Fearing Freedom

A Reflection on the Gospel for January 30th, 2022:
The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Luke
4.21-30

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom, and read from the Prophet Isaiah. The eyes of all were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Jesus said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’”

And he said, “Truly I tell you, no Prophet is accepted in his hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the Prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove Jesus out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
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This week’s Gospel is best understood when we read the verses just prior, when Jesus proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…He has sent me…to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1-2). Christ shares that He has come to bring freedom; yet, He is met with confusion, doubt, and fury. The people hear His words and react based on their fears and what they believe is true; some think Jesus is promising the nation of Israel independence from Roman dominion, and some consider Him a false teacher who is spreading dangerous lies. 

While missing the knowledge of who Jesus is, those in His company also fail to recognize His intention in echoing Isaiah's words. The prophet Isaiah makes reference to the “Jubilee year”: every 50 years, Israel enacted legislation that involved a cancellation of economic debts, freeing of slaves, and return of ancestral property (see: Leviticus 25). Isaiah refered to the Jubilee and prophesied that God would come to free Israel from their slavery to idols and from their debt of guilt. Jesus uses this passage to explain that God’s mission is not to liberate humanity from economic or political control, but, just as Isaiah implied, to bring us full freedom from the slavery of sin.

If I try to place myself in the shoes of those listening in the synagogue, even with the benefit of understanding this context and believing Jesus’ words, I think I would still feel afraid. Why? Because authentic freedom requires radical trust and transformation. When Christ calls us to conform ourselves to Him, it may initially threaten our (false) security and the comfort we derive from doing things according to “our will”. It may not be immediately obvious that sin leads to spiritual death, and the more well-practiced we are in the acts that separate us from God, the more familiar and easy that “wide” road is. Choosing the “narrow” path that leads to freedom and life, requires following Christ to Calvary. This way costs us everything, but willingly uniting ourselves to Jesus in self-gift and surrender is the only way to authentic love.

In the words of Saint Pope John Paul II, “Freedom exists for the sake of love” (Love and Responsibility); in spite of our fears, we must courageously accept the freedom that Christ offers if we are to have any hope of participating in the fullness of God’s Love. At the same time, if “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18) then I gather that our Father knows that we need many gifts and graces to help us reach our destination. He is ready to love us where we are, equip us to grow in freedom, and teach us to use that freedom for His purposes. 

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Holy Spirit, please grant us humility and fortitude so that we may avoid growing weary, when we encounter obstacles, and that we may rely on You as we journey towards realizing freedom for Love. Amen.




Kendra L.
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