I don't want anybody thinking I'm connected to you.

9:50 We got to wipe this situation out. And Isaiah's been telling them that and then in Isaiah 61 he flips and then he says, oh God has anointed me to preach good news to the poor and release to the captives and sight recovery of sight to the blind. So Isaiah's going, God's judgment on Israel won't last forever. He's saying I'm telling him God will come through in the end. And this is the passage that Jesus reads and they handed to him and he reads it out loud

10:20 and then he says and he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down and the eyes of all who in the synagogue were fixed on him. He sat down not like as a mic drop or I'm done but what would happen is they would stand to read, the teacher would stand to read and then when they're getting ready to teach they would sit back down. This is why I have a stool. Jesus gets to sit so do I. They would sit back down and then they would teach from the sitting position.

10:51 And so then he began to say to them today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Now that's all that they give us of the teaching but he says and he went and all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that they were hearing coming from his mouth. So Jesus taught a little bit more but the punch line that Luke preserves for us and passes down is that this prophecy from Isaiah Jesus said is fulfilled in your hearing today.

11:22 He's saying that what Isaiah said was coming is coming in him which is pretty cool especially because that Jesus says the spirit of the Lord is on me is anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. This is one thing that I have struggled with at different times in my life because he says he is anointed me to preach good news to the poor and I don't want to be poor.

11:57 So I've struggled with this at different times in my life because so often Jesus is like I came for those folks and I'm like am I those folks? I don't want to be those folks but I also would like to be the person for whom Jesus came so it's like a tricky spot to be in you know. So I did a little bit of work trying to figure out just a little bit of work. Don't give me too much credit. A little bit of work trying to figure out what it means when

12:30 it says proclaim good news to the poor and in the little bit of work that I did most people just take for granted that you know what good news to the poor means which is not very helpful because I want a deeper meaning than what it says on the surface. And what I did like is what I read for our call to worship. If you want to hold your spot there in Luke and look at back at the at the verse in Job, chapter 5.

13:03 This is Job's friend Eliphaz talking to him in Job. Remember Job is going through a bunch of hard stuff and and he's telling him what he should count on God for and how he should count on God which we could talk about whether or not it was a good friend to move for Eliphaz to do but the text holds as its own in terms of a characteristic of God. So in Job chapter 5 starting at verse 8

13:38 he says as for me I would seek God and to God I would commit my cause. He is the one who does great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number. He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields. He sets on high those who are lowly and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their own craftiness and the schemes

14:14 of the wily are brought to an end. They meet with darkness in the daytime and grope at noon day in the night but he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty so the poor have hope and injustice shuts their mouth. I like that because did you catch how the context in which he puts the poor? He talks about the kinds of things God does. Did you see

14:44 it at the beginning of that section? He who does great things, unsearchable marvellous things without number. He gives rain to the earth and sends water on the fields. If you are someone who is waiting for rain and can't manufacture rain you count among the poor. If you are someone who is looking for the food of the fields and cannot manifest your own sustenance out of nothing

15:15 you count as the poor. As a matter of fact he says God has been at work in unsearchable and innumerable ways in order to perpetuate life for you. And so he says the ones who are poor of capacity who are limited and finite they have hope. And so I would encourage you as we are here this morning in the thing that matters though it often doesn't look like it. That you are the

15:49 poor for whom Jesus has come to announce good news. And then you know in the same way liberty to the captives that's a little bit easier for me to understand because I know that I'm captive to my own addictions inadequacies, patterns of thinking and I know that Jesus will liberate me from those places and the recovery of sight to the blind and liberty to those who are oppressed

16:20 and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Now when Jesus announces this in his hometown they really like it. Oh great that's great right? So they're like today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing verse 22 and all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And then they said is this not, wait a minute, is this not Joseph's son?

16:53 And he said to them doubtless you will quote to me this proper position heal yourself. This is tricky because they really like the idea of good news to the poor recovery of sight to the blind and the lame dead but then they look at who's telling them that he's bringing them this and they're like wait a minute Jesus would do this? That doesn't sound right. Jesus is not impressive.

17:29 Enough. Jesus doesn't have the capability or ability to do this. I don't think Jesus could do this. Don't we know that Jesus? And of course this is the problem always for people with Jesus. He's like he's the stumbling block, the stone that the builders rejected. He's the one that no one believes in. Isaiah would later say he has no mark that we should distinguish him. He dies like a common criminal forgotten on the outside of town. And so his friends in Nazareth, they like what he says.

18:02 They're like oh we like recovery of sight for the blind and good news to the poor. But then they're like oh Jesus and look at how he responds. Doubtless you will quote to me this proper position heal yourself. We have heard what you did at Capernaum do here among our hometown as well. In Capernaum if you go back and look there is a story in Mark where he spent some time in Capernaum at the beginning of his ministry and he like very dramatically kicks out some demons and heals some people

18:37 when folks don't want him to. And so he's like you want me to demonstrate how cool I am and do it in a way that you expect and are looking for. Do you trust me or not? But then this is where he gets helpful for us this morning. Verse 24 and he said truly I say to you no profit is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth I will tell you there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up three years and six months and a great famine came over all the land

19:12 and Elijah was sent to none of them only to Zarefeth in the land of Sidon to a woman who was a widow. Anybody remember that story the widow of Zarefeth? It's kind of a crazy story. Elijah is like dealing with a very corrupt kingdom and ruler. He demonstrates how powerful God is over bail. They want to kill him. He runs and hides out in a ravine and crows bring him food at the direction of God until that ravine dries up. And then God says go to Zarefeth where I prepared a widow and Zarefeth is in the

19:46 heart of the problem area where all the rulers are that want to kill Elijah. And he's like go there there's a widow who I've instructed to take care of you. And she's the widow at Zarefeth. And so Elijah goes to this widow and he's like hey God said you're supposed to take care of me. She's like I'd love to but I don't have any food. As a matter of fact I'm going to make the last meal for me and my son and then we're going to lay down and die. And Elijah's like hey feed me along with your son and as long as I'm in your house you won't run out of food. This lady is not an Israelite.

20:22 She can tell Elijah's an Israelite. Also he's been living in a ravine on himself fed by crows for a while so he probably doesn't look great. You know what I mean? He's not a very trustworthy dude and she's a widow with one son at the house. This is crazy. She takes him in and makes the last meal for him and her son and her. And she's done and she's got some stuff left. Fantastic. Makes it the next day. Still has stuff

20:58 left and continues to make food for the three of them. Something crazy happens and her son dies and Elijah gets pissed at God. Hey man I'm here and this son dies that's not okay and he goes and prays and the son comes back to life. The story resolves the widow goes on. We never hear about the widow at Zareffeth again. Just this one little thing. It doesn't get brought up in the Bible

21:28 again until Jesus in his hometown quoting from Isaiah looking at the people of Nazareth wanting him to perform in a way that is big and bold and easy to believe instead of trusting and hoping. He's like you remember the widow of Zareffeth they're probably like actually we don't remember the widow at Zareffeth. And then he tells another story. He says in the land of sight into a woman who was a widow and there were many lepers he says in Israel in the time of the prophet Elijah

22:04 and none of them was cleansed but only Naaman the Syrian. Another story. Anybody remember the name in the Syrian. This one we tell the story to our kids a little bit more but he's the captain of an army in an enemy nation who's ready to destroy Israel. Fight with Israel. And he gets leprosy. Now it says leprosy but it was like some kind of skin disease. They have one word for all skin

22:34 disease at that point so something is bothering his skin and he hears that there's a prophet who might be able to heal him in Israel. And so he goes to the king and the king's like I can't help him and Elijah's like I can help him send him over here. So he goes to me with Elijah he's a big time guy. He's like a captain in the army. He comes with a lot of gifts and stuff and he comes at Elijah's house and Elijah doesn't even come out to meet him. This guy has traveled for this famous

23:07 prophet to come and heal him. He's a big deal. He's had letters between kings trying to get him healed so he can continue to run an army that will conquer nations. And he's come to Elijah who lives like in a cave and he stands outside Elijah's house and Elijah won't come out to meet with him. He sends a servant out to talk to him and Elijah says wash yourself in the river seven times and he'll be fine. And the guy's like what? Why would what? Where's the guy? And shouldn't he he actually

23:38 says I thought he would put his hand over me and wave and do some big things and heal me. He actually says that in the story if you go back and read it in second Kings. And he wants me to go wash seven times in their dirty Jordan River. My home country has much better rivers than the Jordan. You know? And he leaves. He's not going to do it. And then he has a servant on the road with him. He's like hey name and he said to for you to just wash seven times and you'd be healed right? The guy was like yeah crazy right? He's like yeah but it seems kind of why don't just try it. I mean why not? What do

24:13 we got to lose here? And the guy's like name and side I mean I guess you're right okay. And he's like cleansed miraculously comes back to Elijah wants to give him all the gifts. Elijah's like I don't need your gifts man go home. And he wants to take earth so that he can always worship God. And name is never mentioned from again in the whole Bible. That story,

24:44 naming was never talked about before that story. He was never talked about after that story until Jesus in the little synagogue in Nazareth is like you guys want something flashy and big. You guys want reassurance. You guys don't have the confidence to put your hope in the God of your fathers who is demonstrating his kindness and good to steal from one generation to the next who has made rainfall from the sky and crops come up out of the ground on your behalf who has been preaching good news to the poor since the beginning. You guys don't have the

25:16 capacity to open them. What about the widow at Zerfess? She wasn't even an Israelite. What about naming? He was a crazy conquering warrior but when God gave them some crazy idea they just tried it. They just went for it. They didn't like it. When they heard these things in all the synagogue were filled with wrath

25:48 and they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their whole town was built so they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their misty went away. They were so angered at the like what were they angered by? They were angered at his like commonness, at the everyday nature of his call? What were they angered about the inclusivity

26:25 about the like the notion that someone beyond them would be invited in? I don't know but when I think about the story of Jesus starting his ministry in his hometown Little Synagogue without pomp and circumstance just walking through and quoting from whatever passage they gave him in Isaiah and saying I would like to be here to pronounce good news to the poor. I would like to respond like the widow or like Naaman and not like the Israelites in Nazareth.

26:58 The widow and Naaman were neither qualified nor equipped. They did not know, they did not prescribe like how the provision of God would look. They were open and hopeful. Think about the widow at Zerfeh, how hopeful to make her last meal and include Elijah.

27:29 I would like to think that this little gathering is a place focused on that little message from Isaiah and Jesus that there is one come whose intent, purpose and activity is to announce good news to us. Freedom from the captives and that announcement on a regular basis,

28:06 I would like to believe it produces hope in us that allows us to move forward looking for expecting his provision in unexpected places like the widow and Naaman. Let's pray that we could be that together. Hey Lord thank you for this little congregation that is yours, the cross Orlando. Teach us how to faithfully receive your message on a regular basis and might that message take root

28:37 in us and produce in us the kind of faith though we are unqualified recipients that it would produce in us the kind of faith that responds gratefully and receives good things from you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.