SUMMARY
In his hometown synagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of worship. Jesus often taught in synagogues where he sometimes ran afoul of Jewish leaders. In the book of Acts, Paul and others attend synagogues and teach in them. More Jesus reads from the book of Isaiah and announces that his ministry will fulfill a vision of liberation described by the prophet. When Jesus explains that the people of Nazareth will not be the primary beneficiaries of his liberating work, some of them try to kill him.
ANALYSIS
This is the first extensively narrated act of Jesus’ public ministry in Luke’s Gospel. It is a pivotal scene that serves as a programmatic passage for all of Luke-Acts. Jesus’ words give an encapsulated description of the work that he will do, defining him as one empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. The hostile response of the crowd foreshadows the rejection that he will face later in the Gospel.
Reading Scripture aloud in a synagogue service was a common practice, and a person did not necessarily need to hold a special office to offer leadership in worship and instruction (compare Acts 13:13-15). The biblical text cited in Luke 4:17-19 is not a single passage from Isaiah but a combination of Isaiah 61:1-2a and part of Isaiah 58:6. These two passages are probably combined here in Luke because in the Greek translation of the Old Testament the same word is found in both places. This word is aphesis, which appears when Jesus says he is “to proclaim release to the captives” and also “to let the oppressed go free.” Combining the two passages from Isaiah emphasizes this theme of “release” that characterizes Jesus’ ministry. The same word appears elsewhere in Luke to describe people’s release (usually translated “forgiveness”) from sins. The word also appears frequently in the Greek translation (the SeptuagintThe Septuagint is a pre-Christian (third to first century BCE) Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. It is believed that the term Septuagint derives from the number of scholars-seventy (or seventy-two)-who reputedly did the work of translation. More version) of Leviticus 25:8-55, which discusses the jubileeJubilee is a time of celebration and rejoicing. Hebrew law, as prescribed in Leviticus 25 and 27, declared every fiftieth year to be a jubilee year during which time slaves would be emancipated, debts would be forgiven, and even the land would be allowed to rest. More year, a “year of release” meant to preserve justice in Israel through the fair and regular distribution of wealth and personal freedoms. Jesus’ sermon, therefore, implies that his ministry is one that liberates people from social and economic oppression, just as other pronouncements indicate that this includes freedom from sin’s oppression.
Subsequently, in Luke 4:24-29, Jesus provokes his audience by insisting that prophets suffer rejection in their homelands. Both Elijah and Elisha experienced this, and their ministries benefited unlikely outsiders such as the widowA widow is a woman whose spouse has died, often plunging her into poverty and putting her in a vulnerable position in society. Jesus, in his concern for the poor, regards widows with compassion and concern. More from Zarephath (1 Kings 17) and Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5:1-19). The people of Nazareth, then, should expect no special benefits from Jesus because he is from their small (and possibly economically disadvantaged) town. His ministry will primarily benefit outsiders, those from beyond there . This enrages his audience, and their violence confirms Jesus’ statement in Luke 4:24. From the beginning of his ministry in Luke, then, Jesus looks like a prophet of old insofar as he does not enjoy a positive reception among his audience.
Luke’s description of Jesus’ escape at the end of the passage is vague, leaving the reader to wonder if he skillfully manages to slip away or if he is saved by miraculous means.
