Jesus, the Scroll and the Avoidance

One day Jesus went back to Nazareth and to the synagogue. The time ended with a crowd wanting to eliminate him.

He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

    because he has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

    and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[a]

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:15-22 NIV).

This is a glimpse of the way things happened so long ago and of Jesus in that time and place. Perhaps this is a sample of what happened often?

The Nazareth synagogue obviously had the Bible scrolls. They probably had the Torah, the Writings and the Prophets, which would be considerable amount of material. (For example, the Great Isaiah scroll recovered from Qumran is over 7 metres long, with 54 columns of text. See below.)

Jesus found the place and read out those opening lines of Isaiah chapter 61. Did he read more than the above? In any case the hearers would have known more, with the encouraging promises (no shame; no disgrace - see below). Finding the place might have involved some rolling of the two parts. If that synagogue intended to read that part of Isaiah that day, the scroll may have been previously opened there, or perhaps it was close?

This, Jesus said, is happening right now. Here and now is the time.

In chapter 60 Isaiah's message abruptly becomes joyful restoration and recovery. Future promise is continued in chapter 61 - however, Jesus did not read out those lines. But nor did he read the severe words in previous lines of Isaiah: Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,

and his ear is not too deaf to hear.

But your iniquities are separating you

from your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not listen.

For your hands are defiled with blood

and your fingers, with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies,

and your tongues mutter injustice.

No one makes claims justly;

no one pleads honestly.

They trust in empty and worthless words;

they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.

They hatch viper’s eggs

and weave spider’s webs.

Whoever eats their eggs will die;

crack one open, and a viper is hatched.

Their webs cannot become clothing,

and they cannot cover themselves with their works.

Their works are sinful works,

and violent acts are in their hands.

Their feet run after evil,

and they rush to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;

ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.

They have not known the path of peace,

and there is no justice in their ways.

They have made their roads crooked;

no one who walks on them will know peace.

Therefore justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.

We hope for light, but there is darkness;

for brightness, but we live in the night (Isaiah 59:1-9 CSB).

Those lines could have contemporary relevance on the broad scheme of things. They are always relevant to all of us, even if the specific deplored acts are not down to me. Those lines remind me that in Jesus' day there had been John calling people to repent of their disobedience. That meant getting real about about life and thoughts and actions as God sees it. Jesus had picked up where John left off, even though the Gospel narratives do not emphasise or expand on that fact.

On that memorable Nazareth day All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy[b] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way (Luke 4:15-30 NIV).

Nazareth was Jesus' original hometown. At first the Nazareth hearers were happy with what they heard that day. But - the awful "but" - but they said, we know him. He is only that son of Joseph, after all. Why would we give him space? Who does he think he is? And, he is not going to show us his stuff! 

Jesus knew their response and reminded them of their ancient history - history that showed the special people could, and did, lose their special status. That was too much altogether. It was not a question of reliable telling; it was a question of acceptability of any doubt of their prevailing and prospering. The ancient words may be there in the scrolls; leave them there!

There is good news and good prospects and a sure future for those who will accept them from Jesus. He offers, but does not force.

Footnote: The customs of those ancient synagogues are nicely illustrated here from a later time:

but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, “Brothers,[a] if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.” So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: “Fellow Israelites[b] and others who fear God, listen (Acts 13: 14-16 NRSVUE). You can read more of the response in Acts.

Here is the extended selection of lines from Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,


because the Lord has anointed me


to proclaim good news to the poor.


He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,


to proclaim freedom for the captives


and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]


to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor


and the day of vengeance of our God,


to comfort all who mourn,


and provide for those who grieve in Zion—


to bestow on them a crown of beauty


instead of ashes,
the oil of joy


instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise


instead of a spirit of despair.


They will be called oaks of righteousness,


a planting of the LORD
    

for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins


and restore the places long devastated;


they will renew the ruined cities


that have been devastated for generations.


Strangers will shepherd your flocks;


foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.


And you will be called priests of the LORD,


you will be named ministers of our God.


You will feed on the wealth of nations,


and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame


you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace


you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,


and everlasting joy will be yours.

“For I, the LORD, love justice; 

I hate robbery and wrongdoing (Isaiah 61:1-8 NIV).

The Great Isaiah Scroll dates back to 125 BC. It can be viewed page by page in the website of the Israel Museum. The very ancient text is in the original Hebrew (unpointed - no vowels)

http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah

It was put on display there in February: https://www.timesofisrael.com/great-isaiah-scroll-oldest-near-complete-biblical-book-ever-found-on-show-in-entirety-for-1st-time-since-1968/

(The Terms of Use prohibit me reproducing images.)

Not that Jesus read from this historical artifact; nor necessarily one like it; nor even necessarily Hebrew. The New Testament reflects a wide use of the Septuagint (Greek). Can modern practice be guaranteed to reflect ancient ways?

May you be blessed by God

Allen Hampton

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