Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C

by Peter Keyel

ENVY EXCLUDES, GRATITUDE INCLUDES

Luke 4:21-30 
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C 
Analysis by Peter Keyel
 

 
21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.  

Nazareth, Synagogue Church, painting in the ancient synagogue
From Wikimedia Commons.

“God’s choice in dealing with our rebellion is not to end our being, but to end our animosity through the gift of new life.”

Author’s Note: vv. 16-20 are included here for context of what Scripture Jesus claims is fulfilled.  

DIAGNOSIS: You get nothing 

Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem): Excluded 
Why is Jesus particular about those who get his benefits?   Just as his hometown crowd is getting their hopes up that Jesus may execute on the abundant promises of Isaiah being “fulfilled in your hearing”, he crushes those hopes by clarifying that this fulfillment is not for them. “Remember all those times when God chose the Gentiles over you? Yeah, same here – I’m performing miracles in Capernaum, but not here.” 

How often does such exclusion seem to come from the good things on a social or political scale? Exclusion abounds. 

Step 2: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem): Filled with rage 
Is it any surprise this seeming exclusion fills everyone there with rage? Any parent of a toddler could predict this outcome after saying, “here are a bunch of good things you can’t have.”  To make matters worse, these are Jesus’ childhood friends and family friends who just congratulated him on the reading and were amazed (and presumably hopeful) from what he said.  

But the rage is inspired by their own envy and jealousy. Instead of feeling happy for the people of Capernaum, or grateful that they lived to hear its fulfillment (like Simeon and Anna), they want it for themselves.   

For many of us, this may seem understandable.  More generally, when we see exclusion played out in the social and political scale, we get similar results. Those excluded are hurt and get filled with rage over the exclusion. 

Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Eternal Problem): Out for blood 
Now the One who proclaimed that the Scripture was fulfilled is public enemy #1. This reveals just how far the crowd has rebelled against God. Instead of being a good thing, “good news to the poor” is now worthy of hurling Jesus off a cliff.  While Jesus passes through the crowd here, another crowd will catch up with Him when He provokes the chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem. That time, Jesus is murdered on a cross. In the social arena, the violence more often takes the form of broken relationships and friendships, and political backstabbing in the office. Politically, it can and does turn to murder. 

So wrapped up in their own rage, they don’t stop to think if or how God will respond to this rebellion, or if it is their sin that excludes them from God’s “good news to the poor”. 

From Canva

PROGNOSIS: Jesus gives us everything 

Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Eternal Solution): Saved by Christ’s blood 
The Spirit of the LORD is on Jesus. Jesus passes through the crowd unharmed. More remarkable, Jesus will even overcome the successful attempt on his life in Jerusalem. Crucified for all that we were, are, and have become, three days post-mortem, Jesus is back, full of resurrecting promise. 

Jesus is not out for blood against the people who did this. Instead, through dying and rising, Jesus fulfills the passage He read in the synagogue in Nazareth. While many still die in prison, and others remain blind their whole lives, the Good News of forgiveness of sins is for everyone, including and especially or those who wanted Him dead.  God’s choice in dealing with our rebellion is not to end our being, but to end our animosity through the gift of new life. 

Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution): Filled with peace 
The gift of new life gives us a new perspective on life. Instead of anger, it brings peace that comes through our trust that the new life is for us. We now have what we need to get through life. This means that instead of envy and jealousy, we can celebrate gifts given to others. 

Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution): Included 
The promises of Christ’s peace and fulfillment allow us to include others and celebrate their wins.  Good things happening to others is a cause of celebration.   

God’s peace allows us to engage others with peace, so that all may be included in the promising fulfillment of good news! 

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Author

  • I was raised in the ELCA. I got involved with Crossings after meeting Ed Schroeder at Bethel Lutheran church in St Louis, MO. Outside of lay theology, I serve as a faculty member at a university, educating students in biomedical science, and pursuing research on lupus and flesh-eating bacteria.

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