The Gospel of Luke 4:14-21 Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Let us pray The Collect for the Feast of St. Luke: Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Feast of St. Luke, celebrated on October 18th, honors Luke the Evangelist, who is traditionally recognized as the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke is also known as a physician and a companion of St. Paul In today’s world when a person especially a politician or news reporter gets up and tells the truth there are some who praise the person BUT on the other hand some will boo and shout fake fnews. Times haven’t changed a lot. Now we continue with the next few chapters where we would hear the boos and fake news cries.
Luke 4:22-30 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. This was a high point in Jesus’ ministry. It was one of the few times when no-one was complaining, arguing, or trying to chuck him off a cliff. There were those in the temple who praised what Jesus read and His comments after. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” And then comes the turning point. “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” WOW!!! Who is this man? What did he mean? Was he talking about himself? This is one of the most explosive sentences in the Gospels. Jesus is not merely teaching Scripture, He is revealing Scripture. He is not commenting on prophecy, He is completing prophecy. Everything Isaiah longed for is now standing in front of them. The Kingdom is not an idea. It is a person. We’ve all had times like this – when everything goes well and we feel the world is on our side. Other times, it all goes dreadfully wrong and we can’t wait to go to bed just to get the day over with. Jesus had days like that too. There were plenty of times when people heard Jesus’ words and saw the miracles and even ate the bread and the fish yet still walked away with their hearts stubbornly closed. People misinterpreted him, lied about him and accused him of being in league with the devil. They humiliated him, beat him up and eventually killed him. In conclusion: Luke 4 invites you to see Jesus not only as teacher or miracle-worker but as the One who brings freedom into every corner of life. Where there is poverty of spirit—He brings good news. Where there is captivity—He brings release. Where there is blindness—He brings sight. Where there is oppression—He brings liberation. This is His mission. And it is still unfolding. And it should be our mission also. So, as we tie it all together things have not changed much in over 2000 years.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, You are the One anointed to bring freedom and healing. Let Your Spirit rest upon us as it rested upon You. Open our eyes where we cannot see, Break the chains we cannot loosen, Lift the burdens we cannot carry. Make our lives signs of Your Kingdom— Mercy for the hurting, hope for the weary, And joy for all who long for Your favor. Amen.
