Listen to Him

Hearing the Living Word of God

A reflection on Jesus preaching in Nazareth. The first part of this scene was the Gospel reading last week in the Revised Common Lectionary, and the second part is assigned for this coming Sunday.

After being baptized and tested in the wilderness, Jesus returns to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit,” already gaining a reputation as a teacher. When he enters the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, he is handed the scroll of Isaiah, and he deliberately chooses to read from chapter 61.

This is not a random choice. Isaiah 61 was widely understood to be a messianic prophecy, a vision of God’s future deliverance and restoration for Israel. By reading this passage, Jesus aligns himself with this mission, but he does so in a radical and unexpected way. After reading, Jesus sits down—a position of authority—and declares, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This simple statement is a turning point. Jesus is not merely teaching about Isaiah’s prophecy; he is claiming to embody it. In essence, he is saying: “I am the one anointed by the Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. The time is now, and it is happening through me.”

Listening to the Canon Within the Canon

This moment in the synagogue exemplifies what it means to listen to the "canon within the canon," to allow Jesus’ life and teachings to interpret all of Scripture. His declaration is a call to tune our hearts and minds to the agenda of God’s kingdom as revealed in him. This principle echoes back to the Wedding at Cana, when Mary, his mother, points to Jesus and tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

Mary’s instruction reminds us to heed Jesus’ voice above all others. In Luke 4, we see Jesus’ voice cutting through centuries of interpretation and expectation, redefining the messianic mission not as a path to earthly power but as a divine mission of liberation, healing, and justice. Listening to Jesus, as Mary instructs, prioritizes the values he embodies: care for the marginalized, inclusion of the outsider, and the proclamation of a kingdom unlike any empire.

This declaration in the synagogue signals that the kingdom of God has broken into the world through Jesus’ life and ministry. It also redefines what God’s favor looks like. The people in the synagogue would have expected the fulfillment of Isaiah 61 to mean the restoration of Israel’s political and national glory. They anticipated a Messiah who would overthrow their Roman oppressors and establish a new empire in Israel’s favor.

But Jesus upends their expectations. The good news he proclaims is not about nationalistic triumph or military victory. It is about liberation for the poor, the oppressed, and the outcast. It is not about elevating one group of people above others but about creating a kingdom where all are restored, included, and made whole.

The Radical Implications of Jesus’ Teaching

The implications of Jesus’ proclamation are as radical today as they were in Nazareth. When Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,” he emphasizes that his mission is Spirit-led, empowered by God’s presence and purpose. This mission is not confined to spiritual transformation alone but encompasses social, economic, and physical liberation.

In this moment, Jesus makes clear that the agenda of the Kingdom of God is rooted in justice. The poor are prioritized, not pitied. The oppressed are freed, not ignored. The marginalized are restored to community, not left on the fringes. This is not a kingdom that mirrors the power structures of Rome or any other empire. It is the Kingdom that flips the values of the world on their head.

This shift infuriates the crowd. They had welcomed Jesus’ reading of Isaiah, perhaps imagining that God’s favor would mean the exaltation of Israel above other nations. But Jesus refuses to confine the Kingdom of God to their narrow expectations. He reveals that God’s favor is expansive and inclusive, reaching beyond ethnic, national, and social boundaries.

The Cost of the Kingdom

The crowd’s reaction underscores the cost of proclaiming and living out the agenda of the Kingdom of God. Initially, they marvel at Jesus’ gracious words, but their admiration turns to rage when they realize the implications of his message. By challenging their assumptions and calling them to embrace a Kingdom that includes the outsider and upends their expectations of power, Jesus exposes their complicity in the very systems of exclusion and oppression that the kingdom seeks to overturn.

This rejection foreshadows the broader resistance Jesus will face throughout his ministry. The Kingdom of God, with its divine flip of power and priorities, is profoundly disruptive. It challenges not only the political and economic systems of empire but also the deeply held attitudes and prejudices of those who benefit from or are complicit in those systems.

In proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor, Jesus calls us to confront the ways in which we, too, may cling to the values of empire—whether it is through seeking security in wealth, power, or exclusion. Following Jesus means embracing a vision of the kingdom where the poor are blessed, the oppressed are freed, and God’s favor is extended to all.