Us And Them

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 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.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” 

He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 

Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.  (Luke 4:16-30)

When is the last time we unrolled our “scrolls” in front of someone meaning we told them who we are and what we believe especially when those beliefs were different – perhaps quite opposite – to those who heard us?  We can read these “scrolls” – give these opinions – in our own church and find other parishioners being filled with fury.  

Such is the divisiveness that permeates our Church and nation.  Many rise up to drive “them” out of the town and lead them to the brow of the hill on which our church has been built, to hurl them down headlong. For those victims of that anti-Christ behavior, we must “pass through the midst of them and go away.”  Otherwise, a spiral of violence through words and deeds will ensure.  Such is the anger and hate that can be exchanged between us and them, whoever they might be.

Deacon David Pierce