When Jesus Went Home, Pt. 2
This Sunday: Luke 4:21-30 - When Grace Breaks Boundaries
As we journey through Epiphany, we've been watching Jesus reveal who he is and what his presence means for our world. Like light breaking through clouds, each revelation brings both clarity and challenge. Last week, we saw him stand in his hometown synagogue announcing his mission of liberation. This week, that announcement expands in ways that will shake his listeners' – and our – assumptions about how God works.
Now we read Part 2 of this story which might be titled, "When Jesus Went Home, Again." This past Sunday, we witnessed Jesus reading Isaiah's ancient promise of hope and healing. After that reading we heard Jesus say,
"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
That announcement by Jesus initially drew warm approval from the hometown crowd. But approval would soon turn to rage as Jesus reveals the full scope of God's promise.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:21-30 NIV
“He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.
Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'" "Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."*
*All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They 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 off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
Beyond Expected Boundaries
The congregation's initial response to Jesus, a local boy and celebrity, seems natural – here was Joseph's son, making good, bringing honor to their town. They anticipated that Jesus would demonstrate his reported powers, perhaps establishing Nazareth as a center for his ministry. Instead, Jesus challenges their fundamental assumptions about God's work in the world.
Jesus recalls two provocative stories from their sacred history that challenged their understanding of God's grace. During a devastating three-year drought that brought Israel to its knees, God sent Elijah not to any Israelite widow, but to a desperate foreign woman in Zarephath. Finding her preparing a final meal for herself and her son before their expected death from starvation, Elijah promised that her flour jar would not empty and her oil jug would not run dry if she first made bread for him. Her trust in this strange prophet's words was rewarded with miraculous provision that sustained them throughout the famine for three more years.
Similarly, when Naaman, a powerful Syrian general afflicted with leprosy, sought healing, God worked through Elijah's successor, Elisha. However, Elisha's prophetic attention is not reserved for any Israelite sufferer, but for this foreign military commander. When Elisha instructed Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River, Naaman initially stormed away in pride, expecting a more dramatic cure. But after his servants urged him to try this simple act, his humble obedience led to complete healing and a profound recognition of Israel's God.
These weren't just stories; they were sharp challenges to the notion that God's favor belonged exclusively to Israel. During times of great need within Israel, God's prophets extended help beyond traditional boundaries, foreshadowing Jesus's broader mission.
The Challenge of Inclusion
When Jesus references these stories, he's not simply giving a history lesson. He's announcing that God's promise of liberation, healing, and restoration extends far beyond expected boundaries.
The good news Jesus proclaims isn't just for his hometown, or even just for Israel – it's for all people who recognize their need for God's grace.
This message remains challenging today. Like the synagogue congregation, we often want to contain God's work within comfortable boundaries – our denomination, our community, our way of understanding faith. Jesus consistently breaks these boundaries, showing us that God's grace flows more freely than we imagine.
When Grace Disrupts
The reaction in Nazareth turns violent – from admiration to attempted murder in the space of a few minutes. Why such rage? Because Jesus challenged not just their expectations, but their sense of special status and privilege. The hope of exclusive blessing had sustained them through difficult times. Jesus's message of inclusive grace felt like a betrayal.
Yet this is the pattern of God's kingdom – grace that disturbs before it heals, challenges before it comforts. The same Spirit that anointed Jesus continues to push us beyond comfortable boundaries today.
Living Into Larger Grace
How do we respond when God's grace proves bigger than our expectations? The invitation is to:
- Recognize our own resistance to inclusive grace
- Look for God's work in unexpected places and people
- Allow our understanding of God's mission to expand
- Participate in breaking down barriers that limit grace
Unlike the congregation in Nazareth, we have the opportunity to embrace rather than reject this expanded vision of God's work. Jesus's message of liberation still challenges our assumptions, but it also invites us into a larger story of healing and hope. When we open ourselves to this wider grace, we discover that God's love hasn't been diminished by including others – it has been magnified. This is the heart of Jesus's mission: not to restrict God's blessing but to release it into every corner of human need and longing.
Prayer
Spirit of God, give us courage to follow Jesus beyond comfortable boundaries. Help us recognize and celebrate your work in unexpected places and people. Make us agents of your expansive grace. Amen.
Reflections for the Week
Monday: Read today's short devotional at TodayShalom.com. Subscribe to get a new devotional about shalom, God's peace, each Monday and Wednesday.
Tuesday: Consider a time when grace came to you in an unexpected way.
Wednesday: Consider the type of shalom (peace) today's devotional describes at TodayShalom.com. Sign up for a free subscription.
Thursday: Pray for openness to recognize God's surprising work in unlikely places.
Friday: Read the latest newsletter here at The Rhythm of Grace.
Saturday: Get ready for Sunday by reading Luke 5:1-11, Jesus Goes Fishing – think about what it means to fish for people. Sounds intriguingly strange...
Resources for the Rhythm of Life
- An Organ and Trumpet Duet: Christ the Lord is Risen Today, organist Charlotte Paris, trumpet Donald Merricks, recorded at Chatham Baptist Church during the COVID pandemic when our church was not meeting in person. Easter 2020. Recordings like this, played during virtual church, kept us going through the separation of the pandemic. I still love listening.
- Tour the Temple of First Century Jerusalem – I found this tour of the Temple, by a rabbi, fascinating, and I learned several things about the Temple of Jesus's day.
- Think about a Lenten study. Lent is only a month away, beginning with Ash Wednesday, March 5. I can't think of a better study than our new book, The Way of Grace: Gospel Stories for Lent. Written with my good friend, Dr. Jim Stovall, the book contains 7 lessons for each week in Lent, ending with Easter Sunday. For the weekdays, guided reflections or personal devotions continue the Lenten journey between Sundays. A Leader's Guide for each lesson rounds out this new resource for individuals, classes, and Bible study groups. If you like, I can email you a pdf of the book so you can preview it for your group. And, we can drop ship multiple print copies directly to you or your church, at a discount. For individual or small orders, The Way of Grace is available on Amazon. Thanks!
Closing Blessing: May the God of all mercy, show mercy to you this week. And may you, in turn, extend that same mercy to someone who needs it. Amen.
