4th SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
Jer 1: 4-5, 17-19
1 Cor 12: 31-13:13
Lk 4: 21-30
This Gospel’s passage picks up the event of Jesus’ returning to Galilee as the starting point of his plan of salvation for the world.
Galilee, the northern region of Palestine, measures about 50 miles from the north to the south and 25 miles from the east to the west. The name Galilee itself, in Hebrew means a circle. The reason for this name is because the land is surrounded by the gentiles, non-Jews . Historians recorded a time when Galilee was composed of 204 villages with no less than 15 thousands inhabitants per village. There was as much as 3 million people living in this region at one time.
Galilee is also a rich and fertile land . Jewish literature often compares “Planting an olive forest in Galilee is easier than raising a child in Judeah”. The cool pleasant weather and fresh water from Tiberia Lake had turned Galilee into a rich and fertile natural garden of Palestine.
As for the people of Galilee, they are described as being “very creative, preferring new changes and and commotion. They’re ready to follow any one who dares to stand up and lead a rebellion. The Galileans are hot tempered and argumentative. They don’t lack courage but they’re always concerned more with honor than external materials”.
These are the highlights of Galilee, the original center for salvation. It was here that Jesus Christ began his mission, in a synagogue of the Jewish people.
The synagogue is the center for religious activities. According to the Jewish law, wherever there are 10 families or more, there should be a synagogue for religious activities. Acts of teachings and preachings are done in a synagogue, where as works of animal slaughtering and sacrificing are carried out at the Temple of Jerusalem.
It was in one of the synagogue in Nazareth that Jesus began his mission of salvation, through an announcement which he boldly read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Lk4:18-19)
Perhaps this announcement is nothing new to the Jews. May be they already know it by heart. Surely there must be two or three times in which those who had the honor of proclaiming the Book of the Law and the Prophets have read these prophetic words to the people. These words are from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 61, referring to the Savior.
But a remarkable thing occurs which perplexes and astonishes the Jews – after reading that passage from Isaiah, Jesus rolled up the scroll and boldly declares to the people: “Today, this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing””. (Lk 4:21)
“Oh! Could it be that the prophecy about the Messiah as foretold by the prophets is coming to fulfillment? Is it true that the consolation for Israel, the waiting which spans over so many centuries is becoming a reality right before our eyes? But how could that be? This Jesus whom every one knows lives among us. He often helps us with many ordinary things. He just leaves town recently. No one knows where he goes, but news about him keeps coming in. They say he performs miracles and changes water into wine, hundreds of liters of wine, in the town of Cana. They say he casts out evil spirits and cures the sick at Capernaum. Now that he’s back in town, he proclaims himself the Messiah – The Savior. Hmmm, this is just too hard to accept.” Perhaps this is what the Jews are discussing among themselves.
After a while, their discussion turns into harsh words: “Why doesn’t he do all the marvelous things here instead of at other towns. His hometown should receive preferential treatments...Hey, how come he’s talking about the story of Elijah helping the widow in Zarepath at the time of the famine and Elisha curing Naaman the Syrian from his leprocy? These folks are not even Jewish. They were despicable pagans... yet they were chosen to receive help first. How annoying! And this Jesus, what’s so impressive about him, he has no fancy job or anything special to brag about. It’s bad enough that he does not perform any miracle for his own town’s folks to see, how could he add more insult to injury by mentioning these stories that offend the pride of our people. It’s just to much to take.” So they become very angry at Jesus and they all come toward him trying to drive him out of the synagogue. What’s more horrifying is that they want to push him down from the hilltop to die.
This goes to show how horrendous are the people’s pride and selfishness, they only want to hurl others to their deaths! Jesus however, does not accept such selfish and wicked attitudes. The Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, the joy of salvation can not be confined within the boundary of a town or a race of people, but this Good News and joy must be spread out to all people of all nations.
In the same way that the words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled in Jesus, so are the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “The Word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.”
(Jer 1:4-5)
It’s not just only in Israel that there are the “poor” who need help, the “captives” who need freedom, the “blinds” who want to see the way, the “oppressed” to set free, but these people are found every where. The Good News of the “year of grace” must transcend the boundary of Nazareth, extending beyond the border of Galilee and Palestine, reaching to all people of all races and every heart and soul.
Therefore, as long as Christians continue to remain within their narrow selfish point of view, demanding personal gain rather than generous giving, then the Lord surely would have to “pass through their midst and go away” (Lk 4:30). For God’s religion must be Catholic, the religion for all people.
[emmanuel]