What are We to Do?
January 22, 2025
Luke 4:16b – 21
Jesus stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
What are We to Do?
It is one of the most dramatic moments in the Gospel story. Jesus gets up, is given a scroll to read from, chooses these verses, and then proclaims that they are manifested in him. These words are filled with power – power that lifts up the powerless. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus – giving him a pathway forward, commissioning him to set free the oppressed in every different form.
These words are filled with purpose – purpose for Jesus, and purpose for those who follow him 2000 years later. The Body of Christ as it lives in the world today is commissioned to stand with the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed. Each of us as individuals and all of us collectively have a way forward. Here, in these words we can find a pathway to follow. Here is the answer to the question – ‘What are We to Do?’
Many of us practice not looking at things that make us uncomfortable. Yet – living into this pathway Jesus is talking about starts with seeing. What is happening right in front of us? Where are people we can join on their journey – and what would it look like to walk with them?
Jesus told the people right from the beginning what he was commissioned to be and do. Now, we are his eyes and ears and mouth. We are his hands and feet. May we find it in us to follow the pathway he invites us to walk.
Reflection Questions:
1) Notice today what is really happening in your corner of the world. Pay attention, take some notes, and see what is real.
2) When you think of the poor, the oppressed – who comes to mind?
3) What can you do? Pick one thing to do today to say yes to the pathway Jesus lights up for us.
Prayer: Dear God, Help us be ready to say yes when we hear your call. In Jesus Name, Amen
