DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
OH, WHAT A HOMECOMING!
PHOTO: Howard University “Showtime” Marching Band, (Source: ©Kevin Coles)
Now THAT’S a Homecoming! (photo above)
A celebration! Back-bends! Music! Festivities!
My undergraduate alma mater, Howard University, knows how to throw a homecoming. There’s a parade, step show, fashion show, gospel show, comedy show, music concert, coronation ball, yard fest, celebrities, parties, parties, parties. And all of that is for a football game.
A. football. game.
Students and alumni from all over the world “come home” to celebrate.
Yeah.
Jesus’ homecoming experience is a little different…
He almost gets tossed down a mountain.
And not like the “rock star” toss where all the people pass Him around on their shoulders.
No, He’s about to be thrown off a cliff. No kidding.
I’m not making this up.
Today’s Meditation:
Read highlights below: LUKE 4: 14-17, 20-24, 28-30
Entire passage: LUKE 4:14-30
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him…20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown…” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
PREVIOUSLY
If you have a chance, read the entire passage that includes the few Old Testament verses that Jesus quoted about Himself. It’s worth it.
What has happened before this crazy homecoming scene is that Jesus has been baptized, has spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness, and has been tested by satan. Now he begins His public preaching ministry and He’s teaching in the synagogues.
Then Jesus comes home to Nazareth where the people know Him as “Joseph’s son”.
Apparently Nazareth has a bit of a reputation. When one of Jesus’ future disciples, Nathaniel, is told that the Messiah has been found (Jesus) and He’s from Nazareth, Nathaniel replies, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:45-46). That’s saying a WHOLE lot.
How would you like people to say that about your city. Oh, you’re from LA! Can anything good come from LA? That’s the attitude about Nazareth. These are Jesus’ home-folks.
Needless to say, on the Sabbath, Jesus goes to the synagogue, which is His custom and He (being recognized as a rabbi/teacher), is given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read. He finds the place on the Isaiah scroll (we now identify it as Isaiah 61) and reads how “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus then has the audacity to say, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled.”
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
What’s the big deal? Why would anybody want to throw Jesus off a cliff for owning this scripture?
Why? Because the Jewish worshipers in the synagogue would have recognized this scripture as one that is attributed to their coming Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. And Jesus, Joseph’s son, is now standing up in the front of the church talking ’bout this scripture is about Him? Are you kidding?
If Jesus had not been a grown man of 30 years old, the synagogue leaders probably would’ve told His mother to take Him somewhere and wash His mouth out or give Him a tap or two for lying. How could this scripture be about Jesus, Joseph’s son, a local carpenter?
What? You Hollywood, now, Jesus?
You done left home for a hot second, got dunked in the Jordan River by the latest greatest spectacle (John the Baptist), dipped for 40 days and nobody knew what you were doing in the wilderness, and now you the Messiah?????? What are you smoking?
But Jesus keeps on talking. He gives them two more Old Testament examples of home-people who missed the good thing that was right there in their midst. This really ticked the people off. They drove Him out of town and tried to throw Him off a cliff.
HOMETOWN LOVE
Who doesn’t yearn to make a difference in their home community? Who wouldn’t want to be accepted by those they grew up with? Who wouldn’t want the key to the city? Or a street named after you? Or a city holiday in your honor?
Think about your hometown, your family, your friends. Don’t you want them to be proud of you? Don’t you want them to honor you? There’s nothing wrong with that. And it’s entirely possible, as long as you are not called to speak truth. Let’s be clear. Jesus says, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown…”
As soon as we start trying to speak truth, somebody is going to roll up like, “Isn’t that Freddie’s daughter?” or “Isn’t that Robert’s son?”
You fill in the blank. What will they say about you? “Isn’t that _____________ daughter/son?”
I wish for all of you to receive a beautiful homecoming parade with dancers and streamers and bands doing back-bends. But for some reason, if folks in your hometown miss your gifts, it’s OK. Know that you are in great company.
Even the Maker of the world got kicked out of His “hometown”.
AVOID THE CLIFF
I am going to ask you for one favor though. Can you please avoid the cliff?
If you go to your hometown, and people don’t understand your faith, and they run you out and start driving you towards a cliff, I’m going to need you to break away from the crowd. I need you to avoid the cliff, OK?!
If the people start shouting to throw you overboard, please pray to the Father and ask Him to help you “pull a Jesus” and disappear amongst the crowd for a smooth getaway.
Can you do that for me?
And I’ll try my best to do the same.
‘Cause getting thrown off a cliff is not the kind of homecoming we want this year!
EVEN BETTER
Or even better, may be we change our expectations and don’t require our home-folks to “get us”, per se. May be we let them off the hook and understand that their vision is limited and in their eyes, we may always just be So-and-So’s son or daughter. It’s OK. That’s the best they can do.
Let’s keep it moving.
Streamers, bands, dancers or not, we’ve got things to do, people to see, places to go.
We’ve got a mission, a purpose, a hope and a future.
Go forth,
Naima