Anointed to Love
About this article
Based on readings from Jeremiah, 1 Corinthians, and the Gospel of Luke, this reflection explores the meaning of Jesus' healing and prophetic ministry. Excellent for a prayer reflection or in a retreat setting, as well as Scripture study.
Luke 4:21-30 begins with the phrase, "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." It is the same phrase that ended a previous passage of Luke. The Spirit of God has anointed Jesus; where the Spirit of God has sent Jesus to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and release to prisoners; where the Spirit of God has come to announce a year of favor from the Lord. What is fulfilled in our hearing today?
I take it that Jesus was not doing well in the popularity polls with the hometown folk after hearing today's Gospel. What was it really that got under the skin of the people from Galilee, the roots from where Jesus came? What was it that enraged the crowd so much that they intended to throw Jesus off the edge of a hillside?
The people of Nazareth knew Jesus as Joseph's son, son of a carpenter. Instead of being identified as a woodworker, Jesus identifies his mission in two ways: as healer and as prophet. Jesus focuses on healing activities and giving meaning to people's lives. Jesus is a prophet who preaches the Reign of God to everyone, including the Gentiles. Jesus is in the reconstruction business of restoring people's lives to wholeness; all people, not just those of his hometown.
Jesus followed the prophetic line of the prophets Elijah and Elisha as mentioned in the Gospel, who ministered to those who were not of the tribe of Israel. To be a prophet means to nurture and evoke a conscious awareness of God among the people, and to provide an alternative to the perception of the dominant culture. Jesus, the healing prophet, broke with the traditional custom of his time of staying in his hometown and of honoring his father (Joseph) and mother (Mary) by carrying on the family trade (carpentry). In the cultural world of Jesus, honor is a matter of life and death. Yet Jesus steps out of these bounds and pushes the boundaries as far as possible to reach out to others. This was too much for the crowd, and they became so angered that they wanted to kill him. Yet Jesus doesn't let the crowd stop him or steer him away from his vision of God's Reign. He slips through the crowd to continue his journey to God.
In the first chapter of Jeremiah, his call to be prophet, one called by God for service and mission to the people of Israel, is explored. The language is filled with intimacy and reassurance that even in the midst of suffering and persecution, God will be with Jeremiah and with the people of Israel. God speaks a creative word. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…." The verb here is yatsar, a Hebrew word that means "to fashion," "to shape," or "to form" like a potter working with clay. God is an artist who fashions us into the image and likeness of God. God knows every fiber of our being, and breathes the very breath of life into us and the very spirit of love through us. From the beginning, even before our beginning, God loves us unconditionally, with no strings attached.
Saint John of the Cross, who lived in the sixteenth century, once wrote ". . . the only language God hears is the language of love," this language of unconditional love, an all-inclusive love that is grace. Paul writes of something similar in 1 Corinthians 12:31--13:13. Rather than define love, Paul personifies it, and calls us to set our hearts on this virtue that underscores our faith. Only by loving do we exist as Christians.
Love that is tender and persistent;
love that honors integrity and truth;
love that seeks justice;
love that empowers hope;
love--the root of our faith and the universal language of God.
This is not a sentimentalized love found on greeting cards, but a love that is as strong as a fortified city and a love that prevails. This love that both Paul and the prophet Jeremiah boldly declare is the same love rooted in Jesus as he sets forth on his mission from Galilee to Jerusalem. The prophecy of Jesus is the love of God, a grace that is unconditional, and this salvific love is offered for everyone. These words of salvation in the Scriptures today were too much for the home crowd to hear. Sometimes they can be too much for us as well. God calls us, today, in the holy moment of the now, to love with all our hearts and to love all people. This is not an easy task. Sometimes we may not be ready to love, or others may not be ready to receive our love. And sometimes we may not find favor from others in cultivating God's love.
Where is God pushing us beyond the boundaries of our familiar? What is the time of fulfillment for us in the present moment? What is fulfilled in our hearing today?
The invitation of God is for us to widen our capacity to love, to love our family and friends, and to love beyond our native roots; to love the prisoners, the lame, the captives, those different from us. Because the Spirit of God is upon us and lives within us. Because God loves us and calls us to do the same. May we have courage and confidence to live this unconditional love.
I take it that Jesus was not doing well in the popularity polls with the hometown folk after hearing today's Gospel. What was it really that got under the skin of the people from Galilee, the roots from where Jesus came? What was it that enraged the crowd so much that they intended to throw Jesus off the edge of a hillside?
The people of Nazareth knew Jesus as Joseph's son, son of a carpenter. Instead of being identified as a woodworker, Jesus identifies his mission in two ways: as healer and as prophet. Jesus focuses on healing activities and giving meaning to people's lives. Jesus is a prophet who preaches the Reign of God to everyone, including the Gentiles. Jesus is in the reconstruction business of restoring people's lives to wholeness; all people, not just those of his hometown.
Jesus followed the prophetic line of the prophets Elijah and Elisha as mentioned in the Gospel, who ministered to those who were not of the tribe of Israel. To be a prophet means to nurture and evoke a conscious awareness of God among the people, and to provide an alternative to the perception of the dominant culture. Jesus, the healing prophet, broke with the traditional custom of his time of staying in his hometown and of honoring his father (Joseph) and mother (Mary) by carrying on the family trade (carpentry). In the cultural world of Jesus, honor is a matter of life and death. Yet Jesus steps out of these bounds and pushes the boundaries as far as possible to reach out to others. This was too much for the crowd, and they became so angered that they wanted to kill him. Yet Jesus doesn't let the crowd stop him or steer him away from his vision of God's Reign. He slips through the crowd to continue his journey to God.
In the first chapter of Jeremiah, his call to be prophet, one called by God for service and mission to the people of Israel, is explored. The language is filled with intimacy and reassurance that even in the midst of suffering and persecution, God will be with Jeremiah and with the people of Israel. God speaks a creative word. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…." The verb here is yatsar, a Hebrew word that means "to fashion," "to shape," or "to form" like a potter working with clay. God is an artist who fashions us into the image and likeness of God. God knows every fiber of our being, and breathes the very breath of life into us and the very spirit of love through us. From the beginning, even before our beginning, God loves us unconditionally, with no strings attached.
Saint John of the Cross, who lived in the sixteenth century, once wrote ". . . the only language God hears is the language of love," this language of unconditional love, an all-inclusive love that is grace. Paul writes of something similar in 1 Corinthians 12:31--13:13. Rather than define love, Paul personifies it, and calls us to set our hearts on this virtue that underscores our faith. Only by loving do we exist as Christians.
Love that is tender and persistent;
love that honors integrity and truth;
love that seeks justice;
love that empowers hope;
love--the root of our faith and the universal language of God.
This is not a sentimentalized love found on greeting cards, but a love that is as strong as a fortified city and a love that prevails. This love that both Paul and the prophet Jeremiah boldly declare is the same love rooted in Jesus as he sets forth on his mission from Galilee to Jerusalem. The prophecy of Jesus is the love of God, a grace that is unconditional, and this salvific love is offered for everyone. These words of salvation in the Scriptures today were too much for the home crowd to hear. Sometimes they can be too much for us as well. God calls us, today, in the holy moment of the now, to love with all our hearts and to love all people. This is not an easy task. Sometimes we may not be ready to love, or others may not be ready to receive our love. And sometimes we may not find favor from others in cultivating God's love.
Where is God pushing us beyond the boundaries of our familiar? What is the time of fulfillment for us in the present moment? What is fulfilled in our hearing today?
The invitation of God is for us to widen our capacity to love, to love our family and friends, and to love beyond our native roots; to love the prisoners, the lame, the captives, those different from us. Because the Spirit of God is upon us and lives within us. Because God loves us and calls us to do the same. May we have courage and confidence to live this unconditional love.
Acknowledgments
Published February 1, 1998.
