This year, because of how the Sundays fall, we heard the first part of a story from Luke 4 on January 26th, but we didn’t hear part two.  In the first part (verses 14-21), Jesus comes to the synagogue at Nazareth and reads from the prophet Isaiah.  The passage he reads talks about good news for the poor, release for the captives, sight for the blind, and the year of the Lord’s favour.  The gospel reading on that Sunday ended with, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

            In the part that we didn’t hear (verses 22-30), the people who are gathered in the synagogue get so angry with Jesus that they try to throw him over a cliff!  That is quite the turnaround from good news and release and God’s favour.  How is it that the congregation goes from being amazed at the gracious words spoken by Jesus to an angry mob bent on killing him?

            They may have been a little bit miffed when Jesus told them that they wouldn’t get to see all of the same things that he did in Capernaum.  They may have had a hard time believing it when Jesus implied that he is a prophet.  However, the thing that got them really, really angry is when Jesus started pointing out the prophets who were sent to the Gentiles.

            He is talking about the great prophets of old – Elijah, who was sent to a Gentile widow at Zarephath, and Elisha, who cleansed a Gentile named Naaman from leprosy.  These are events that are recorded in their own Scriptures.  However, the mere mention of God’s mercy being extended to Gentiles is enough to send them into a murderous rampage.  What gives?

            Those who were listening to Jesus connected Gentiles with their oppressors.  The Romans – who occupied their land – were Gentiles.  The Egyptians who had enslaved them were Gentiles.  The Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians – all of whom had taken the Israelites into exile as slaves – all of them were Gentiles.  To their way of thinking, none of these people had any business receiving healing or blessings from God’s hand – and their hatred was so strong that they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff.

            In these times when hatred seems to be all too common, perhaps we could ask how many people still feel a murderous rage at the mere suggestion that God’s mercy and favour might extend to those we would rather demonize.  How many are angered by the mere suggestion that God cares about those who are strangers, or immigrants, or homeless, or 2SLGBTQIA+, or living on the margins, or Jews, or Muslims, or people of colour?  How many people today would threaten to kill Jesus (or his followers) when he points to the wideness of God’s mercy and grace?

            Thankfully, when his home town folk tried to toss him over the cliff, Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went on his way.”  

            The prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi comes to mind: “Lord, make us instruments of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness light; where there is sadness, joy.”  The rest of the prayer is found on p. 87 in the front of our hymnal.  Amen, may it be so!

            In Christ,

            Pastor Lynne Hutchison