Replies

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Nehemia 8:2-4,5-6,8-10 II: 1Cor 12:12-30

Gospel
Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21

¹ Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us,
² just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
³ it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent The-oph'ilus,
⁴ that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.
^4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country.
¹⁵ And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read;
¹⁷ and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
¹⁸ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
²⁰ And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
²¹ And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Interesting Details

(v.14) "in the power of the Spirit". Luke prepares his readers to appreciate that the passage from Isaiah in verse 18 applies to Jesus ("The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...").
(v.15) The synagogue was the real center of religious life in Israel. The law at that time was that wherever there were ten Jewish families there must be a synagogue. The synagogue service has three parts:
a. The worship part, where a prayer is offered.
b. The readings of the scriptures by members of the congregation. It is likely that Jesus' reading is by pre-arrangement.
c. The teaching part, whereby a distinguished person in the congregation is invited to speak, followed by a discussion.
(v. 18) Jesus is the Spirit-bearer foretold in this Isaiah passage. The goal of his ministry is spelled out here. Luke arranges the verses in a pattern commonly found in ancient literature:
a. good news to the poor
b. release to the captives
c. sight to the blind
b'. freedom to the oppressed
a'. proclaim year of the Lord's favor
This concentric arrangement helps the reader see that lines a and a' are similar, b and b' are similar. Line c stands out as the focus of the verses.
(v. 19) In ancient Jewish tradition, at an interval of every fifty years, a "jubilee" year was celebrated where all debts are forgiven and slaves regain their freedom. For obvious reasons, the poor look toward this jubilee year with much hope. Jesus brings new meanings to the jubilee year: freedom from and forgiveness of sins.
(v. 20) Jesus sits down. This gives the readers the impression that he is finished. Actually he is about to start. The speaker usually gives his address while seated.
(v. 21) "Today this scripture has been fulfilled". The word "today" should not be taken to mean "at the time of Jesus". It refers to the present time of fulfillment of God's promise.

One Main Point

God is ever faithful to his people. In Jesus he fulfills his promise: to set us free, to bring awareness to our unenlightened (and thus blind) state.

Reflections

What does the word "freedom" mean to me? As a Christian, how am I free or not free?
I close my eyes to 'see' what blindness is like. I attempt to remember the colors around me, to remember the faces of people I know. As Jesus has restored the sight of the blind, I ask Jesus to restore the sight of my soul, to give me new understanding and awareness.