Say To This Mountain

The picture above is of the synagogue in Nazareth (or so I'm told).  The bible study on Luke 4 takes place here - Jesus returns to his home town and joins the congregation (as is his habit) as they gather on the Sabbath.  He stands to read from Isaiah and concludes the reading by asserting that, 'today, this prophesy is fulfilled in your hearing...'

We've taken a different approach to bible study this time.  The group was asked to imagine that they were each present at this event.  Each was to 'take on' the persona of someone who may well have heard this at first hand; so we had Peter - a fisherman who has come to hear Jesus for the first time.  He doesn't know it yet, but his life is about to become completely changed by this man, Jesus.  Then there's an attendant at the synargogue; he's the one who hands the scroll to Jesus; then there's the Rabbi.  He's known Jesus for a long time, watched him grow up in fact.  Finally there's  the onlooker. a person in the crowd. Our group was extremely inventive and came up with this imagined scenario:

Peter:  All great stuff with Jesus getting love on in Galilee, until he goes and spoils it all with that reference to himself as fulfilment of scripture!  What's he done? What am I doing? There'll be trouble, mark my words!

Attendant: Oh dear.  Should I have given him a diferent reading? I am very surprised at the words of Jesus - well, I'm overwhelmed and not a little irritated; I was very relieved when the scroll came back.

Rabbi: I was about to praise Jesus for a wonderful reading - he really understands God's words and speaks them with a passion only the faithful can convey - but then, he added this, this blasphemy!  Who does he think he is? What am I to do?

Attendant: I feel responsible - I gave him the scroll.  Still, I had no idea he'd say things like that.

Peter: Jesus knew what the reading would be; I feel tricked.  I thought he'd be a good rabbi,but really he seems dangerous.  People who follow him could end up dead.

Onlooker: I'm really angry; what's he doing? He's nothing special!

Peter: Surely the Attendant shouldn't have let him read; he must have know Jesus, after all this is Jesus' hometown so he must have been here lots of times before.

Attendant: I really thought he'd be o.k.  We've never had this trouble before.  Sybil read something similar lsat week and she was fine!

Rabbi: I really cannot understand why he has done this.

Onlooker: Jesus is an annoying person! He should just read the words on the scroll and then shut up and sit down; we don't care what he thinks!

Attendant:  Those followers of his encourage him.

Peter: Don't look at me, he's not my master (yet).  I think he's just showing off to his old rabbi.

Attendant: He wanted to stir up trouble.  Who does he think he is, the Chosen One? He's Joseph's son, the child of an old carpenter - he's no rich prince or warrior!

Peter: Maybe he doesn't mean that. You should talk to him.  Don't assume anything and please, don't kill me!

Onlooker:  He's a crazy person.  If someone else had read, it would have been fine.

Attendant:  I think he really wants us to believe he's the Messiah.

Rabbi: What he said was out of place.  It was blasphemy.

Peter: What am I going to do?  Do I really want this?  Maybe I should go back to living a quiet life and forget all about Jesus.

Attendant: We need to put strict rules in place to decide who can be trusted with the scripture reading so that this never happens again.

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