Jesus Christ: centre of attention – 2 April 2009

I was given insight into a passage from Luke the other day while reading a paper by a lecturer.

Luke 4:16-21 I have heard many times and know it tells the story of Jesus going to a Synagogue in Nazareth and reading from the scroll of Isaiah. But it doesn’t - Luke never says that Jesus reads it.

I don’t want to get into a debate here - keep going with me. Just note that Luke says Jesus “got up to read”, but never says “he read aloud” the words.*

Imagine the scene.

Jesus is back in town - looking thinner after 40 days with no food – and he gets up to teach in the synagogue.  He takes the scroll of Isaiah off the service leader, opens it to a passage in Isaiah and looks at the congregation.  Then in silence Jesus rolls up the scroll, give sit back and sits down.

Luke reports that all the people stare at Jesus – wouldn’t you?  Imagine if someone got up to read in your church, looked at everyone and just sat down!  You would stare at them.  And they would have your full attention.

Jesus then gives the sermon that is to lay out his ministry leading to his glorious death and resurrection - with the most captive of audience.

That’s our saviour, amazing – he knows how to get his message across, and he knows how to make you take notice.

*some keen readers will have noticed – as in fact I have – that verse 21 of chapter 4 has Jesus saying, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This may seem like he must have read.  But, imagine if he didn’t – is that not making a bigger point about his ministry?  He does not need to read the scripture because he is the embodiment of it.  By not hearing they have heard better the full message of what he is saying.  In the silence they can ‘hear’ that the prophecy does not need to be read anymore because the one it speaks of has arrived and he is not the one who talks.