(Reference Scripture/s: Luke 4:15-21; Luke 6:46-49)

What’s your christian community’s or churches custom around reading from the Bible. One thing that caught my attention from this passage and most every other passage where Jesus went to a Synagogue is the resulting discussion. No big preachers there. Reading followed by a very short “this is what I have to say” and then round-a-bout conversation.

The passage notes that ‘he stood up to read.’ I wonder whether he knew that it was the book (scroll) of Isaiah that was going to be handed to him (on a human level that is). Imagine you have a turn to read from the Bible once a week without knowing what passage will be given to you. Thereafter you have to say something. Well, that’s scary, isn’t it?

What appeals to me though is Jesus’ short sermon. The reading goes “The Spirit of the Lord etcetera, etcetera” and now it’s time to preach and the preaching goes… “Done!” or in the text “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Yes it is significant that Jesus is the fulfillment of the words in Isaiah but how wonderful would it not be if there were more instances where someone preached and you could say “Done! Next?” Now this is how it should be and if you don’t believe me let’s look at Luke 6 from verse 46″
that reads “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say? and then follows the analogy. Listening and doing provides a foundation for your life that will make you steadfast even in the worst weather (the passage refers to the house on the rock). So simply listening to Jesus and doing instills in us resilience. Bring it on, I want that. How? Reading, Listening (discerning what you think and feel the Spirit is telling you) and Doooooing even if that doing requires that you step out onto a rock in the water that your not presently seeing.

Last but not least as this is a side comment: Jesus did go to church (synagogue), quite a lot it seems as the text says it was his custom. It is the nature of church that’s in question not the fact that we do church. Drawing on passages like these, church (reading & interpreting aspects thereof) should be much more centred around ordinary folk stepping up and having some interaction and participation.

Other than this it seems that Jesus really spent a lot of time in prayer.

What do we have now? Praying, Reading, Listening/Discerning, Doing or in some order of these.

Done! Next?

Context: A YouVersion.com note based on the reading plan for the gospel of Luke