Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 4:16-30

Luke was writing for a community of Gentile converts. The arguments among the various groups of Judaism mattered little to them. Pharisees were not actual opponents, merely figures from a distant past. Luke presents Jesus beginning his Mission from his home turf – to people whom he knew and they were amazed of the words he spoke. “Look at him, How good, this boy whom we know, how good he has become! But where must he have studied?”. Jesus’ native people admired him, but they could not accept that he was capable of interpreting the Word of God. They became furious and wanted even to kill him – because the Word of God is different from the word of man. The Word of God exposes their sinfulness and infidelity and they felt offended. Jesus was giving them a warning – that they were falling into the same trap as it happened with their forefathers who killed the prophets. God was present in their midst through the prophets, but the people of God refused to accept them – God’s mercy and providence was experienced not by any of the chosen people of God, but by a pagan soldier and by a despised widow. In the same way, Jesus – God the Son himself is physically present amidst them now, but they refuse to accept him. We would find a continuation of this rejection of God and God’s Word in the whole Scriptures. Jesus the Word of God was rejected and killed; most of his disciples and apostles were martyred – for the sake of God’s word; This hatred for Christ and his Word still continues in the world. It becomes so important, to ask ourselves: “How do we receive the Word of God?”. The response is clear: “As one receives Jesus Christ. The Church tells us that Jesus is present in the Scripture, in His Word”. Pope Francis has advised us many times to always carry a small Gospel with us — it costs little to buy it, to keep it in our purse, in our pocket, and read a passage from the Gospel during the day. He said, “this is a little practical advice, not so much to learn something, but mostly to find Jesus, because Jesus is in His Word, in His Gospel. Every time we read the Gospel, we find Jesus.” As Jesus is present in the Word of God, and He speaks to us in the Word of God, it will do us good to ask ourselves: How do I receive the Word of God?