Followers of Jesus and those interested in what he said have reflected on his famous words, especially those that seem to set the agenda for our actions and thoughts.
In the synagogue on Nazareth, Jesus set out his own agenda, which have become formative for his followers. 'When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come.”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Luke 4.16-21)
Jesus clearly saw himself as the fulfilment of the Old Testament promises of God's activity to bring change and hope to a broken and hopeless world.
The rest of the Gospel sets out how Jesus engaged with his contemporaries, and how some accepted his invitation, and how some rejected it.
We live in a similar world, and the medicine of the Good News is still needed by those we meet today.
It is startling to think that every generation needs to hear, understand and respond positively to the words of Jesus, for the history itself will not bring about the changes we need.
The same is true, of course, of Abraham Lincoln's words. Great historical oratory needs to be applied and followed in each generation. Otherwise, why bother to remember it?
Best wishes,
Richard
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