Rejection at Nazareth Lk 4,21-30
Verse 21 as the overlap between the two Sunday readings is a reminder that Jesus in his own person is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, proclaiming good news the poor and proclaiming a jubilee year. That brings the first part to its conclusion.
As the beginning of the second part, verse 21 prepares for the reaction of the people and highlights their rejection at the end. The initial reaction is favourable as we would expect and they naturally applied it to themselves. Luke says simply that for them Jesus is Joseph's son. Luke has omitted the full family details given by Mark (Mk 6,2-3). He has though in verse 23 anticipated Jesus' activity in Capernaum which won't begin until verse 31.
Jesus then speaks of Elijah and his follower Elisha who were the two major prophets of early Israel. Their deeds are found the book of Kings. By aligning himself with them, Jesus is clear that his own ministry is that of a prophet. He is looking at the world from God's point of view. An important part of that viewpoint is that God's salvation is open to all, a message which the villagers are unable accept
Jesus is a prophet to the nations. Both Elijah and Elisha extended their ministry beyond Israel by healing the widow and Naaman. So too will Jesus. It was this that the people of Nazareth could not accept, they were aware of their own needs and hopes as an oppressed people. Hence their violent reaction, a marked contrast to the praise Jesus received in verse 15.
Yet Jesus simply goes on his way (verse 30) and no more will be heard of Nazareth in the Gospel. Instead, we will now see how his ministry is favourably received in Capernaum (4,31-44)
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The Sunday Gospel
The prophet Jeremiah, from whom the Old Testament reading is taken, is presented as a model for the presentation of Jesus in the Gospels. Like Jesus, he is called from his mother's womb, he does not marry, he suffers. This Sunday we hear a couple of extracts from the first chapter which describes the call of Jeremiah to be a prophet. For this Sunday's Gospel we can note in particular that Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations (Jer 1,5).
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