“‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” (Luke 4:22).
Christ walked among people. He walked among them not only as a person on the street or in the village or in the marketplace, but He walked among them as a teacher.
In other words, He took a role that was designed to influence others.
When I was a little girl, I read a fictional text called “A Kind of Secret Weapon”. It was a very very sad story about a German teacher, who turned a photograph of Hitler over so that the students could not see Hitler’s face in his classroom, because he believed that what Hitler was doing was wrong.
The teacher was also involved in the resistance against Hitler, printing a secret newspaper (hence the weapon) to publish information to counter the propaganda being promoted by Hitler. Over time the teacher was arrested and tortured to death by the Gestapo for failing to reveal the names of those people who were working with him against the Nazi Regime…
And I have been thinking about that teacher today, because often teachers are tasked with revealing truth that is disturbing. It can be so much easier for people to just accept the status quo and continue along in their lives without making any other changes or adjustments. And yet teachers are asked to do more and try harder and work through issues to communicate the truth.
And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about Christ – the teacher…
“Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...’ And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” (Luke 4:14-22).
Everyone watched Him. They listened to Him. They waited for what He had to say and then they decided to either listen or rebel…
There is a story about Saint John Vianney and a poor man, who used to sit and stay in the church for many hours each day. The Saint asked the poor man what he said to Our Lord when he was sitting there. The poor man replied… “Nothing. I listen.”
And I have been thinking about that today. I think I fill up all the moments of my life with words and talking and thinking. And instead of listening quietly to my Teacher, I babble over the top of Him…
And today, I pray for the Grace to be able to sit quietly and GAZE at my Teacher and listen to what He a-has to say to me…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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