In Christ Jesus. Amen.
Howdy.
Well, it's wonderful to be able to get to worship with you all today.
And I wanted to start off with a short story.
And it was about a character that was named Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great was what I attempted to name our dog when I was in high school,
and failed miserably and the rest of the family voted for Petey.
So apparently that's a better dog's name than Alexander the Great.
I'm still a little sad about that. And as you may tell, I'm just a little bit bitter.
But one of the things about Alexander the Great though, he was born in Pella, Macedonia in 356 BC,
to King Philip II and Queen Olympus. But the legend had it that he was the son of Zeus, the king of the gods.
When he was 13, his father called on Aristotle, the philosopher, to come and tutor his son.
When Alexander was 16, his father went off to battle and he was put in charge of Macedonia.
And at age 18, Alexander approved his military worth and led the cavalry to go off and decimate the army at Thebes.
At the age of 18, I was just trying to find my dorm room and use a meal ticket at school.
I don't know how he managed to do all of that.
But in 336, Alexander's father was killed, so at the age of 20, Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne and killed all of his rivals.
After numerous victories, it was clear that he was a shrewd and brilliant military leader who never lost a battle.
The motto was, there is nothing impossible to him who will try.
After defeating Egypt and Persia, King Darius himself, even going against India with their army of elephants,
Alexander time and time again was able to be victorious, was willing to go against even his close confidants,
ordering a general as well as a close friend and after everything, at the age of 32, dying before he could go off to conquer Arabia.
It is said that at one point, Alexander was presented with the idea that there were countless other worlds in the universe.
He was reportedly sad, not because he wanted to conquer all the other worlds, I mean, they don't have oxygen,
but because he had not even fully conquered the one world that he knew.
According to Plutarch, when Alexander heard Anacarkis' discourse about an infinite number of worlds,
he saw that he was quite unproductive and he wept.
And when his friends asked him what was the matter,
is it not worthy of tears that when the number of worlds is infinite, we have not yet become lords of a single one?
Alexander the Great.
And yet even after everything that he had conquered and everything he had done and as powerful as he may have been,
he was still unsatisfied.
How often do we pursue what we truly want and yet never find ourselves satisfied?
How often is it that we are trying to find what we want to get,
but even when we think we've achieved it, we're still not actually satisfied?
We may be looking at things like our career, our education, our friendships, maybe even love interests,
or even whatever hobby may take up our time, but no matter what it is we may think we've arrived at,
where's always this feeling that we want something more?
So no matter what, are we ever truly satisfied even with when what we want is right in front of us?
And I want that image in your mind as we come to hearing about Jesus coming back to his hometown today.
Jesus was from Nazareth.
He was a local boy.
I can definitely understand what that's like.
Having gone off in different places to do his ministry, to be baptized by John and the Jordan,
to even conduct his first miracles, and then to come back home.
It is always strange when you are with the people who knew you as a young child.
How funny is it whenever you may be going off and you may become important at your job,
or well loved by many people, maybe even become famous,
but when you're around family and childhood friends, they all know your childhood nickname,
and they all remind you about what you did dumb in front of that person you had a crush on.
There is always this mentality of being able to be dismissive of the person you grew up seeing.
But as Jesus is there, and he goes up to speak, because it had been known that he was a rabbi.
And so when they would read the passages, they would take the scroll, unroll it, read it.
And then when it was time to give the sermon, they would put away, sit down and then speak.
And so there is Jesus telling the people, the spirit of the Lord is upon me.
I am here designated by God to do what is needed for his kingdom.
And what are the things that Jesus was doing?
Was Jesus going off to make sure that he had a million posts on his Instagram,
or to make sure that he had a huge following?
What did he have a great bestselling book, or was he able to somehow amass a huge fortune?
What was it about Jesus that he was doing that showed that he was anointed by God?
And so these things are listed from the prophet Isaiah.
Good news is being preached to the poor.
Liberty is being proclaimed to the captives.
Sight is given to the blind.
Liberty to the oppressed.
The Lord's favor is here upon you.
Think about these things that he is doing.
Are any of these things something that should make us upset in our world?
With each of these things, each one was changing the way that they saw their world.
Good news to the poor.
What would we normally consider to be good news to the poor?
Winning the lottery.
That would definitely be good news to the poor.
Great, sounds wonderful.
Here's money, now we've fixed all of your issues.
Does that even sound right?
So then what would be good news to the poor?
If you have spent so long feeling that you're not good enough for everyone around you,
the well off people, the ones who feel that they never have to worry where their next meal is from,
the ones who can go to vacation to Cabo every year,
and the ones who always know that their time share is well placed.
But instead, the poor are able to know that they are welcomed into other people's homes and lives.
To know that they matter the same as everybody else.
That they are no longer the lowest of the low.
Or liberty to the captives.
Did Jesus go into law enforcement?
Did he end up going to become a local judge?
No, we're not looking at prison.
We're not looking at things with bars in front of us.
But rather, what is it that makes us a captive?
So many things that try to grab us, not just our attention, not just our time.
How many things suck our very energy?
The things that we can't even look at the people in front of us,
because a screen has to absorb everything about us.
And as soon as we put it down, we pause and say,
Oh, wait, what else do I even want to do in the first place?
But even more than that, our very temptations, our struggles,
the things that we can't seem to overcome by ourselves.
And then there is Jesus saying, I am here to forgive you
and for you to find freedom from the things that keep holding you down.
Or even sight to the blind.
Now, Jesus did go and healed people so that they could see.
And that was wonderful. But was that the point?
Because how many people in today's world still cannot see?
But does that mean that they are not whole?
Does that mean that they are not complete as people?
Does that mean that somehow they are not receiving the love of God?
I still remember spending time with one of my friends who had become a pastor
and could not see. He had to read Hebrew and Greek by Braille.
And every time I would play video games, I'm realizing, man, I'm lazy.
Man can go and learn Hebrew and Greek in Braille.
And he, being the person who had to memorize every single sermon
because you can't use notes when you can't see
and telling me, Jason, keep six things in mind
and you'll always be able to remember your sermon,
which may or may not be one of the reasons why there's always six slides from my sermons.
Or even more than that, what about the ones who cannot hear?
How many times that he would heal somebody who could not hear?
But how many people today would say, I can't hear, but I can still communicate.
I'm complete. I'm whole. So it's not our physical eyes.
It's not our physical ears, but it's about what are you seeing with your mind
and with your heart? Are you willing to see what God is telling to you?
Because how often do we not want to see what is right in front of us?
Or even to be oppressed? How many times is it that we know that people are constantly being pushed down
for reasons that are not just? And that when we see them, we may see what's on the outside.
There may be times where we see that they come from a different culture or a different background.
So we automatically assume that there are things that we should think of them.
Or how many times that a guy sees a woman and might be dismissive of their abilities
or a woman who might see a man who assumes that that must be what he's going to do.
Or the times whenever we may just feel that someone is not worthy of our time or our energy
and for Jesus to come in and to proclaim forgiveness is for all of you.
None of you is better or worse than the others.
And to bring the Lord's favor. Because what was the Lord's favor?
Is that the time of jubilee was at every 50 years.
Any debt that you had was forgiven. Any land or property that had been taken away was restored.
And you could rest from all the hard labor and 12 that you had had.
Why? Because the Lord sees you and is here to give you life and forgiveness
instead of constantly wondering if we are ever good enough in God's kingdom.
But were they willing to see that the reality that was right in front of them?
Because here was the local boy who was off doing what God's word had proclaimed.
But were they willing to hear it and see it?
And what's always strange to me is that one part that it says that the all spoke well of him.
Because did the people truly speak well of Jesus?
And this part's a little bit strange.
Is that it turns out that the King James version might actually be better with this word than the ESV.
I love the English standard version, but still is that the word.
It does not necessarily mean to speak well of somebody.
It just means to speak of somebody. It doesn't always mean good or bad.
It would be sort of like if you're trying to explain to somebody Pastor Jason.
And it's not like, oh, you have to sing Pastor Jason's praises as if every sermon was the best thing ever.
Or he always knows how to dress perfectly.
But rather you could say, well, Pastor Jason is tall, has poofy hair, tells really weird jokes,
and loves chocolate chip cookies. That's not good or bad.
It's just me.
And imagine that now you have Jesus there and people are just confused because they know him.
And they're saying, we know this guy. Isn't this Joseph's son?
Because in reality is that they were not where they were not ready to go back and to see what Jesus was truly doing.
It says in here that they were going to be wanting him to show them miracles.
Couldn't you imagine you've gone off into the world and you've done these great things around everybody else.
Well, now you're here at home. Do this here. Do it for us.
But would any of those miracles have actually made a difference?
Because what we've realized is that even if we see something right in front of us,
if it doesn't match what we want to think, then it will not change our hearts and minds.
If Jesus had done all of those things in front of them,
how easily could they have just assumed that he had a demon in him and still tried to drive him out of town?
It is amazing. He brings hope. He brings love.
Kill him and to realize that that's essentially what they ended up doing because they didn't want to face the reality of a loving and compassionate God in the form of Jesus Christ.
Someone who sees the poor, someone who sees the blind, someone who sees those who are oppressed and instead finds ways to lift them up.
Because oftentimes the reality that is right in front of us, if it doesn't match what we want, then we find a way to push it away.
Because that's what we end up seeing here as Jesus hears, physician, heal thyself.
Because we oftentimes think of it as, can you fix your own issues first?
But there's actually a bigger picture there when it says physician, heal thyself.
In other words, don't spend all of your time showing everybody else. Come show us.
Do this here and now. Show us that you can do what you say you're doing.
But at that moment was revealing where their hearts truly were.
When Elijah was spending his time in ministry and he had to run off to the wilderness to avoid everybody.
And he ended up helping a widow who was often another country inside on.
Why didn't he help anybody who was in Israel that was in need?
Because Elijah was being chased by the king and nobody would help him.
Is that as much as Israel claimed to be the people of God, they were less focused on what his word was proclaiming.
Just trying to make sure that they were keeping themselves safe.
Or even with a Lysha. Is that name in from Syria, a whole other place comes and wants to be healed.
There were people that were there that needed healing.
There were others that were in need, but were they willing to listen?
Because as much as name and may have been stubborn, he still went to the Jordan and was bathed and healed.
How often is it that we, the people who claim to be God's own are still the ones who don't want to hear what he's trying to say to us?
That's the thing about it is that oftentimes our arrogance can oftentimes turn us to anger.
Because what makes people the most angry is not a disagreement, but rather is whenever what we want affirmed is not what everyone else would say.
We want to have things in a certain way for ourselves.
And when we don't receive it, are we willing to show the forgiveness, the compassion and the grace of Christ Jesus to the rest of the world?
And that's the thing that we end up seeing here is that the very one that they were driving out of town to the cliff was the very one who brought the kingdom of God.
Because that's the thing about this is that oftentimes we become the worst version of ourselves when God is trying to speak to us the loudest.
Because that's amazing about Jesus is that all the things that he did, he was bringing the kingdom to us.
But then how do we respond?
Because that's the truth about this is that what you want is already here and it already was.
There is not something that we need affirmed for us or changed for us or tweaked for us to prove to us that God's kingdom is already here with us.
There is already forgiveness and grace and hope and mercy.
But are we willing to hear it and see it for ourselves?
When we feel that we are in bondage, are we turning to Christ and His mercy to free us rather than what we normally want to free us?
Are we willing when we feel that we can't see a light at the tunnel to let God be the one to light our path instead of ourselves?
Are we willing at the times when we feel oppressed to come back to God for His mercy to us instead of waiting for everybody else to confess?
Are we willing to see that God's favor is already here?
Not waiting for something that we want affirmed, but rather trusting that He is the one to bring us hope everlasting as we come to Him in humility.
Because what we want is not to be right, but to be made righteous.
Because none of this turns on whether or not any of us have the right perspective in mind. None of us do.
We are all, as sinners, guilty of taking God's word and twisting it to meet what we want to hear.
And I know I struggle with that too.
And the fear that there is sometimes being behind this pulpit and hoping and praying that my agendas are not becoming the focus of what God's word is supposed to be.
Because in reality, each of us is meant to come to God's presence so that He changes us.
Not so that we're trying to make the world fit what we want.
But that's also the only place where we truly find hope and freedom.
Because what I can tell you is that even now you are forgiven.
I am forgiven. We are forgiven.
So as we look to the light that God has shown us in Christ Jesus, there are times when we may get upset at it.
And we may not want to hear what it is that God is trying to say.
And He still holds us in His arms, walks through that crowd and says, you are forgiven.
And instead of letting them do it to Him, He put Himself on a cross for us.
So wherever you may find yourself this week and beyond, whatever things may be bringing out the worst sides of yourself.
May we continue to come back to God and may Christ be the one to lead our hearts, our minds and change who we are.
Instead of hoping that the world matches what we thought we always wanted in Christ's name. Amen.