“Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he 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 proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” [1]
What image does the mention of Christmas typically conjure up in your mind? Chances are that thinking about Christmas brings to your mind an image of a babe lying in a manger, especially if you are a Christian. The scene is so peaceful—the babe smiling at His mother and Joseph, assorted animals gathered around the feed trough where the child is lying. The manger scene inspires a sense of awe and comfort to us as Christians, as it does to many outsiders. Unfortunately, we who follow the Saviour are prone to neglect the staggering implications of Christmas.
Indeed, a child was born to a virgin named Mary. The circumstances of that child’s birth were less than propitious. However, we who know this One realise that the
Word became flesh at that time. The Word, God Himself, took on human flesh. Our observance of Christmas is acknowledgement that God became man.
If you and I were to design the birth of the Son of God, I suspect that we would have arranged for His birth to be quite different from what we see in the Word of God. Conditioned as we are by this fallen world, we would likely arrange for the Son of God to be born to a powerful king and his queen. We are convinced that high-born people are powerful people, and we would want the Messiah to be powerful. Or perhaps we would select a warrior prince and his lovely bride. In this way we could ensure that the Lord would truly be a man-of-war. Some among us, perhaps being of a more spiritual character, would arrange for the child to be born into the home of a great theologian, a biblical scholar or a learned rabbi who was conversant with all that God had prophesied.
However, the Father arranged for His Son to be born to a young peasant girl of perhaps no more than twelve or thirteen years of age who was betrothed to a carpenter, a young Jewish man who was only slightly older than his fiancée. You see, God delights in confounding the wise of this world; He seems to delight in upending human expectations. God has no need to use the means of this fallen world to accomplish His ends.
The child that was born to Mary and into the home of Joseph would grow to manhood in quietness and obscurity; and some thirty years after His birth, this One Who was born of a virgin would present Himself to Israel. He would present Himself in an unpretentious manner. His presentation would be in a synagogue in an out-of-the-way place where He would be handed the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. It was all so ordinary, and no one could suspect that something momentous was about to happen.
Then, having read the portion of Scripture that was assigned to be read that day, Jesus simply said to those present, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” With that one quiet, everyday act, God would set in motion His plan to transform His fallen creation in the most ordinary fashion. By the determined will of the Living God, His Son would invade the planet, surrender His life as a sacrifice to propitiate the brokenness of mankind, establish His reign through the transformation of hearts as people believe Him and are born into His Kingdom. This Redeemer, this One Who is identified as the Word, having given His life as a sacrifice, would break the bonds of death and rise from the dead. Those who are redeemed by His grace are then left behind to push to completion His great work. In His own time and according to His predeterminate will, this Anointed One will return to receive to Himself those who have loved Him, those who have been changed by His grace.
The first message this One Who is the Word would preach to that humble assembly of Jews was a recitation of what God was doing. Though God’s work should have been obvious, the Word knew that the heart of people is obtuse, darkened, unable to see God working unless His Spirit should enlighten the heart. The One preaching the message quoted the words which Isaiah had written so long before, that then claimed that He was the fulfilment of all that Isaiah had prophesied. His message speaks of good news, of liberty, of transformation and of proclamation filled with hope. Perhaps we who occupy the sacred desk in this day would do well to emulate the Master in our message.
AFTER HE WAS BAPTISED — “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all” [LUKE 4:14-15]. Jesus returned—after His baptism. It was after He had been baptised that Jesus preached His first message. For thirty years He prepared for His work and then He did the work for which He was prepared. There is not a hint that Jesus drew attention to Himself throughout the years before He preached this brief, simple message. If we search the Bible, we will discover almost nothing concerning Jesus during these years preceding His revelation as the Son of God.
There is often a rush among the people of this dying world to get at whatever it is that we deem to be important. Some notable individual professes to have been saved, and we rush that individual into a position of spiritual leadership. Kanye West claimed to have been saved, and many within the church world were eager to promote him as a spokesman for the Son of God. I would imagine that many who were eager to use Mr. West’s notoriety for their own advantage are less eager to associate with him now.
Kanye West was not the first person with notoriety to be given a pulpit from which to “preach” a message that was at best defective, and I daresay he won’t be the last. I recall how Eldridge Cleaver, information minister of the Black Panther party, claimed to have had a vision of the destruction of the communists/socialists leaders he had followed. After his supposed vision, he claimed to have been converted to the Faith of Christ the Lord. Almost immediately, prominent churchmen, including a surprising number of evangelical leaders, invited him to address their congregations. It must be evident that these religious leaders were seeking to build their “crowds”—they couldn’t be congregations—through exploiting a notable “convert.” The invitations didn’t stop until he began to use his newfound platform to promote his “Cleaver Pants,” following which he was baptised as a “convert” to the Latter-Day Saints. After that, his speaking engagements among evangelical churches began to dry up. Cleaver became just another in a long list of converts promoted because of their notoriety rather than being given opportunity to mature through knowledge of the Risen Lord.
We’re in a hurry; we want to rush things along in this day. We forget that when Saul of Tarsus was converted to Christ, he was sent into the desert for a period until he could have opportunity to learn to walk with the Saviour. Only after a period of maturation was he ready for service. Listen to the description of Saul’s appearance in Jerusalem following his meeting with the Saviour. “When [Saul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus” [ACTS 9:26-30].
Without a doubt, Saul was a believer in the Risen Christ, and without a doubt he was bold in his preaching. In fact, he was sufficiently bold that despite the danger he was prepared to argue even with the Hellenists. Saul’s confrontations with these powerful opponents were strong enough that they wanted to kill him. The verse that follows the description of his being sent away to Tarsus is revealing. Saul was sent away, and then we read, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” [ACTS 9:31]. The congregation in Jerusalem was actually hindered by the boldness of Saul. The hindrance arose from the fact that he was operating in the flesh. He was undoubtedly capable, but he didn’t have the blessing of the Spirit. The cost was a stifling of the church in Jerusalem! After he was sent away, the churches had peace and were being built up! After the disturbing convert was sent away, the faithful multiplied!
Contemporary Christians are not necessarily noted for commitment to truth. Worship of our idols is more likely to capture our attention than is faithful proclamation of the Word. Like the world in which we live, we have effectively become ecclesiastical lemmings. We preachers appear eager to seize upon any gimmick that we believe will gain an audience, especially if what we seize upon doesn’t actually require us to obey the Risen Saviour and put His Great Commission into practise. We are not unlike the Pharisees who thought they could co-opt Jesus to enhance their own standing with the masses. “Whatever will get ‘em into church,” seems to the Christian mantra.
We occasionally read reports of children as young as four years old preaching. Any number of YouTube videos show teenagers who are momentary pulpit sensations exciting people with their antics, but however much we might long for these child preachers to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they seem inevitably to flame out, never to be heard from among the faithful. [2] Doesn’t it appear to you that God seems to delight to work in quietness and obscurity to prepare His man for the task of declaring His Holy Word?
Candidly, the formative years for most spokesmen of God is pretty mundane. There is little exceptional about honouring God by doing the hard work of preparing to serve God as His spokesman. The work entails spending time in His presence listening for His Spirit to direct the spokesman and then faithfully proclaiming what the Spirit has indicated to be required. The work of preparing to speak on behalf of the Risen Saviour is marked by time invested in His presence, time invested in His Word, time invested in listening to hear what He would say.
I’m not suggesting that Jesus required time in order for Him to know the mind of God—He is God! Recall Jesus’ teaching, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” [MATTHEW 11:27]. Jesus knew the Father, so He did not need time to discover who God is. Nevertheless, it is instructive that Jesus waited until manhood to be revealed as the Son of God.
It is important for us to note that the rule demonstrated in the life of the Master is to be obedient beginning with first things. Obedience is not a momentary act—that individual who will be used by God must live in obedience to Him and His Word. And if they will lead God’s people, their obedience must be practised long enough that it is evident that that one is walking with the Lord. Tragically, our tendency in the modern world is to rush so we will be seen as leaders. It is an old adage that should not be forgotten that the one who would lead must first reveal that he can be led. Christian leaders must be submitted to the One Who leads us. Leaders among the churches cannot lead others where they themselves have never been.
FOUNDED ON THE WORD — Preaching that honours God must be grounded in the Word. What the preacher thinks is immaterial. Any speculation in which the preacher may engage is worth nothing for those who hear him. Only what is clearly revealed through the Word has eternal value. And the one who hears the preaching of the Word will never be content to hear the preacher’s speculation; rather that one will seek to hear the Word. The people of God wait to hear, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Listen to the description that tells us of how Jesus came to be in the synagogue that particular Sabbath day. “[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read” [LUKE 4:16]. Jesus was in the synagogue “as was His custom!” If the statement was written today, we would likely read, “As was His custom, Jesus was in church.” For Jesus, worship was not an act to be conducted if it was convenient or if He felt like it, worship was integral to doing the will of God.
The model Jesus provides would not agree with the apparent standard adopted in this day. Professing Christians attend the services of the churches when it is convenient, or more realistically on the days that are presumed to be holy days—Christmas and Easter. Jesus was present to worship on the high holy days, but He was present to worship in the synagogues on each Sabbath day. He was present to hear the Word read, and He was the One Who had given the Word! He was present to worship the Father, though He was worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing” [see REVELATION 5:12]!
Jesus was in the place of worship so that He could honour the Father. Surely, His example would teach any who profess to follow Him that we honour the Father through uniting with His people to worship Him. I am reminded of the story of an old man who was faithful to the Lord’s house, walking painfully to the church each Sunday morning, and again on Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. One particular blustery day as he walked to the church building, a young man saw him carefully picking his way along the icy sidewalk. The young man yelled out, “Grandpa, why do you go to church so often. You’re almost deaf and you know you can’t hear a word the preacher says.”
Hearing the slur that had been spoken against him because he faithfully attended the services of the assembly, the old man paused and turned to the one taunting him so that he might say, “It’s true that I have trouble hearing what is said. And it is true that it can be painful to walk to the church. But I just want people to know which side I’m on in this great battle.”
There is considerable truth in such a response. The preacher may say some things that are difficult to understand as he provides sound exposition, but you do understand much of what he says during the message if you listen. And in the process of listening you will learn truths you might otherwise have missed. Above all else, you know that your presence with the people of God and in the presence of the Risen Saviour, honours Him and honours His Word. The lost of this world cannot deny that you believe the truths revealed through Christ and His Word.
There is also this that must be kept in mind. We don’t go to church to hear a lecture on some obscure scientific theory. We don’t attend the services of the church to hear a lecture of social responsibility, or a discourse on political activity. We attend the services of the church to hear a message that asserts, “Thus says the Lord!” We go to the services of the congregation to hear what God has said in His Word. When Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, bringing him from the dungeon where the prophet was then incarcerated, the king asked, “Is there any word from the LORD?” [JEREMIAH 37:37]. Zedekiah was not a believer in the Living God; however, even unbelievers in times of distress want to know, “Is there any word from the Lord?” We don’t want the preacher’s speculations, we want him to tell us the certain Word of the Lord.
FOCUSED ON GOD’S PROMISE — Christmas must always point us to what lies ahead; and what lies in the future is the glory of God revealed in His perfect work among His people. Christmas will always point us to the fulfilment of God’s promise. Jesus, the Son of God, came in fulfilment of God’s promise. His birth was prophesied; and if we accept that the first advent of the Messiah was prophesied, then we who have come to believe the Christ must accept that His second advent is likewise prophesied. In His message to that synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus pointed to what lay before the people.
The text Jesus used was a prophetic message supplied by Isaiah. The text read,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
[LUKE 4:18-19]
Jesus message, unlike those which I may deliver, was succinct and impossible to misunderstand. Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” [LUKE 4:21]. No wonder “all spoke well of Him and marvelled at the gracious words that were coming from His mouth” [LUKE 4:22]; His message was brief and easily understood.
The message that Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth was not a one-off; the Saviour continued to deliver this message throughout the days of His ministry in Judea. You will recall how, on one occasion, that the Baptist had grown discouraged and begun to question his service before the Lord. The account if found in MATTHEW 11:2-6. This is what is written. “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’” In brief, the Lord Jesus sent this message to John, “The promises of the Father are fulfilled in Me.”
At Christmas, we must train ourselves to look to what God has promised rather than merely focusing on what we might receive in the way of gifts. The presence of the Saviour is of far greater significance than are all the gaily wrapped gifts under a tree festooned with lights and bright bulbs. Christmas brought us the gift of life in Christ the Lord. And for that, each of us should give thanks to the gracious Lord above. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] E.g. Jessica Lea, “Boy Known as ‘Pastor Caleb’ to Celebrate 10th Birthday With Community Revival,” https://churchleaders.com/news/407590-boy-pastor-caleb-rodgers-birthday-revival.html/2, accessed 18 October 2021
