Who is Jesus?

January 27^th, 2013      “Who is Jesus?”           Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 4:14-21

          In this morning’s passage we find Jesus at the beginning of his ministry.  He has just returned from his forty days in the wilderness.  He has spent time alone and with the devil, discovering for himself who he is and what his mission entails.  He returns from the desert to his hometown of Nazareth to announce to those who know him best just who he is and what he is up to.  That is what we will explore this morning.  Just who is Jesus and what is his ministry?  And in turn how does that relate to us as modern Christians? 

          Jesus tells those in the synagogue in Nazareth who he is using the words of the prophet Isaiah.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

First of all Jesus’ ministry is a ministry “in the Spirit”.  We know that the author of Luke is especially concerned with the role of the Spirit in Jesus’ life.  Jesus is conceived by the Spirit, the Spirit descends on him at his baptism, and from his baptism forward Jesus is empowered by the Spirit.  We will later read in Luke that Jesus rejoices in the Spirit as well.  When the author of Luke uses Spirit language he is not using a divine metaphor, rather the Spirit functions as a divine reality that is behind Jesus’ life and mission.  With his ministry in the Spirit, Jesus’ words and deeds are connected to the fullness of God’s presence and activity.

What does that mean for us as modern Christians?  We know that in the book of Acts, which is also by the Lukan author, the Spirit will be given to those who carry out Jesus’ ministry in the world.  That means that, as followers of Jesus, our very own ministries are in the Spirit as well.  The Spirit is a divine reality for us.  When we are carrying out our ministry, the work of Christ through the church, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we do it.  It is a ministry that is connected to God.  And it is the Spirit who gives us our gifts for ministry and makes us all unique individuals in one body of the church.

Next Jesus tells us that he will bring good news to the poor.  We see this in Luke as Jesus helps the widow whose son has died, and the woman who spent all her money in vain on physicians.  Jesus and his ministry are an expression of God’s intention to reverse the appearances of the world.  The good news of God is directed specifically at the poor.  Jesus has come to change the fortunes of those in the world that have very little or even nothing.

As modern Christians how do we bring good news to the poor?  We will come face to face with this teaching a lot this year as we walk through Luke, and it is a difficult lesson.  In Luke we will hear a lot about God’s preferential option for the poor.  This means that God favors the poor over other people.  You could say, and the Lukan author would, that the poor are God’s favorite.  We face this challenge in the stories of the rich man and Lazarus, and the laborers in the vineyard to name a few.  Luke is where we find out that the first will be last and the last will be first.  Our mission as a church is to bring good news to the poor in whatever way we can.  One clear way that we are doing this now is through our support of the Food Center.  But what else can we do?  I would challenge us through this next year to think of other ways we can bring good news to the poor.

Next, Jesus tells us that his ministry is to bring release to the captives.  Some examples of this in Luke are the man held captive by a demon, the paralyzed man, the ten lepers, and Zacheaus the tax collector who was captive to his own greed and to an unjust financial system.  Jesus works to shatter the chains and break the bonds that keep humanity from being truly free.  We know also that Jesus will release those who are captive to the bondage of sin and evil through his life, death, and resurrection.

What does the release of captives mean for us today?  I think the easiest connection is to identify ourselves as those held captive by sin and death who are now freed by the saving acts of Christ.  A more challenging interpretation is to ask how we might work on behalf of Christ to release others that are held more literally captive in our world.  How can we help those held unjustly in prison, those wrongly accused, those who have not had a fair trial, those who suffer torture and degradation?  How can we help those who are held captive by other things like drugs and alcohol, abusive relationships, or insurmountable debt?  Perhaps we should spend time considering what we are doing to seek the release of everyone held captive around the world?

Next, Jesus tells us that his ministry is about recovery of sight to the blind.  In Luke we read that he heals the blind man on the road to Jericho among others, and we know that the restoration of sight is among the signs of the Messiah.  Not only does Jesus literally heal those that are blind, Jesus enables people to see God aright, to possess a vision, and to better understand the will of God.

The experience of modern Christianity is also about the recovery of sight.  I think that sometimes it is we who need to be healed; we need to let Jesus heal us of our blindness.  We need to let Jesus open our eyes to better see the world we live in and how we can be of service.  We need Jesus to open our eyes to the people we have left out in the cold, the people we have excluded, those we have let go away empty handed.  We need to want to be healed.  We need the scales to drop from our eyes so we can more clearly see who God is, and how God wants us to work in the world on behalf of God’s reconciling love.

Next Jesus tells us that he has come to bring freedom to the oppressed.  We read many times of those on the fringes of society who have encounters with Jesus and leave as freed people.  The literal meaning for the word oppressed that is used here means “broken in pieces”, which would suggest that Jesus has come to heal those that are broken or a broken system like social injustice.  But we also know that as the Messiah, Jesus brings release to those trapped under the burden of sin through his gospel of forgiveness.

I think that in this matter, the church needs to heed the call to also be aware of those who are oppressed.  If we are to be like Christ, what are we doing to help bring freedom to the oppressed?  One way is by sharing the gospel message with people, to free them from the oppression of sin.  Another way is to speak as a voice against social oppression and corporate sin.  It is our responsibility as Christians to continue to seek freedom for the all of those who are oppressed.

Finally, Jesus says that he has come to proclaim the “year of the Lord’s favor.”  The year of the Lord’s favor refers to the Old Testament concept of the Jubilee year, an every-fifty-year sabbatical of sabbaticals when property was returned to its original owners, slaves were released, and debts cancelled.  Jesus is a traveling Jubilee, proclaiming “liberty throughout the land.”  Jesus is bringing the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand.

What does this last one mean for us?  We know that a Jubilee year did not occur during Jesus’ lifetime, and many scholars wonder if it ever really happened in ancient Israel either.  It is hard to determine.  But, it is easy to imagine that those in power would not be in favor of the freedom of slaves and the cancellation of all debts.  I am sure that they would fight against any such changes, for they would stand to lose the most if such a radical act were to take place.

I think our job as Christians is to look to the Jubilee year as perhaps the way God would intend for us to live.  No slavery, instead everyone holds equal status.  And no debts, instead everyone shares freely of what they have.  The year of Jubilee sums up the kingdom of God for it is all about good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed.  This is the work of the Spirit, and should therefore be the work of the church. 

My challenge to us this morning is to consider who Jesus is.  Not who we want him to be, but who he actually tells us he is.  And then to ask ourselves what does that mean for us.  How can we follow him as Christians if we are not willing to carry out his mission in the world?  What are we at First Presbyterian Church doing to bring about the Jubilee of the Lord?  These are things I would like us to ponder as a community as we enter into another year in the service of our Lord.  Amen.