Today’s gospel from Luke has two distinct sections, separated by several chapters. The first is the introduction or preface to the gospel. In this section Luke sounds like Ezra, the scribe, in our first reading.
The Israelites have returned from exile and there is a lot of work to do to rebuild the nation. Nehemiah is the ruler who will have to organize the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem, making sure the city is fortified and secure from attack. But that is not enough to rededicate the city and its people to God. That’s Ezra’s task. He will call the people back to God and the observance of the Law.
But why, when Ezra read from the Law, were the people sad? Perhaps on hearing the Word they realized their past failures. Or, maybe previously they hadn’t understood the Word and now they can hear its life-giving qualities and it moves them to tears. Would that we had their hunger to hear God’s Word and when we did, that it would move us to tears of repentance and gratitude for what we hear God offering us.
What’s challenging about our first reading from Nehemiah is how solemnly Ezra proclaims God’s Word and the devotion with which the people receive it. “Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the Lord, their faces to the ground.” While that isn’t how we physically respond on hearing the Word proclaimed at our liturgy, still it does challenge us to attentiveness and devotion to the Word we hear.
There is also an instruction to our lectors in the reading, for Ezra “read plainly from the book of the law of God….” I’ve heard well-prepared lectors who proclaim the Word with obvious devotion and practiced interpretation. They communicate their love of the Word to us and they “perk up our ears” to hear the message the scriptures have for us. It seems to me these lectors can encourage a love and curiosity among the hearers that might move them to read the scriptures on their own — and that might lead to further study and prayer. (Recently I was preaching in a parish and the first lector sounded unprepared and he rushed through the reading. I had all I could do not to stand up and yell, “Slow down!” I didn’t, but have you ever had that feeling?)
Did you also notice the challenge to preachers? Not only did Ezra “read plainly from the book of the law of God,” he “[interpreted] it so that all could understand what was read.” That is a cue to us preachers — interpret the Word so others can understand it and apply it to their lives.
Luke is in the tradition of Ezra and all those who pass on the Word with care and devotion. In the opening lines of his gospel he tells “Theophilus” (which means “friend of God” — so he is speaking to each of us) that he has undertaken “to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us.” His sources: “eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word.” Like Ezra, Luke is a good preacher: he has “compiled” his material from real-life experience; reflected on it “anew” and written an “orderly sequence.” For what purpose? So that “friends of God” can be reassured in the faith they have received. Guided by both Ezra and Luke there is a lector’s workshop and a preaching course in their words today.
The gospel passage now jumps four chapters to Jesus’ return to his hometown of Nazareth. When handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah he proclaims the passage he has chosen. This is not an assigned reading for the day; Jesus makes a deliberate choice based on the direction of his guiding Spirit. Once again, reminiscent of Ezra, there is a careful tending to God’s Word. When Jesus read from the prophet he has the complete attention of his listeners, “all in the synagogue looked intently at him.”
The passage that Jesus reads from Isaiah reveals the choice he has made for how he will carry out his mission. One of Luke’s themes is the role of the Spirit in Jesus’ life and ministry. So Jesus’ quote begins by naming the presence of the Spirit who has “anointed” and is sending Jesus to a special group of needy people waiting for relief that only God can give. Isaiah made a promise, and Jesus is here to fulfill it.
When Jesus concludes his reading from Isaiah he adds, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” The “today” was not only that day back then in the synagogue, but it is our “today” as well. As it says in Hebrews (4:12), “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Some people listen to the Scripture readings thinking they are instructions upon which to model their behavior. While that is part of their purpose, but primarily what we hear is actually happening among us as we hear it: “For the word of God is alive and active….” So, today we are the ones to whom Jesus proclaims freedom from: sin, frustration about our inadequacies and halfhearted commitment; lack of trust in our gifts; anxious fear of God; walls that separate us from one another etc.
We are like the people in the synagogue that day. We invite Jesus to step forward to speak his liberating word to us. We ask him to let the light-giving quality of his word penetrate the deep reserve in us, the place where we cling to the past and fear what a deeper commitment to him might mean. His light dispels the darkness and grants liberty. We invite Jesus to enter the center of our experience and show us the Holy Spirit who is ready to heal and free us and then to send us on the same mission Jesus was sent: “to bring glad tidings to the poor.”
What might the Spirit do for us? Paul makes one suggestion today. He uses the metaphor of the body. “We are all baptized into one body.” So, in this body of Christ the Spirit can transform our relationships. Paul’s word to us is a challenge to realize who we are in the body of Christ; that we are bound to one another as our human body’s parts are bound to one another. Our vocation, according to Paul, is to do what we can to keep the body whole, attend to any part that suffers and honor those worthy of praise.
The congregation’s interest is roused when Jesus reads the Isaian quote to them. But Luke replaces “to call for” (Isaiah 61: 2a) with a more declarative verb “to proclaim.” So Jesus wasn’t merely urging a release to the captives, but “proclaiming” — that is, declaring it present and actually happening. The Spirit is upon Jesus and the proof will be that his words bear fruit and accomplish what he proclaims.
We each take the images from Jesus’ statement today and apply it to ourselves. In what area of my life am I — captive? blind? oppressed? Etc. But what about a literal application as well? For example, Jesus announces he has come to “proclaim liberty to captives.” Having just visited a friend in prison I would affirm what we already know. First, that society needs protection from the violent and lawbreakers. But in our country isn’t our prison system an indication that we have gone too far? That our prisons are solely punitive? For example: “three-strike sentencing” that locks people up for the rest of their lives; young offenders placed in the same prison environment with hardened adult criminals; minimal education, counseling and rehabilitative programs for prisoners? And what about recent revelations of withheld or destroyed evidence that would have helped accused persons at their trials? We weigh this with Jesus’ instructions to free captives and end with Pope John Paul II’s words on July 9, 2000:
We are still a long way from the time when our conscience can be certain of having done everything possible to prevent crime and to control it effectively so that it no longer does harm and, at the same time, to offer to those who commit crimes a way of redeeming themselves and making a positive return to society. If all those in some way involved in the problem tried to . . . develop this line of thought, perhaps humanity as a whole could take a great step forward in creating a more serene and peaceful society.”