Week 19—Tuesday 2 Corinthians 1:19-20
Week 19—TUESDAY
“HAS COME TRUE”
We pause another day upon the scene in the synagogue. The marginal reading says, “‘Today,’ he said, ‘in your very hearing this text has come true” (Luke 4:21, NEB). That phrase “has come true” can now be written across all the best longings and prayers and yearnings of all the ages—they have come true—come true in Jesus. And all the promises of the Old Testament have “come true” in Jesus. “The Desire of the ages” has been fulfilled in him.
But the utter realism of this coming “true” was never more vividly seen than in this synagogue incident. “They were surprised that words of such grace should fall from his lips” (Luke 4:22, NEB), but he would not go on a misunderstanding. He would let them know how far he intended to go with this new order, the kingdom of God. As long as the hearers thought that Jesus was a Jew leading a Jewish movement for the uplift of the Jewish people, and for them alone, the sailing was smooth. But the moment Jesus revealed how far he intended to go, the weather turned rough—very rough. When he said that there were many widows in Israel but Elijah was sent only to a Gentile woman, and there were many lepers in Israel but none were cleansed except Naaman, also a Gentile—“When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.” Straight off he put his finger on the biggest barrier to the coming of the Kingdom—race pride and consequent race prejudice. The pious Jew every day thanked God he was “not born a woman, a leper or a Gentile.” And here Jesus showed God cared especially for Gentiles, especially for a woman, and especially for a leper. Their boasting prayer was shattered.
So they took Jesus to the brow of the hill “to throw him down headlong.” “But he passing through the midst of them went his way” (Luke 4:30, KJV)—his way, not theirs. And “his way” is the way of looking upon all persons as “persons for whom Christ died.” A person was a person before God and other people.
O Jesus, you started a world revolution in a sentence. The walls of exclusive standing began to crumble with the impact of these words—these words which are now leveling the high walls created between person and person. We thank you, thank you. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: If Jesus demolished all their snobberies he has demolished mine—mine more subtle and more hidden.