In our Gospel reading for today, we find Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth, the small community in Galilee. We don’t know exactly what life was like in Nazareth at that time but by extrapolating from my own experiences with various current-day small towns, I am comfortable suggesting a few general characteristics. It is probable that most, if not all, of the people of Nazareth knew Jesus personally. The older folks had watched him grow up. He had been in many of their homes at some point in time. For some who were about his age, Jesus had been a playmate (and for some, Jesus may have been the “goody two shoes” – maybe “goody two sandals” – they excluded from raucous activities). Even after Jesus left Nazareth to begin his ministry, he would have been the subject of many conversations around town: “Did you hear what Jesus did at Capernaum?”
Imagine how they must have felt that day in the synagogue when Jesus – the hometown boy with a growing reputation – read those stirring words from the prophet:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Luke tells us they were impressed, but then Jesus said something more that was not as well received, to put it mildly.
Each time I read this passage, I struggle with the last part of Jesus’s message, not because it seems harsh – there are other times when Jesus delivers harsh statements – but because it seems unprovoked. Luke tells us they were speaking “highly” of Jesus – even the question “Is this not the son of Joseph?” appears somewhat innocent here – when Jesus castigates the congregation. I wonder if it might be the case that one other small-town characteristic is at play here: Just as each person in Nazareth knew Jesus, Jesus also knew each of them.
Please travel through time and place with me from that scene in Nazareth to a church in Lincoln, Nebraska, in August 2025. Just a couple days prior to this writing, I was blessed to be at a worship service where a young man gave his first sermon. This young man, who was raised in this church and whose parents still are members of the congregation, is currently a seminarian in Atlanta. Over the summer, he has been serving as an intern at the church, teaching some classes, visiting the sick, and (this past Sunday) preaching. Some members of the church who have known him since he was in diapers made a point of attending some classes. He did not preach at all of Sunday’s services, so some folks who normally attend other worship times adjusted their schedules to hear his sermon. They wanted to support and encourage him, and they did. I wonder, though, how many really “heard” his message of following Christ in the pursuit of justice. Put another way, how many people were focused on how well Todd and Betty’s son was doing instead of focusing on how the Holy Spirit was speaking through him – and how the Holy Spirit was speaking to each of them.
Return with me to the synagogue in Nazareth. Perhaps Jesus responded as he did because the people were missing the point as they proudly talked about how well Joseph and Mary’s boy had spoken. How frustrating and disappointing it must have been for Jesus to realize that the people he knew so well were never going to get it. They were happy hearing some stirring verses but did not understand or embrace the message to change their lives to follow and engage in Christ’s ministry. And then we see the level of hostility with which they received the difficult pronouncement.
So, as I write this and as you read this, we are neither in Nazareth in the time of Christ nor in a pew in Lincoln in August 2025. We are in a tumultuous time with news that reminds us that poverty, captivity, illness and oppression can be found around the globe. Will we respond contentedly how good it is to hear those verses from Isaiah and then continue our lives unchanged? Or will we respond to the Spirit’s call to join in ministering to the poor, the captives, the sick, the oppressed, the abused, the addicts, the lonely, the angry – in short, to all who need to know the love and justice that comes from Jesus Christ?
David Crawford
I was Creighton’s University Archivist from January 2007 to April 2021, although as a faculty spouse I had been a part of the Creighton community since 1995. As University Archivist, I was responsible for archival, rare books and special collections, as well as for a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible on loan to Creighton. I left Creighton to assist others with historical, archival, cultural and various artistic projects.
I have been married to my wife, Sue, since 1990. We have two sons, one a graduate of Fordham and the other a graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I enjoy birdwatching, playing soccer, music and comedy.
The online Daily Reflections have been an important part of my faith journey for several years. I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to write these devotions.
