Foot Notes

Encountering Jesus
Lent is about taking the time to confront anew who we are by our very nature, who we are as God’s creation, and who we are as journeyers on the path of divine grace. Part of that journey is to meet Jesus, to come to know him anew, and to respond to his questions.

Scripture includes many stories of encounters of individuals and groups with Jesus and the risen Christ. From these we can, if we wish, fashion images to guide our walk. Perhaps we can let these experiences open us to our own meeting with the Son of Man. Like any relationship we have the one with Jesus takes time to grow. Effort is involved in our getting to know each other. We must be willing to risk our comfort at times; we will perhaps be disappointed, confused, and hurt. But we also know that a mature relationship brings joy and pleasure and assurance. Jesus invites us to know him this Lent in a way meant especially for us now.

Read Luke’s story of Jesus’ coming out. Identify with the hearers in the synagogue. Imagine what you might have thought if you had been there. Put yourself into the story.

16-21 He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
God’s Spirit is on me;
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”
22 All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was a youngster?”
23-24 He answered, “I suppose you’re going to quote the proverb, ‘Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.’ Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown....
28-30 That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom, but he gave them the slip and was on his way.
Luke 4: 16 – 30 The Message

On your first reading you imagined you were a part of the story in Jesus’ day. Now imagine you hear Jesus announce his mission in our own community, now. He is known here too. How is it received? How different are we from his home town? Read again and ponder.