Jesus’ contemporaries in Nazareth are possibly amazed to hear Jesus claiming that the passage is being fulfilled. The carpenter’s son, whom they knew as he grew up among them, seems to be claiming the role of a prophet. He says that the prophetic utterance of Isaiah 61:1-2 is being fulfilled there and now as they were listening to him. This consoling text was written after the Jews had returned
from their Babylonian captivity and exile in the 7th Century BC. No doubt everybody was familiar with it, but they probably never thought that a boy from Nazareth would apply it to himself.
As the Jewish people in Jesus’ time (at least in Israel-Palestine) were under Roman occupation, they were very receptive to promises of liberation. They hoped for a messiah who would free
them from their oppressors, and Jesus appeared to be making this promise.
Sometimes, we also misunderstand what people are saying to us. We hear what we want to hear. We understand with the categories that our minds have pre-formed about people, their intentions, backgrounds, religions, etc. If we are not listening with an open mind, our expectations are dashed, and we can end up disappointed. Or our hopes that have dominated a
conversation lead us to frustration.
We also project some of our unreasonable hopes onto God, thinking that God will solve our problems, even though that is not what God has promised. We can’t see a way through the difficulties that face us and think that only a miracle can bring our challenges to an end. But God has equipped us with emotional intelligence and reason and does not make unrealistic promises. We often wake up and see that
our issues have not been resolved overnight. This can lead to disappointment or a failing faith.
What are my hopes for this Jubilee year of Hope? What freedom am I allowing God to work, or simply to leave things as they are? How realistic am I in wanting a better world?
Reflections by Fr Peter Knox SJ
