Luke:
4:16-22
He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.”(v.21)
Jesus introduces his mission with the prophetic imagination
of restoration and deliverance of God’s people. He initiates his public ministry in the world from his home town Nazareth (v.16). Nazareth Manifesto is the declaration of
Jesus’ Ministry. Jesus was revealing his purpose and vision through the
manifesto. The messianic imagination of Jewish people was different from what
Jesus taught through quoting prophet Isaiah’s words. The exclusive image of
Israelites about Messiah was challenged by Jesus’ reading of scripture in the
temple and the good news which Jesus used for the poor and oppressed signifies
his redemptive role. Here Jesus refers Isaiah 61 as his manifesto. Throughout Jesus’ ministry in
the Gospel of Luke, he indeed emphasizes God’s care for the poor (Luke 6:20;
16:22) and the responsibility of others to care for them (12:33; 14:13; 18:22).
The fulfillment of the scripture
In Isaiah, prophet conveys
God’s message of deliverance. God comforts the
suffering Israel with a promise of restoration. Israel will be taken as captive,
enslaved and impoverished, but God will liberate and bless his people. This is
the good news about peace for God’s people, a message that God is ready to
demonstrate his reign, or kingdom (Isaiah 52:7). By Jesus’ day, many Jewish
people had settled again in their land, but they still longed for God to
redeem, restore, and exalt Israel. Jesus, in his person, not only preaches that good news but
embodies it, for he is the savior of the world.
The
location of Mission is clearly mentioned here. Mission of God locates in the
margins. Marginal space is the location of people who are poor, exploited and
oppressed. Jesus re-reads the text by quoting Isaiah 61:1-2 and Isaiah 58:7. There
are agencies to work for the vulnerable in the societies. But the pertinent
question is whether the engagement of the agencies is redemptive for the
margins from their bondages and clutches of the system. The role of the
worshipping community is to continue the mission of Jesus to the poor and
needy. The text urges to take the responsibility of liberative mission of God
for the most vulnerable in the society.
No comments:
Post a Comment