Conduits
24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. (Luke 4:24-30)
How quickly the tide can turn! After Jesus read the Isaiah passage in the temple and declared that he was the fulfillment of that prophecy, the listeners were pleasantly in awe and wonder at the growth of this man they had known since birth. But, as Jesus continued to speak truth to them, their wonder turned to rage. Jesus had shared with his own community that his mission was beyond them. Not only that, but that God's healing and renewal had been extended beyond the people of Israel since the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. That Jesus' gifts and graces were not only not exclusively for his hometown, but that most of them would not experience his power at all, was a crushing blow. While this may seem harsh, in fact, Jesus was only reaffirming God's promise to Abram:
The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)
God's love was never limited to one group of people. God had always intended to bless all people through the people of Israel. Our founding faith family was a launching pad, not an endpoint. Yet, we, as the body of Christ, often still hold the same misconception - that God is just for us. To be sure, knowing God for ourselves is a blessing that comes with great benefits - guidance, peace, assurance of God's presence and help. But the greater gift is that, through us, others can receive those blessings as well. We are not just receptacles for God's goodness and love but conduits - through us, all people should be blessed.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-8a)
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