Jesus Unrolls the Book in the Synagogue
Tissot, James, 1836-1902. Jesus Unrolls the Book in the Synagogue, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56774 [retrieved January 20, 2022]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Jesus_Unrolls_the_Book_in_the_Synagogue_(J%C3%A9sus_dans_la_synagogue_d%C3%A9roule_le_livre)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg.
_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg){kind=link}
I Thank you for Those Things That Are Yet Possible
Thank you
for work
which engages me in an internal debate
between right and reward
and stretches me toward responsibility
to those who pay for my work
and those who cannot pay
because they have no work;
for justice
which repairs the devastations of poverty;
for liberty
which extends to the captives of violence;
for healing
which binds up the broken bodied
and the broken hearted;
for bread broken
for all the hungry earth;
for good news
of love which is stronger than death;
and for peace
for all to sit under fig trees
and not be afraid;
for my calling…my life.
…
Ted Loder
Thank you
for work
which engages me in an internal debate
between right and reward
and stretches me toward responsibility
to those who pay for my work
and those who cannot pay
because they have no work;
for justice
which repairs the devastations of poverty;
for liberty
which extends to the captives of violence;
for healing
which binds up the broken bodied
and the broken hearted;
for bread broken
for all the hungry earth;
for good news
of love which is stronger than death;
and for peace
for all to sit under fig trees
and not be afraid;
for my calling…my life.
…
Ted Loder
Imaging the Word An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 1
Exploring the Text: Jesus’ purpose on earth
As Jesus is reading and teaching in the synagogue Nazareth, he reads a passage out of Isaiah 61. He closes the scroll and declares to the people, today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears. He is claiming that this prophecy in Isaiah is about him and that he is fulfilling it; he is claiming it as his mission, his purpose. In this passage from Isaiah 61 that Jesus read, he identifies five major purposes.
By looking over this list of purposes that Jesus claims, we see his emphasis on lifting people up, setting them free, and bringing healing and restoration. There is both a spiritual and a social aspect of Jesus’ mission. He comes to bring spiritual freedom from the oppression and captivity of sin, sight to those who are spiritually blind, and spiritual riches to those who are spiritually poor and destitute. But he also comes to lift up people who are oppressed by society and set them free from that oppression. He comes to bring the dignity due those created in God’s image to all of humanity. Jesus’ mission is to reorient the entire world, in all of its aspects, to God’s perfect plan and will for it.
Jesus calls us to participate with him in his mission as well. When we commit our lives to following him, his purposes become our purposes, his agenda becomes our agenda, his mission becomes our mission. How are we doing at pursuing his purposes in the world around us?
As Jesus is reading and teaching in the synagogue Nazareth, he reads a passage out of Isaiah 61. He closes the scroll and declares to the people, today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears. He is claiming that this prophecy in Isaiah is about him and that he is fulfilling it; he is claiming it as his mission, his purpose. In this passage from Isaiah 61 that Jesus read, he identifies five major purposes.
- Binging good news to the poor
- Proclaiming freedom to the captives
- Proclaiming the recovery of sight to those who are blind
- Bringing liberty and justice to the oppressed
- Declaring God’s favor on people
By looking over this list of purposes that Jesus claims, we see his emphasis on lifting people up, setting them free, and bringing healing and restoration. There is both a spiritual and a social aspect of Jesus’ mission. He comes to bring spiritual freedom from the oppression and captivity of sin, sight to those who are spiritually blind, and spiritual riches to those who are spiritually poor and destitute. But he also comes to lift up people who are oppressed by society and set them free from that oppression. He comes to bring the dignity due those created in God’s image to all of humanity. Jesus’ mission is to reorient the entire world, in all of its aspects, to God’s perfect plan and will for it.
Jesus calls us to participate with him in his mission as well. When we commit our lives to following him, his purposes become our purposes, his agenda becomes our agenda, his mission becomes our mission. How are we doing at pursuing his purposes in the world around us?
Exploring the Text: Seeing Scripture fulfilled
In this passage we find Jesus reading Scripture in the Synagogue. He was reading from the book of Isaiah. He was back home in Nazareth, and people were beginning to see that there was something really profound about him. They had heard about the Messiah, and now they were seeing Him live and in color. When Jesus was finished He made a profound statement. He said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Can you imagine how the people felt? They were seeing Scripture fulfilled right before their eyes.
The truth is that you can see the Bible fulfilled in your life as well. You can claim the promises of God every day. Study the Scriptures and apply them to your situation.
Do you have other needs today? Find the Scriptures that apply and begin to pray. You can see the Scripture fulfilled right before your eyes.
As we follow the news, we can see that there are many prophecies and Scripture being fulfilled. We certainly live in interesting times. Let’s continue to look for Scripture being fulfilled in our lives and in the world around us.
Rick Heinrich
In this passage we find Jesus reading Scripture in the Synagogue. He was reading from the book of Isaiah. He was back home in Nazareth, and people were beginning to see that there was something really profound about him. They had heard about the Messiah, and now they were seeing Him live and in color. When Jesus was finished He made a profound statement. He said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Can you imagine how the people felt? They were seeing Scripture fulfilled right before their eyes.
The truth is that you can see the Bible fulfilled in your life as well. You can claim the promises of God every day. Study the Scriptures and apply them to your situation.
- Are you in need today? Philippians 4:19 says, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.”
- Do you need strength? Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
- Do you need to be healed? Isaiah 53:5 says, “… with His stripes we are healed.”
- Do you need forgiveness? 1 John 2:2 says, “He is the propitiation for our sins.”
Do you have other needs today? Find the Scriptures that apply and begin to pray. You can see the Scripture fulfilled right before your eyes.
As we follow the news, we can see that there are many prophecies and Scripture being fulfilled. We certainly live in interesting times. Let’s continue to look for Scripture being fulfilled in our lives and in the world around us.
Rick Heinrich