Listen to Your Mother Part II

Last week’s text contained a narration of Jesus’ first public act according to the Gospel of John. (John 2:1-11) Now it’s Luke’s turn to describe Jesus’ first “act” as he began his ministry. It is not an act at all, but a sermon, (Luke 4:14-21).

In his sermon, Jesus attempts to describe his life’s purpose and his ministry. As such, this mission statement of sorts, is particularly important in the church year because of what it reveals about who Jesus is, what Jesus will do, and for whom Jesus has come. The promise and prophecy of Isaiah provides the basis for Jesus’ ministry and fulfills God’s covenant and promise from generation to generation, back to Abraham and Sarah. However, more importantly, this is more than just an historical account; these words remind us that God is present to us today.

If we were asked to choose the words that we believed might best describe who we are: our essence; our life, our life’s meanings and purpose, what would they be? How much are we willing to reveal about ourselves, to the world, or even to ourselves? As for Jesus, we want to know who he is and why he’s here.

The language of Jesus’ first sermon is reminiscent of his mother. Mary, like Isaiah, has implicit trust in God, and is the first to bear witness to her son’s ministry. Mary’s beautiful Magnificat acknowledges that God’s promise will be fulfilled by Jesus. She connects the dots, between the God that she knows, and has always known, and the God that is orienting her future, through her own son. She realizes that the world will now experience God’s love through Jesus.

I wonder what Jesus learned from his mother in those early years. Think about it, Luke’s gospel is the only one to include the story of the 12-year-old Jesus who sends his mother and father into a parental frenzy when he all but disappears. Luke obviously had a reason for including the story of the young Jesus preaching in the temple. At the risk of over-analyzing, what if Jesus first learned what it means to bring good news to the poor from the stories that his mother told him? And what did he learn about Elizabeth, the mother of his cousin John, and about his ancestors? What if he watched his mother and listened to her and saw in her one who not only knew the good news proclaimed to her, but embodied its presence as she lived her life? If so, this could be a most unique season of Epiphany. (Adapted from Karoline Lewis, Working Preacher 1/27/13)