Sermon Notes for January 28, 2007
January 28, 2007
Luke 4: 21-30, Luke 19:1-10 (children’s puppet show – Zacchaeus)
“Doctor, Cure Yourself”
1. Last week we read from Luke 4: 14-21 about how Jesus returned to his native village of Nazareth and went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath and read from Isaiah about how he had been sent to proclaim good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, release to the captives and set free the captives and announce that the Day of Lord was at hand.
Today’s reading picks up on the response to Jesus’ words on the part of the congregation and on Jesus response to their response. For it was the very first time that Jesus had been back in his village after beginning his ministry. No doubt this was a big deal because, prior to this, the people who had seen him grow up had no idea that he was going to be anything else than a carpenter – a common person like themselves. So, they were curious and skeptical and amazed at what they had heard about him (for word had traveled around the area).
In Mathew, Chapter 13 it describes it likes this:
54Coming to his hometown, Jesus began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57And they took offense at him.
2. The closest I can get to understanding this situation is to remember how back at the time I was the seminary I went back to my home town and how some people responded at first. Now of course, I was not known to have been particularly religious nor did my parents attend church very much. So, there was no expectation on anyone’s part that I was, of all people, destined for the ministry.
I especially remember going into the local pharmacy known as Dick’s Drug Store and having Dick the druggist, who I knew very well and who was a prominent member of the church we sometimes attended, stare at me with the strangest of looks – as if he were seeing a ghost or something!
What was happening? – He must have wondered. Something so out of the ordinary. Was it a sign from God – perhaps?
Something out of the ordinary, something unexpected, the work of the Holy Spirit, a mystery, a revelation, an epiphany – what was it. I am not sure that I understood it myself. But there I was standing there in the middle of the drugstore – the same flesh and blood as before – but somehow transformed by something invisible and unexplainable – or so it seemed.
Had it not been for my mothers illness I most likely would have gone to church – but I didn’t. If I had, that might have been quite a scene.
So, I suppose, that is how the people, reacted with amazement, skepticism, and even disbelief to Jesus arrival in Nazareth … only much more so, of course.
3. Now it is really not clear what kind of training Jesus received prior to his ministry. One commentator has this to say:
By the time Jesus began his public ministry, he had not only received the thorough religious training typical of the average Jewish man of his day, he had probably spent years studying with one of the outstanding rabbis in the Galilee. Jesus thus appeared on the scene as a respected rabbi himself. He was recognized as such by his contemporaries, as certain passages in the New Testament illustrate like the following:
•A lawyer asked him a question to test him: "Rabbi, what is the greatest commandment in the Torah?" (Matthew 22:35-36)
•And behold, a [rich] man came up to him and said, "Rabbi, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16)
•And someone in the crowd said to him, "Rabbi, order my brother to divide the inheritance with me." (Luke 12:13)
On the other hand, many other scholars think that Jesus was more than likely self taught and that the term rabbi could have been used rather loosely for anyone who was a spiritual leader. We just don’t know for sure.
4. Whatever the case, whereas things seemed to start out on a positive note as Jesus proclaimed the good news – they soon took on a darker more confrontive tone.
Mathew and Mark do not go into much detail – all they say is that:
the crowd took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
But Luke goes into more detail as he tell how Jesus quotes the proverb “Doctor, heal yourself.” No doubt, Luke, who was a physician himself, would have remembered this saying more than the others.
Luke also describes Jesus telling the story of how God did not always favor the Jews … but, as in the story of Naaman the leper, Elisha the prophet cleanses a gentile while neglecting his own people.
At this point, the people became enraged and, according to Luke, they “were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
This should give us some idea about how volatile religious matters were in Jesus’ day.
5. Some commentators are not clear whether the crowd in the synagogue provoked Jesus or whether Jesus provoked the crowds. Most likely, I think it was probably a little of both, perhaps.
Why was this? It is hard to tell for sure, but religion is a powerful thing in people’s lives – sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for bad.
For some people religion is a private matter. For others it is a social function where they feel connected to friends and it is like a club. For others it is a psychological buffer which stands between themselves and the stresses of life. Some see religion as standing for high moral values and teachings. Others think the church should help the needy and the oppressed and help make our society a better place to live.
But the ultimate reason for religion is to promote our faith – our relationship with God. Which is what Jesus message was all about. No doubt, then, Jesus words was more than a little upsetting to the people in this little village. For he had challenged their little world and was calling them to look beyond their narrow prejudices.
6. The phrase, Doctor, Heal Thyself – has several possible meanings.
The most common one being that we should: Attend to our own faults, in preference to pointing out the faults of others.
In other words: Mind your own business!
But other scholars, in part because of what is said in Mark and Mathew, suspect that what the people wanted was for Jesus to perform a miracle of healing. And that only if he did that, would they believe. This is what it means when they tell Jesus to “do here also in your hometown what you did in Capernaum.”
In other words, “PUT ON SHOW FOR US.”
And probably that alone (as much as their skepticism) is what got Jesus upset. For here it is that he returns to his home village and all they want is a spectacle. In short there is no sincerity here. There is no acceptance … and so Jesus tells them … “God doesn’t always do miracles just because you want or expect them … and for an example – Jesus told them how, in 1st Kings, during a great famine God did not heal anyone in the land of Israel but instead sent Elijah to a widow in Sidon and he healed her son, instead. Point well taken. In other words, God doesn’t necessarily jump at our command just because we want him too. And, so, Jesus was saying to the Nazarenes, “I am not going to jump at your command! – either.”
7. In other words, Jesus saw through their narrow minded attitudes and once he had spoken as he did, they saw that he could see through them and so they reacted angrily.
Now, it was no doubt very disturbing scene. And we must wonder about Jesus to, provoking the crowd the way he did. In a way, a very human Jesus perhaps. Not at all the serene and passive Jesus we see in some pietistic paintings. Not exactly a Jesus, either, who merely conforms to our expectations and desires.
And yet Jesus could be very compassionate and understanding and go out of his way to help those who really needed help -- as our other story today reveals. For Jesus would go into the home of the despised Zacchaeus and the despised tax collector would come out a changed man. A miracle, too, for sure. A miracle not of physical healing but a miracle just the same – a miracle of the heart.
But, we must realize that while Zacchaeus was an angry and abusive man at first, he was also an unhappy man as well – and he knew it. For Zacchaeus, despite his faults, was an honest man – at least about his own condition. And he did not hide his despair -- for no amount of money could take away the fact that he was lonely and had no friends. And it was this honesty, not his religiosity or the lack of it, that made all the difference. For it was clear to Jesus that anyone who would climb up in a tree just to see him – was sincere in his desire to change.
8. And this is just another example of the unusual and uncanny ability which Jesus demonstrates over and over again … the ability to see past the surface and discern the inner spiritual affairs of people. Whether it is the Nazarenes whose hearts are clearly not in the right place on the one hand, or Zacchaeus who despite his outwardly appearance as a curmudgeon – deeply desired help on the other – Jesus seldom misses the mark.
No, the Nazarenes did not fool Jesus. And, on the other hand, neither did Zacchaeus – for Jesus looked through the gruff exterior and saw a soul that was hurting and willing to change – given the right chance. And the crowd, again, was amazed that of all the people there that day … Jesus chose Zacchaeus – the despised tax collector whom no one would have anything to do with … and how amazed they must have been when Zacchaeus became a changed man. And how must have this and other stories about Rabbi Jesus must have spread around the countryside.
So, if there is any wisdom to be gained this morning from these two stories it is that you can’t fool Jesus … or God. Sort of like the famous words of Abraham Lincoln: “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”
Let us pray ….
Luke 4: 21-30, Luke 19:1-10 (children’s puppet show – Zacchaeus)
“Doctor, Cure Yourself”
1. Last week we read from Luke 4: 14-21 about how Jesus returned to his native village of Nazareth and went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath and read from Isaiah about how he had been sent to proclaim good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, release to the captives and set free the captives and announce that the Day of Lord was at hand.
Today’s reading picks up on the response to Jesus’ words on the part of the congregation and on Jesus response to their response. For it was the very first time that Jesus had been back in his village after beginning his ministry. No doubt this was a big deal because, prior to this, the people who had seen him grow up had no idea that he was going to be anything else than a carpenter – a common person like themselves. So, they were curious and skeptical and amazed at what they had heard about him (for word had traveled around the area).
In Mathew, Chapter 13 it describes it likes this:
54Coming to his hometown, Jesus began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57And they took offense at him.
2. The closest I can get to understanding this situation is to remember how back at the time I was the seminary I went back to my home town and how some people responded at first. Now of course, I was not known to have been particularly religious nor did my parents attend church very much. So, there was no expectation on anyone’s part that I was, of all people, destined for the ministry.
I especially remember going into the local pharmacy known as Dick’s Drug Store and having Dick the druggist, who I knew very well and who was a prominent member of the church we sometimes attended, stare at me with the strangest of looks – as if he were seeing a ghost or something!
What was happening? – He must have wondered. Something so out of the ordinary. Was it a sign from God – perhaps?
Something out of the ordinary, something unexpected, the work of the Holy Spirit, a mystery, a revelation, an epiphany – what was it. I am not sure that I understood it myself. But there I was standing there in the middle of the drugstore – the same flesh and blood as before – but somehow transformed by something invisible and unexplainable – or so it seemed.
Had it not been for my mothers illness I most likely would have gone to church – but I didn’t. If I had, that might have been quite a scene.
So, I suppose, that is how the people, reacted with amazement, skepticism, and even disbelief to Jesus arrival in Nazareth … only much more so, of course.
3. Now it is really not clear what kind of training Jesus received prior to his ministry. One commentator has this to say:
By the time Jesus began his public ministry, he had not only received the thorough religious training typical of the average Jewish man of his day, he had probably spent years studying with one of the outstanding rabbis in the Galilee. Jesus thus appeared on the scene as a respected rabbi himself. He was recognized as such by his contemporaries, as certain passages in the New Testament illustrate like the following:
•A lawyer asked him a question to test him: "Rabbi, what is the greatest commandment in the Torah?" (Matthew 22:35-36)
•And behold, a [rich] man came up to him and said, "Rabbi, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16)
•And someone in the crowd said to him, "Rabbi, order my brother to divide the inheritance with me." (Luke 12:13)
On the other hand, many other scholars think that Jesus was more than likely self taught and that the term rabbi could have been used rather loosely for anyone who was a spiritual leader. We just don’t know for sure.
4. Whatever the case, whereas things seemed to start out on a positive note as Jesus proclaimed the good news – they soon took on a darker more confrontive tone.
Mathew and Mark do not go into much detail – all they say is that:
the crowd took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
But Luke goes into more detail as he tell how Jesus quotes the proverb “Doctor, heal yourself.” No doubt, Luke, who was a physician himself, would have remembered this saying more than the others.
Luke also describes Jesus telling the story of how God did not always favor the Jews … but, as in the story of Naaman the leper, Elisha the prophet cleanses a gentile while neglecting his own people.
At this point, the people became enraged and, according to Luke, they “were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
This should give us some idea about how volatile religious matters were in Jesus’ day.
5. Some commentators are not clear whether the crowd in the synagogue provoked Jesus or whether Jesus provoked the crowds. Most likely, I think it was probably a little of both, perhaps.
Why was this? It is hard to tell for sure, but religion is a powerful thing in people’s lives – sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for bad.
For some people religion is a private matter. For others it is a social function where they feel connected to friends and it is like a club. For others it is a psychological buffer which stands between themselves and the stresses of life. Some see religion as standing for high moral values and teachings. Others think the church should help the needy and the oppressed and help make our society a better place to live.
But the ultimate reason for religion is to promote our faith – our relationship with God. Which is what Jesus message was all about. No doubt, then, Jesus words was more than a little upsetting to the people in this little village. For he had challenged their little world and was calling them to look beyond their narrow prejudices.
6. The phrase, Doctor, Heal Thyself – has several possible meanings.
The most common one being that we should: Attend to our own faults, in preference to pointing out the faults of others.
In other words: Mind your own business!
But other scholars, in part because of what is said in Mark and Mathew, suspect that what the people wanted was for Jesus to perform a miracle of healing. And that only if he did that, would they believe. This is what it means when they tell Jesus to “do here also in your hometown what you did in Capernaum.”
In other words, “PUT ON SHOW FOR US.”
And probably that alone (as much as their skepticism) is what got Jesus upset. For here it is that he returns to his home village and all they want is a spectacle. In short there is no sincerity here. There is no acceptance … and so Jesus tells them … “God doesn’t always do miracles just because you want or expect them … and for an example – Jesus told them how, in 1st Kings, during a great famine God did not heal anyone in the land of Israel but instead sent Elijah to a widow in Sidon and he healed her son, instead. Point well taken. In other words, God doesn’t necessarily jump at our command just because we want him too. And, so, Jesus was saying to the Nazarenes, “I am not going to jump at your command! – either.”
7. In other words, Jesus saw through their narrow minded attitudes and once he had spoken as he did, they saw that he could see through them and so they reacted angrily.
Now, it was no doubt very disturbing scene. And we must wonder about Jesus to, provoking the crowd the way he did. In a way, a very human Jesus perhaps. Not at all the serene and passive Jesus we see in some pietistic paintings. Not exactly a Jesus, either, who merely conforms to our expectations and desires.
And yet Jesus could be very compassionate and understanding and go out of his way to help those who really needed help -- as our other story today reveals. For Jesus would go into the home of the despised Zacchaeus and the despised tax collector would come out a changed man. A miracle, too, for sure. A miracle not of physical healing but a miracle just the same – a miracle of the heart.
But, we must realize that while Zacchaeus was an angry and abusive man at first, he was also an unhappy man as well – and he knew it. For Zacchaeus, despite his faults, was an honest man – at least about his own condition. And he did not hide his despair -- for no amount of money could take away the fact that he was lonely and had no friends. And it was this honesty, not his religiosity or the lack of it, that made all the difference. For it was clear to Jesus that anyone who would climb up in a tree just to see him – was sincere in his desire to change.
8. And this is just another example of the unusual and uncanny ability which Jesus demonstrates over and over again … the ability to see past the surface and discern the inner spiritual affairs of people. Whether it is the Nazarenes whose hearts are clearly not in the right place on the one hand, or Zacchaeus who despite his outwardly appearance as a curmudgeon – deeply desired help on the other – Jesus seldom misses the mark.
No, the Nazarenes did not fool Jesus. And, on the other hand, neither did Zacchaeus – for Jesus looked through the gruff exterior and saw a soul that was hurting and willing to change – given the right chance. And the crowd, again, was amazed that of all the people there that day … Jesus chose Zacchaeus – the despised tax collector whom no one would have anything to do with … and how amazed they must have been when Zacchaeus became a changed man. And how must have this and other stories about Rabbi Jesus must have spread around the countryside.
So, if there is any wisdom to be gained this morning from these two stories it is that you can’t fool Jesus … or God. Sort of like the famous words of Abraham Lincoln: “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”
Let us pray ….
posted by Anonymous at 12:10 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home