NAZARETH MANIFESTO
As Jesus launched his public ministry, he went to the synagogue at Nazareth and when handed the Scriptures, quoted Isaiah 61, to proclaim what is known as the Nazareth manifesto-
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”(Luke 4:18-21)
Jesus begins by acknowledging the source of power- the presence of the Holy Spirit within. If man wishes to function at his highest potential, it has to be with the help of God residing within him. That is how man has been designed and the fuel of God within drives each person to be the best he or she can be. Failure to acknowledge God and accept Jesus as one’s Savior will leave man functional but limited.
An emphasis on proclamation is seen in the manifesto. Jesus’ major role was to proclaim, which means to say the truth, to incise the darkness and make known what man is blinded to. It is ultimately man’s will that determines how he responds to the truth- whether he rejects it or embraces it. God will not force man to accept the truth. But free will also brings with it consequences, as rejection of the truth despite it being proclaimed, leaves man with no excuse on judgment day.
Good news is summarized in the person and message of Christ- that God so loved the world that He came down in the form His Son, Jesus, who gave himself up on the cross to save sinful man. Thus comes freedom for man, who lives enslaved by his own sin, bringing him out of darkness into the light of the truth. It is when man receives the good news and embraces it that God’s favor rests upon him, bringing him to a life of wholeness and productivity.
Jesus’ listeners appreciated his message, but refused to embrace it, because the latter involves laying one’s life sacrificially on the altar. It means letting go of the rule of self and letting in of God’s rule. And so appreciation turned to violence and they even tried to throw him down the cliff for proclaiming what he did. However Jesus effortlessly walked away through the crowd, because his time for death had not yet come.
Today, Jesus’ message remains unaltered, but his message is no good if man does not believe.
