Calvin Synod Herald, 2011 (112. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)
2011-07-01 / 7-8. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD I A Lesson from Nazareth Matthew 13:54 - 58; Mark 6:1 -6; Luke 4:16-30 Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee. A report about him had spread through the surrounding country about his miracles, healing power, and the gentle words of His teachings. But Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, in his own home town. With pain he said: Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. It sounded like a newspaper headline. When Jesus was presented in the temple, Simeon foretold that this child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. This sign appeared in Nazareth according to the Gospel of Luke 4:16-30. Jewish custom permitted adults to read from the Scriptures during the worship service and to give an interpretation. Usually the readings were from the Tora. These chapters of the Scriptures are the origin of the lectionary. Then they read from the prophets and from the historical and poetic books. The first reading, from the Tora, was and is called parasa; the second, haphtarah. The reading from the Torah was strictly prescribed by chapters, but the haphtarah was read by free choice in the time of Jesus. Whoever wanted to read stood up as a signal and the servant of the synagogue gave him the Scripture rolls. Jesus stood up and read. The reading was about the mission of the Messiah. He read from Isaiah 61:1-2: 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. When he gave back the rolls, all eyes were fixed on him with great expectation. Who is preaching good news to the poor and proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor? Is he the Messiah? Everyone listened to Him, as His words were kind and gentle. Jesus said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing," which means that with these words He said that the Messiah is here. At that moment all the people in the synagogue changed their impressions of Him and they became angry and nasty. He immediately lost his popularity and their respect; they rejected his identity as the Messiah. Why did this proclamation cause such a tremendous change? He had been known as a prophet, a healer, and a rabbi, but no more. They said, "Isn't this Joseph 's son? " Now he became just a carpenter, just Joseph's son. What kind of Messiah? The King of Israel? They wanted Him to show a sign or to perform a miracle to prove Himself as the Messiah; otherwise, this was blasphemy which deserved death. Jesus refused to perform a miracle. He had performed many miracles in Capernaum and the towns all around the Lake of Galilee. But miracles happen through faith in the lives of those who believe. Miracles themselves do not produce faith and Jesus does not build faith on miracles. In faith you can recognize miracles, but miracles do not make an unbeliever believe. Jesus performed miracles to glorify God, not to satisfy human demands. Jesus said: "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. And he said: Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown" (Luke 4:23-24). Then he gave examples according to the Jewish law as all truth must be proved by evidence: "When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They 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. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority" (Luke 4:25-32). He spoke with authority, compared to the scribes who were focused on their own problems and they were out of touch. In the present time, even in our own denomination, we are seeing that Jesus’ teachings are ignored or that proper attention is not given to them. In Calvin Synod, with our confessional heritage of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Second Helvetic Confession, and in great respect for the teachings of the Scriptures, we can certainly learn from this passage. We can see that in Jesus' teachings, real questions were raised and answered with Scriptures. But more than this, Jesus revealed the truth about God. He forgave sins and promised that the Spirit of God would fill and guide the lives of His followers, even today, if we accept, respect and love Him. He promised that the faithful will be with Him forever in His Father’s house. May the Almighty God bless you all Rt. Rev. Béla Poznan, Bishop of Calvin Synod, UCC / \ Take advantage of this INTROD UCTOR Y SPECIAL to advertise your business in the Calvin Synod Herald and support our Hungarian heritage at the same time! Contact our business manager for contract advertisement rates Wilburn A. Roby Jr. 724-285-8851 warair(d)embarqmail. com /
