We studied the scene of Jesus' return to his hometown of Jerusalem on Sunday and the strange scene that happened at the synagogue. One of the bible study tools that can really enrich our understanding of a text is to first imagine being there. Think of the sounds, the smells...what would you be thinking if this scene played out right in front of you. So rather than trying immediately to connect what happened then to what is happening today or search for some modern application, let's take some time to go back there and envision what they felt.
Homecoming?The synagogue meeting is common in this town of probably 1600 to 2000 people. We are just good Jewish people so most came that day. Yeshua was not considered a rabbi at this point in time, but on the Sabbath it was customary that any member of the synagogue could read the lesson…hey who better than Yeshua? He was, after all, the one who had the neighboring towns buzzing like crazy over miracles and food and wine and fantastic feats all around. This old backwoods town might actually gain a name from this one man? It was preposterously amazing for all of us. Imagine that, people are telling great things that came from Nazareth! So yes, of course we let Yeshua stand to read the lesson on the Sabbath. The little old lady from down the street who used to watch him play sat by in adoration. The young tradesmen watched proudly as their buddy from school stands up slowly. The anticipation was in the air, for sure. I think I even saw a glint of steely satisfaction from the eyes of the rabbi who handed him that scroll as if he was a runner passing the baton to the last runner. The star runner. The one who might just be able to win the race for the underdog.
And then alas…the
first person passage in Isaiah! We had all heard this passage numerous times but when Yeshua spoke, this was different. It was clear to us that this was it.
He was the one who with the Holy Sp
irit rested!
He was bringing the good news to the poor!
He had the key to the chains of those prisoners! The beat down and bruised would be released from this madness once and for all. He had it all and we knew it. And just like we heard from the neighboring rumors, he even had the power to give sight to the blind. As the words ricocheted off of the walls and sliced over the old faded tapestries in our little synagogue, all gazes were gravitating toward him. Then he announced it; the acceptable year of the Lord Yahweh. As it has gone one for ages since Moses, this was the year, just once every 50 years, that the debts were erased and all the servants set free. Then he stopped. There was a silence as most waited for the next part of the quote. Those who weren’t paying attention were now! With baited breath the scholars waited for the next part of the quote which said “and the day of vengeance of our God”. But he didn't say that. He just handed back the scroll and sat back down. A pause…then he turned and looked over his shoulder. It was almost as if he said it directly to me. He said “Today. Today this has been fulfilled by you hearing me speak it”. The synagogue was at capacity and a strange thing happened. As the tiny bubbles on the bottom of a cooking pot begin to shimmer and swell up and struggle to be free, so were the words of everyone present. This was our hometown boy made good! It was soon uncontainable. The old seasoned teachers upturned their faces to the ceiling with broad smiles rarely seen since they were children. The barrel-chested blacksmith elbowed his apprentice hard in the ribs and bellowed laughter. “Take a look at Joseph’s son! Har har…” The apprentice just grinned with silliness. Ladies began to bounce and dance in their seats. Everybody who was related to Yeshua was sure to tell their neighbor hastily all about it. I couldn’t catch the look on Yeshua’s face but I only saw joy and gladness swelling and overflowing all around me. It was unprecedented. Never had synagogue been like this, ever.
After a few minutes of family tree tracing and carrying on, he spoke up again. Hushes whooshed all around like pressure released from a hundred steaming kettles. A woman covered her jabbering sister’s mouth mid sentence when she realized he would speak again. The teachers regained composure, clearing their throats, pretending the previous outbreak didn’t really happen. Yeshua spoke, somewhat somberly and clearly “I know what you will say next…’Doctor, cure yourself’! and ‘What you did over in Capernium, do it here! We are your hometown folks!’ I know that’s how you feel”. Some heads nodded with lips pressed together. Some even began spying the closest route to this miracle-promising man. Others were still in a daze. He continued, reminding us about Elijah and the foreigners. And something about prophets who were rejected or something like that. Something was amiss. I began to glance around. Murmuring ensued and questions boiled below the surface just as the excitement had before. I admit I even lost grasp of what exactly Yeshua was saying midway through. All I could hear is the guy next to me sniffing and saying “So he’s saying he won’t help us. Are you kidding me?” Puzzled, I caught another piece of a conversation. “Oh so since Elijah and Elisha went to the heathens and healed them instead of his hometown people, Yeshua will do the same?” It was getting tenser by the second. And the murmur increased steadily. Movements became a little larger. Shoulders became a little stiffer. The eyes that were darting around from person to person were coming back to Yeshua, but this time was much different than after he read. Someone shouted “So that’s how it’s going to be?” The blacksmith’s apprentice just stared into Yeshua’s eyes emptily. Again, twice in one Sabbath, synagogue meeting had taken a previously unseen form.
The days following, nobody mentioned what we tried to do. People barely made eye contact with each other in the streets and synagogue was akin to a funeral service from then on. Some people up and disappeared altogether in the weeks following. I don’t know what happened to them just like I don’t know what happened to Yeshua. Once late at night after the candle had burned down to the nub, I simply asked my brother “How do you think he got away?” He rolled over and said nothing.
Some questions to discussWeigh in or just answer to yourself. Post more questions if you would like!
This is written from an "neutral" attendee's perspective. What would one write who agreed with the message? What would one of those who wrote as an objector to Jesus' message have to say? (remember: those in attendance were familiar with corrupt religious leaders and Roman oppressors.)
Why do you think Jesus didn't mention "the day of vengeance of our God" in his reading of Isaiah? Might this have made a difference in the violent reaction to his statements?
When it says that "all of the synagogue" spoke well, then "all of the synagogue" were furious, how does that sit with you? If you were there, would you be one of the "all"? Why or why not?
So, after we've spent some time "inside" the narrative and thought about implications, let's move towards application...
How do you think the mentality of the people attending this scene relates to the way we receive Jesus' words and messages today?
Restatement: This is an open forum for discussion or thought, all thoughts, ideas or objections are welcome!
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