22nd Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 31st August 2020 — Gospel: Lk 4,16-30
Prominent option for the marginalized
Jesus preaches his first home-town sermon in Nazareth. Luke has prominently sketched out Nazareth in the infancy narratives. Although the people of Nazareth marvel when they hear him, they misperceive who he is: to them he is merely Joseph’s son. Jesus, in his opening words, recalls his baptism and says, ‘The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me.’ He is not only the Son of God, but also Christ. And he has been anointed for a purpose, significantly, to bring good news to those poor, who have nothing. When Jesus proclaims good news to the poor, it isn’t just a metaphor. We find Jesus’ concern for the poor more prominent in Luke than in any other Gospel. To give just a few examples, Jesus blesses the poor and pronounces woe on the rich (6,20); he tells a young ruler to sell all he has and give it to the poor (18,22); the salvation that comes to Zacchaeus’ house “today” includes giving half of his possessions to the poor and paying back four times as much as he collected from people (19,8); through parables invites them for banquet (14,13.21); shows concern (16,20.22); and points out as model (21,3). When John the Baptist sends messengers to inquire whether Jesus is really the one who is to come, Jesus says, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk … the poor have good news brought to them” (7,22). Jesus does not separate economics from spirituality. The salvation that Jesus brings embraces spirit, soul, and body. Jesus points to himself as the fulfillment of this prophecy, because God’s redemptive work for the marginalized is accomplished in and through him.
