And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors" (Luke 2:13-14 NRSV) The glad tidings from the highest heaven came to the lowest stratum of society, to shepherds. Angelic heralds announced the arrival of a humble king, and the poor in spirit rejoiced. The favor of the Lord was being extended to them. Though surprising, this was not unanticipated. enturies before, to a discouraged and oppressed !srael, the prophet !saiah promised an Anointed "ne who would bring good news to the anavim#the poor, the afflicted, the meek $%&:&'. !n other words, (essiah would come for the humble, and to them he would announce the year of the Lords favor $%&:)'. !esus" First #ermon At the beginning of his public ministry#thirty years after the nativity of Yeshua as *od+s agent to yoshia $save' his people#we see the theme of *od+s favor figuring prominently once again in the (aster+s life. This gifted son of (ary and ,oseph returns to his home village in the lower *alilee, and with bold prophetic voice he announces the in-breaking of *od.s redemptive reign in human affairs: The Kingdom of Heaven (God) is here! $(atthew /:&0' As usual, he attends synagogue on the 1abbath. 2hat anticipation must have filled the air, what fascination in the minds of the worshippers, as ,esus of 3a4areth ascended the bima $platform' to read from the Torah and the 5rophets6 2e can only speculate as to the assigned Torah portion that 1abbath morning long ago in 3a4areth. 7ut the concluding prophetic reading, the Haftarah, was the reader.s choice# and its message is every bit as timely today as it was two thousand years ago. Rav Yeshua $8abbi ,esus' asks the attendant for the 97ook of !saiah: $Luke /:&0'. ;nfurling the scroll#like the one found intact among the discoveries near the <ead 1ea #he turns to his passage of choice and begins reading: The !irit of the Lord is u!on me" be#ause he has anointed me $$$ to !ro#%aim the year of the Lord&s favor$ (Lu'e ()*+,*- .R/) As 9the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him,: =eshua rolls up the scroll and hands it back to the #ha0an $attendant'. >e sits down, in the customary manner for sages, and begins to expound upon the 2ord of the Lord. $reative %eading Two features of =eshua+s reading of !saiah are striking: the first, commonly noted? the second, rarely understood. @irst, he stops reading from !saiah %&:) in mid-sentence. The original text declares: $$$ to !ro#%aim the year of the Lord&s favor" and the day of vengean#e of our God$ ,esus deliberately concludes his reading with the words shnat rat0on %a1donai#9year of the Lord+s favor.: >e desists from reading, vyom na2am %e%oheinu#9and the day of vengeance of our *od.: The point is pretty obvious: =eshua.s agenda as the Anointed of *od is related to manifesting, extending and embodying *od+s favor toward men. >e is not the Agent of *od+s judgment. 1econd, out of the mouth of two witnesses a matter is established in ,ewish tradition. To reinforce his point, therefore, =eshua engages in a bit of creative reading and rabbinic exegesis of the !saiah text. >e inserts a phrase#to set at %iberty those 3ho are o!!ressed#from the well known passage of !saiah AB:A-% immediately before his concluding reference to the favor of the Lord$ 2hy does he do thisC Dery simply: to drive home a point. As my friend <r. 1teven 3otley has documented, ,esus connects his reading of !saiah %&:)a to the only other passage in !saiah#indeed in all the >ebrew 7ible#that has the same exact >ebrew phrase: rat0on %a1donai $!saiah AB:Ab'6 >is use of the rabbinic techniEue of linking two texts with the same key word or phrase $called Ge0era hava' dramati4es the main point and provides his interpretive key to the passage+s intent. &essianic Tas' To a stunned hometown audience, ,esus both announces his (essianic identity and interprets his (essianic task by a creative reading of the !saiah scroll. ontrary to the expectations of many, in 3a4areth and the *alilee $including his cousin, ,ohn the 7apit4er', ,esus announces that the time is not yet for *od+s wrath to be poured out against wickedness, arrogance and the kingdoms of men. 3o, that baptism of fire will come with a future Apocalypse. 3ow is the time for a baptism of the humble and repentant in the renewing waters of the >oly 1pirit. >e emphasi4es that today is the day of salvation, not of judgment. >e announces the good news of *od.s favor, not the bad news of *od.s vengeance. =eshua is the Anointed "ne through whom *od.s kingship is breaking into people.s hearts and lives, healing, saving, encouraging, comforting, delivering and making whole. The (essianic task as ,esus understood it is all about showing forth *od.s favor. At his birth, angelic hosts announced *od+s sha%om or peace coming on the earth and >is favor upon men. 3ow, at the birth of his public ministry, ,esus echoes these glad tidings. !n him, we see !saiah.s prophecy being fulfilled and the favor of the Lord breaking forth. 2ith him and the angels, can we say: G%ory to God in the highest! F )G&/ The enter for ,udaic-hristian 1tudies. All rights reserved.