The Gentiles, like Luke himself, believed in Christ on the testimony of others, not because they were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life, ministry and resurrection. But, attacks on the historical existence of Jesus began to undermine their faith. To build up their faith, Luke wrote an account of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word’.
Luke’s Gospel shows the continuity between God’s promises made through the prophets and their fulfilment in Jesus. Jesus, reading from the prophet Isaiah the promise that God would send one who would free his people from oppression and imprisonment, and restore their freedom and liberty, announced, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,’
His words electrified his audience. They had heard this promise many times before, but now Jesus, standing in front of them, was saying, ‘I am fulfilling this great promise of God. I am the Spirit-Bearer foretold by Isaiah and, in the creative power of God’s Spirit, I am bringing in a new age of freedom and divine favour, restoring men and women to health, and casting out demons.’ It’s not surprising that ‘The eyes of the entire synagogue were fixed on him.’ It’s also unsurprising that they couldn’t accept him as later, ‘rose up and put him out of the city.’
Jesus stands before us, proclaiming the Good News, and restoring to us our inheritance as God’s children, freeing us from oppression and liberating us from whatever imprisons us. Do we believe this and go to Jesus for his grace and life? Or do we not believe that he can do all this and so reject him? Jesus stands before us as he stood before his fellow townspeople and challenges us to approach him for healing and freedom. The choice, however, always remains ours.
