Trinity Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Sermons 

Unlike the iconic Nolan Ryan, most others who have been honored by their hometowns have not had the opportunity to make speeches when their statues were unveiled. For example, in the years following his assassination in April 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been honored not only in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, but throughout our nation. In fact, the Reverend King may be the most honored "prophet" in American history. He is the only religious leader honored with a federal holiday. According to Derek Alderman, as of 2006, more than 730 American cities had named a street after Rev. King, with 70% of these streets located in seven Southern states, including Texas.¹ Here in Dallas, the former Forest Avenue in South Dallas was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in 1981.

In the early years after his death, some Americans resisted honoring Rev. King, but as time has passed, and we have a better perspective on the events of the 1960s, virtually all Americans have come to appreciate his legacy.

Compare what Rev. King encountered in his day with what Luke’s Gospel says about Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.

Matters began well enough, with Jesus reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, as you heard last Sunday. Remember his prophetic reading: "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."

After Jesus finished reading from the scroll, the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were fixed on him. He sat down and began to teach, beginning with the declaration that "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." What did Jesus mean by saying that the scripture "had been fulfilled?" In the original Greek, the verb could be understood in several ways by those who heard him:

"Today this scripture has been fully proclaimed in your hearing;"

"Today this scripture has been summed up in your hearing;"

"Today this scripture has been made fully known in your hearing."

And just what would the phrase "has been fulfilled" have meant for the poor, for the captives, for the blind, and oppressed whom Jesus mentioned in reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah?

Initially, the reaction of the people in the synagogue was positive. According to Luke, "all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth" (Luke 4:22). Immediately their reaction to his reading and teaching leads someone to remark, "Is not this Joseph’s son?"

On first blush, this may sound like a remark putting Jesus in his place as a mere carpenter’s son – in other words, as someone without proper education in the ways of the scriptures. Actually, the purpose of this remark was not to denigrate Jesus, but to remind everyone, including Jesus, that he was a member of the community. He was a hometown boy who, in returning home to Nazareth, should recognize the special relationship connected to his place of origin.

In the first century, being a member of a community meant giving preference to your kin and neighbors. When Jesus replies by commenting, "Surely, you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, "Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did in Capernaum." Jesus knew that the people in the synagogue there in Nazareth wanted what they felt to be their special share of his cures and miracles. They did not want Jesus to give his "gifts" to others, but to them – his family and his home community.

We should understand this with no difficulty. In our modern world of politics and earmarks, the main responsibility of our representatives on the Dallas City Council, in the Texas State Legislature in Austin, and in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. is to take care of the folks back home. Consider the example of Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. First elected to the Senate in 1958, the 89-year-old calls himself by the modest title "West Virginian of the Twentieth Century." As he writes on his web page, "In the Senate, I focus on the issues that help to improve the quality of life in West Virginia -- issues like education, health care, transportation, and employment." This is what the people in the Nazareth synagogue were telling Jesus. If Jesus had responded as Senator Byrd surely would respond, then the rest of today’s gospel lesson would have taken quite a different direction.

But, instead of giving them what they wanted, Jesus essentially rejected their pleas for special assistance. He said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown" (Luke 4:24). He made clear that a prophet has a higher calling and must set his sights on the larger community beyond his hometown. In setting forth his claim that the scriptures of the prophet Isaiah "had been fulfilled" on that day in that place, Jesus assumed the role of prophet. Therefore, he proclaims that his ministry must not focus on hometown needs but on those truly in need – the people without power and privilege.

Not surprisingly, Jesus’ position was not well received by the people in the synagogue. Indeed, according to Luke, "when they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage" (4:28).

Their rage led them to take drastic action. They ceased to hear Jesus and, instead, "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" (4:29).

Of course, their plans were frustrated, as Jesus "passed through the midst of them and went on his way" (4:30). In fact, he traveled to Capernaum, where he taught and healed the people.

What can we learn from this curious episode in Jesus’ early ministry? As ministers, we might conclude that we should be careful about what we say to the people in the sanctuary. If they don’t like what they hear, maybe they won’t actually drive us out of town, but they might throw us under the bus. But, if we are to follow Jesus’ example, what else can we do other than to proclaim the good news – not just here in the sanctuary, but to the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.

This is an inherently dangerous path for a leader, a prophet, or a minister to follow in dealing with the hometown folks. To reach out to others, while ignoring the special interests of those with special claims of kinship and community, would seem to be the road to extinction.

But who among us can bring forth the "gracious words" that came from Jesus as he proclaimed the importance of meeting the needs of those excluded from power and privilege? Instead of "gracious words," we are more likely to be critical of those who attend to the poor and oppressed.

So, what kind of hometown should we strive to construct? One in which prophets are driven from the city or one in which they are honored? The answer seems very straightforward when put in these terms. But go back to the early 1960s, when the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was preaching about non-violent resistance during the days of the Civil Rights movement. In those days before passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, few Americans understood the power of Rev. King’s social justice campaign. Listen to his prophetic words: "Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love."

To these gracious words, do we join those who still say "Not in my hometown!"? Or, can we stand together to say "Amen!"?

1. Derek H. Alderman (2006), "Naming Streets for Martin Luther King, Jr.: No Easy Road," pp. 213-236 in Richard Schein (editor), Landscape and Race in the United States. New York: Routledge.

© 2007 Van Kemper (e-mail: rkemper@trinitypresdallas.org)