4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C - 3/2/2019 - Gospel: Lk 4: 21-30
Prophetic ministry
Jesus returned to his home town and he preached in the synagogue. People were amazed by his wisdom and knowledge. The preaching was interrupted when some people from the crowd spoke up to make their point that they wanted him to perform miracle in his hometown. Jesus didn't respond to their request. The crowd's reaction became hostile against him to the point that they picked a fight with him and finally wanted to kill Jesus.
First, the crowd's feeling was wonderful; they felt joy when they listened to him. They spoke highly of him. Soon after that, they mocked him by saying: This is Joseph's son, surely v.21. His town folk claimed that they knew of his background but knew not where he gained his knowledge, and certainly they were ignorant of His Father's business. The crowd was correct when they said he was the son of Joseph, but they were ignorant that Jesus actually was the Son of God and God Himself. As the son of Joseph, Jesus couldn't perform miracles as the crowd expected. Jesus worked miracles because He is the Son of God, and the crowd failed to see this. Jesus saw the need for correction. What he wanted to correct in the minds of the crowd was that He is both son of Joseph and Son of God. He came to the corrupt world to make it anew. The crowd failed to see the Spirit of God who is working in Him. They wanted the son of Joseph to do some miracles in Nazareth as he did in Capernaum. They would expect Jesus to do something even more in favourable for his hometown. They did not get what they wanted and that was the beginning of the problem. Seeing their expectation Jesus responded that, No prophet is acceptable in his home country v. 24. The crowd heard that and they became more disappointed. Jesus told them another two stories, both from the Old Testament: the first one was about prophet Elijah who took care of a Sidonian widow through the three years of famine and the second one was of the prophet Elisha healing Naaman, a general of the Syrian army. The crowd was furious and they rose up and tried to kill Jesus (v. 29). The crowd rejected not just his message but they ultimately rejected the man Jesus. This is the sign predicting that Jesus and his ministry will be rejected in the years to come. The two stories were supposed to say that God's mercy went beyond the chosen people. The crowd knew the stories well, but their lessons had been lost. Luke's Gospel seems to say that God's salvation is for both the Jew and the Gentile. Having faith in Jesus helps us to accept Jesus as our Lord and God. However, having no faith in Jesus becomes a universal stumbling block for those who are the finite and yet want to prove the existence of God who is the infinite.
We receive God's Spirit at our baptism and that is our lifelong prophetic mission. Our mission is to live as children of God and to tell others that God loves them all and when we finish our mission we will enter God's kingdom.
First, the crowd's feeling was wonderful; they felt joy when they listened to him. They spoke highly of him. Soon after that, they mocked him by saying: This is Joseph's son, surely v.21. His town folk claimed that they knew of his background but knew not where he gained his knowledge, and certainly they were ignorant of His Father's business. The crowd was correct when they said he was the son of Joseph, but they were ignorant that Jesus actually was the Son of God and God Himself. As the son of Joseph, Jesus couldn't perform miracles as the crowd expected. Jesus worked miracles because He is the Son of God, and the crowd failed to see this. Jesus saw the need for correction. What he wanted to correct in the minds of the crowd was that He is both son of Joseph and Son of God. He came to the corrupt world to make it anew. The crowd failed to see the Spirit of God who is working in Him. They wanted the son of Joseph to do some miracles in Nazareth as he did in Capernaum. They would expect Jesus to do something even more in favourable for his hometown. They did not get what they wanted and that was the beginning of the problem. Seeing their expectation Jesus responded that, No prophet is acceptable in his home country v. 24. The crowd heard that and they became more disappointed. Jesus told them another two stories, both from the Old Testament: the first one was about prophet Elijah who took care of a Sidonian widow through the three years of famine and the second one was of the prophet Elisha healing Naaman, a general of the Syrian army. The crowd was furious and they rose up and tried to kill Jesus (v. 29). The crowd rejected not just his message but they ultimately rejected the man Jesus. This is the sign predicting that Jesus and his ministry will be rejected in the years to come. The two stories were supposed to say that God's mercy went beyond the chosen people. The crowd knew the stories well, but their lessons had been lost. Luke's Gospel seems to say that God's salvation is for both the Jew and the Gentile. Having faith in Jesus helps us to accept Jesus as our Lord and God. However, having no faith in Jesus becomes a universal stumbling block for those who are the finite and yet want to prove the existence of God who is the infinite.
We receive God's Spirit at our baptism and that is our lifelong prophetic mission. Our mission is to live as children of God and to tell others that God loves them all and when we finish our mission we will enter God's kingdom.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
