Dear Preachers:

Is knowing and observing laws the heart of religious practice? We might draw that conclusion from our first reading from the prophet Nehemiah. He describes the priest Ezra standing from early morning until midday, reading aloud the law – the Torah of Moses – before the assembled men, women, and “those children old enough to understand.” The people responded to Ezra’s public reading with, “Amen, amen,” and then bowed and prostrated themselves to the ground.

Ezra not only read from the book of the law but also interpreted it for them. This was followed by instruction from Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites. But this was no ordinary religious exercise. The people celebrating the Torah had just returned from exile in Babylon. What lay before them was a destroyed Jerusalem, including its essential structure: the Temple.

It must have seemed that God had abandoned them, letting them be taken into exile, only to return to the destruction of their former lives. How could their leaders now tell them that this day was “holy” to the Lord their God and say, “Do not be sad and do not weep”? The people were not weeping because of the awful exile, or the destruction around them, but because “they heard the words of the law.” Then they were instructed to feast and not be sad. Why? “Rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength.”

Does all this make sense? After a terrible period of suffering in a foreign land, then returning to find their homeland in ruins, the people gathered to hear the Word of God and were then told to have a party and “rejoice in the Lord.” They gathered at the Water Gate, a public square where everyone could assemble. Notice how often “all the people” is mentioned in the text. They were unified as they listened to the Word of God. People were not separated by social standing, importance in the worshiping community, seniority, or wealth.

First of all, they gathered not to be taught by the religious leaders, but to listen and celebrate God’s Word. Upon hearing it, they were moved to express awe and wonder over their God. We preachers want to interpret God’s Word for our hearers – an important responsibility. But the reading highlights the importance of the Scriptures in worship. How carefully do we prepare the readings? How well-trained are our lectors? Do we encourage small group prayer and study of the Scriptures, or individual scriptural reading? Note the Psalm chosen as a response to today’s Nehemiah passage: “Your words, Lord, are spirit and life.” Perhaps we might use Psalm 19 for our prayer this week.

Today, we have the opening lines of Luke’s gospel, followed by his narration of Jesus’ return to Nazareth. Luke begins his gospel addressing Theophilus. The respect he accords this man suggests Theophilus was a patron, perhaps responsible for publishing the gospel (Acts 1:1). The author admits he was not an eyewitness to the events he narrates. Eyewitnesses handed down the tradition to Luke, and now he is handing it on to Theophilus. It’s what we preachers do and also what we who hear God’s Word do: we pass on the good news we have heard to those who need to hear it.

In our gospel, Jesus is standing before the congregation in Capernaum. In a parallel with Ezra’s proclamation of God’s Word, Jesus reads from the scriptures. He chooses a passage from the prophet Isaiah which speaks of God’s anointed servant. In effect, he is using the Isaiah prophecy to identify himself and his mission.

The passage does not voice God’s anger at the people’s sins, or betrayals of the covenant. There is no mention of wrath, vengeance, or destruction. Nor does it mention the axe about to chop down the tree at its roots, as John the Baptist proclaimed. Instead, Jesus announces his messianic mission as only good news for the poor and freedom for the oppressed. He ends with, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

You may notice that Luke is the only Gospel writer who uses the word “TODAY” in describing this event. This Gospel is very present-tense oriented. Remember: the angel’s announcement about “today” a savior is born; to Zacchaeus, Jesus says, “today” salvation has come to his house; and to the thief beside him on the cross, Jesus says that “today” he will be with Jesus in Paradise. The “today” of Jesus is not only the day he was speaking. It is our “today” as well. Each time we hear the Word of God proclaimed before our assembly, what it is saying is fulfilled in our presence. So: today things are being fulfilled in our lives; today, we can expect God’s response to us in some manner; today, justice and mercy are being made available to the world. Let’s hope we have something to do with this vision.

There is a tendency when we listen to Scripture to hear it as a directive to go and do the same. Yes, but… before we can follow what it calls for, Jesus’ words tell us that we have been set free. The good news is meant for us, and we are to receive it and hold it as our own. We have been touched and transformed by God’s creative Word. We are the recipients of God’s wonderful gifts, the light that dispels darkness, and the liberty that has freed us from the burden of sin.

Just as Ezra did in our first reading, Jesus reads from Scripture and announces that the forces which have robbed people of full life – captivity, blindness, oppression, and indebtedness – are now going to be overcome. Christ, “in the power of the Spirit,” proclaims a jubilee year when all debts and burdens are dissolved. Now, we are empowered by God’s Word to go and do the same for others.

The poverty of the world around us is not the will of the Spirit. Christ, acting in that Spirit, releases us from whatever holds us captive and challenges us to look beyond our immediate concerns to the places of oppression and poverty around us. We stand with him, in the power of the Spirit, to speak and act against all forms of injustice and oppression.

Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012625.cfm