Dunbar United Church of Christ - January 23, 2010

I. Last week Jesus turned water into wine. It was his first miracle in John’s Gospel, and it was a demonstration of what Jesus’ ministry would be about -- change. From that point on, Jesus would change not water, but people like us -- people possessed with demons and diseases. Jesus had the power to change the icy water of a mean heart into the wine of compassion.

II. Today, we heard Jesus tell the congregation of his home town that his mission would be to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. Jesus had just come from the wilderness where the devil promised to make him rich and powerful. But he told the devil that his mission was not to rule, but to serve the poor.

III. And that’s good news for us, because we’re “the poor” Jesus was talking about. We are all captives -- of this country we live in. We’ve all been formed by our culture, all the good of “the American Way,” and all the evil, are in us. In “the land of the free,” we’re all captives.

But Jesus said he would set us free from our culture.

And he said he would give sight to the blind.

Again -- he was talking to us. Because in different degrees, we’re all blind. None of us can see this life, this world, from God’s perspective. But Jesus said he would heal our blindness -- so we would see with God’s eyes, the truth that sets us free.

IV. In one simple five minute sermon, Jesus said what his ministry would be. And for the poor among us -- those of us who realize we’re not all well -- and there’s nothing we can do to heal ourselves -- to change our mean hearts into loving hearts -- that was good news. Jesus said, “Don’t worry, I’ll change your hearts.”

But to the rich and proud -- those of us who think that , well, maybe we’re not saints, but by golly, we’re not that bad either -- and we can make ourselves better by grit and determination. To those proud among us, Jesus news was bad. “It’s not within your power,” he told the proud people, “to change your hearts. Only God can do that.”

V. That doesn’t seem so awful, does it? Jesus said we’re all captives, and blind, and we need him to set us free. That’s not so bad, is it?

So why did most of the people who heard Jesus that day rush the pulpit, force him out of the synagogue, and try to thrown him off a cliff?