Scripture Scribbles: January 23, 2022
the Gospel
Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
the devotion
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Hearing this reading today makes me reflect on just how very lost we are without the Lord. There is something about this scene, about the detail included in this story, that grips my heart.
I think it is because of how blunt and clear Jesus is. It's not always the case that He is so straight forward, leaving no room for error in what He is saying or doing. In this case, He is very clear:“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Basically, if you were wondering about what this might mean, let me make it abundantly clear to you who I am, and what I am here to do.
I feel the Holy Spirit prompt me deeper: Why does this grip your heart?
Could it be that we are each called to be so bold?
Jesus makes it clear who He is, what He is doing, how His presence is fulfilling the ancient prophecy from Isaiah. He is leaving no room for error in identifying Himself and His mission. In sharing what the Lord is doing so that those around Him can see.
How can we step into our mission today? How can we fulfill the prophecies that Jesus has left us, about His followers, about the Church? How can we proclaim the truth about what God is doing in our lives for those around us? Maybe its even by identifying what God is doing in another person's life, in a way that they can see it more clearly?
I invite you to spend some time today with the Lord, asking Him just this:
Where are you calling me to step forward and use my voice, Jesus? How can I speak the truth of what you are doing in my life? In the lives of others? Give me eyes to see, and to speak as boldly as you do in today's Gospel. Amen.
Today’s devotion was written by Rachel Smith.
