This paper discusses the passage in the Bible and its message to the application of the new testament. The discussion focuses on the Nazareth sermon as outlined in Reading Luke 4;14-30, which helps understand the position that Luke held in the New Testament studies. Luke skipped the first year of Jesus' ministry after his temptation in the wilderness, focusing mostly on his first sermon in his hometown. The address was the first report that Luke provided Jesus' public works in a town where he worshiped as a boy.
Historical and literary context
The authorship of this passage is known as Luke, the companion of Paul, and the author of Acts of Apostles. The text introduces the life that follows Jesus' ministry on earth. Jesus' experience during his return to Nazareth resembles what he went through throughout the rest of his journey. For example, the passage introduces the unbelief and real antipathy of the Jews during their time with Jesus. Lynch mobs were part of the experiences that Jesus faced during his mission on earth, and they were first seen during this Nazareth sermon.
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The message that Jesus introduced during the sermon at Nazareth is the same letter he went on preaching thought Judea and Galilee for the three years of his ministry ( Carroll, 2012) . This is the same message that had been foretold by prophets of what will happen in the future. This is why Jesus began by saying the scripture was being fulfilled as he was the one to proclaim the good news. The message from the sermon at Nazareth that was the message throughout the book of Luke was divided into two parts. The first part was that Jesus was coming for the poor, the weak and oppressed in the society. The second message was that there are people who will reject him and facilitate his death.
As Jesus began his public ministry, he moved from town to town teaching the Gospel. Before the Nazareth sermon, some events had already taken place, including the wedding and Cana when he turned water into wine. As such, some people were already aware of his deeds in Galilee and expected the same results. The passage speaks about Jesus' visit to Nazareth and his program presentation to the synagogue. The congregation was first amazed, then rebelled when they became aware that Jesus wanted to accept everyone without any exclusions. In this account, Jesus makes it clear that a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown.
Literary Context
The passage is an integral part of understanding Jesus mission on earth and the purpose of his ministry. It is found at the beginning of the book of Luke just after the temptation of Jesus, illustrating the official start of his ministry on earth. The sermon was the first narrated act of Jesus' public ministry in the Gospel of Luke, which serves as a programmatic passage for what he was going to do over the next three years ( Carroll, 2012) . The text acts as a symbol for the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and his end due to betrayal from his people. This was the first time Jesus taught in a synagogue after the holy spirit started operating mightily upon him. He used this sermon to announce the good news of the Kingdom of God and his ministry. He chose texts that spoke about the poor, prisoners, blind, and the oppressed since it represented the situation of the people of Galilee at the time.
From the beginning, Jesus always looked outwards to the poor in the society, the oppressed as well as the weak. He presented himself as the Messiah, who is mainly sent by God for such people. During the Nazareth sermon, several people rejected Jesus, claiming he was the child of Joseph and lacked the moral authority to speak to them. People started questioning the identity of Jesus and eventually challenged him to perform a miracle to prove his claim of being a prophet. Most of the congregation in Nazareth were not unfortunate enough to hear the Gospel in what Jesus had to say. They believed to be the righteous ones who did not care about the oppressed in society. They were the first to deny the message that Jesus brought and facilitated in his crucifixion on the cross.
Central Theme
The main theme of this passage in the Bible was liberation, which characterized Jesus ministry on the planet. The primary purpose of Jesus was to liberate people from sin and restore the relationship with God. Therefore, this passage served as the introduction of Jesus' ministry on earth that focused on preaching the good news to all people and liberating them from the captivity of sin. Two thesis statements emerged from this passage, which was the new covenant and the year of jubilee. Jesus defined his mission as announcing the good news and accept those who are excluded from society, including the Gentiles.
Luke recorded how Jesus came into the synagogue and read the prophecy of Isaiah in front of everyone who had come for Sabbath. He introduced Christ's prophetic ministry in this passage by depicting him as the one to fulfill Isaiah's prophesy. He also constructed a scene that was prophetic of the destiny that Isaiah prophesized about Jesus to be the fulfillment of the prophecy as he was sent to release the captives. The primary mission of Jesus was to be a medium for God to manifest in the lives of people by bringing grace and restoration. After he finished reading the text, Jesus commented on it, saying it is being fulfilled. This interpretation of the book was responsible for provoking the audience
Interpretation
This text is an integral part of Jesus journey on the planet and his ministry over the three years. The whole passage around Luke 4: 14-30 is structured around proclamations that Jesus made and the responses he received from his hometown people. This was a symbol of what Jesus was bound to experience as he began his journey on earth. During the sermon, Jesus was announcing the inauguration of his ministry by reading a passage from Isaiah. He explained his purpose on earth, which was to liberate all people, by granting freedom to the oppressed, give sight to the poor, and release the captives. He announced that his ministry was fulfilling the anticipated prophecy.
Jesus had been brought up in Nazareth, followed the custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. It was a common practice to have someone read a scripture loudly in a synagogue service ( Monshouwer, 1991) . This means the act was not reserved for people holding a particular office to lead the reading of scriptures and instruction. Luke's use of the word custom in this context was not meant to stress the routine nature of the occasion, but to affirm an indispensable part in the life of Jesus that recognized the Sabbath. During the sermon, Jesus stated that his ministry is beyond those people considered worthy and honorable, as it looks to integrate individuals of all sizes and shapes. He claimed everyone could be part of the kingdom of God, and all can be saved by grace. Jesus used the sermon to correct people of their mistakes, that entails sidelining the poor and oppressing the weak in the society.
Jesus claimed to be anointed by the spirit of God, setting him apart and directing him for the specific task. However, his audience found blasphemy in these words, since they expected the kingdom of God to appear dramatically by uprooting the regime in Judea and usher in the David throne. The Nazareth congregation was ready to slay its prophet because they were not ready to accept the frontier-free nature of the Gospel of Jesus. He said the ministry was for Jews as well as the Gentiles, while the Nazareth congregation saw gentiles as fodder for the hellfire ( Siker, 1992) . Therefore, an immediate admiration of Jesus gave way to anger and rejection when he tried to challenge them out of their comfort zone. Christians are willing to praise God as long as he offers them freedom without challenging them for any responsibility, such as taking care of the weak and outcasts.
Chapter four of the book of Luke in the Bible provides a resume of the life of Jesus and why he was rejected at the end of his life on earth. It shows how people can quickly change and go against someone when correcting them as opposed to praising them. Before the crucifixion, all the people who were grateful for the miracles that Jesus did turn against him, bailing for his blood and calling for his death. This passage provided the first glimpse of the nature of Israelites when dealing with Jesus. Jesus pointed to himself as the Messiah, who had been prophesized in the old testament. One of the reasons why the people were angry at Jesus was his reference to the Old Testament, where God does a mighty act of rescue. Jesus quoted Isaiah by defining his message as taking the good news to people who are considered outside the honorable bounds of society.
This passage of the Bible is of crucial importance to the Gospel of Luke in explaining the journey of Jesus. Although Jesus did not start his ministry journey in his hometown of Nazareth, it was one of the first places he visited after baptism and temptations. The sermon at Nazareth provided the official account of his ministry. Jesus announced to be the Messiah, who was talked about in the prophecy of Isaiah. It was during the sermon that the audience learned that Jesus was the anointed one who was set to set humankind free from sin and darkness ( O'Toole, 1995) . Jesus applied to himself the words of Isaiah of bringing care to people who were considered outcasts in society. At first, the congregation wondered how Joseph's son could have such wisdom. However, they later hated him for criticizing their mistakes. The message of Jesus was hard to hear as he claimed his message was for outsiders rather than the people in the synagogue.
Theological insight and contextualization
This Bible text has a theological application to today's world, explaining why religious people reject Christ and his message of grace. The ministry that Jesus brought and taught during the Nazareth sermon has several implications in today's life. The message is crucial as it introduces the ministry of Jesus, setting it in a broader framework. However, the passage also shows how the church was opposed to the mission that Jesus was brought due to their comfortable routines. The message in the Bible is an excellent warning to the church today against rejecting the message of Jesus due to their comfort zones. Many churches today are aware o the mission of Jesus but do not live out to the purpose. Jesus spoke about the freedom from sin and free from the devil's captivity. The message was, therefore, both individually and corporately relevant to today's world.
Luke, in the passage, wants the church to go out of their comfort zone and to live on mission for God. The purpose of Jesus was for Christians to help people of all kinds and stop the oppression. During the sermon, Jesus defined his ministry as going beyond the known frontiers of his congregation to include the rejected and outsiders. He introduced a new definition of community which entailed a universal application of his Gospel.
Furthermore, Jesus revealed the basis for Christian fellowship through this sermon, showing that it is based on an eternally significant Gospel. It contains a message of freedom from oppression, which could only happen in the context of the "year of the lord." Today, the news that Jesus read during the sermon at Nazareth is still the same, applying to all types of Christians. Some individuals cannot admit to being weak and under the captivity of the devil. The message makes them angry and defensive as they invest more in worldly riches as opposed to the heavenly riches that Jesus preached. Such people only want words that will comfort the illusions about themselves and not those that ridicule their ways.
References
Carroll, J. T. (2012). Luke (2012): A Commentary . Westminster John Knox Press.
Monshouwer, D. (1991). The Reading of the Prophet in the Synagogue at Nazareth. Biblica , 72 (1), 90-99.
O'Toole, R. F. (1995). Does Luke also portray Jesus as the Christ in Luke 4, 16-30?. Biblica , 498-522.
Siker, J. S. (1992). " First to the Gentiles": A Literary Analysis of Luke 4: 16-30. Journal of Biblical Literature , 111 (1), 73-90.
