Have you ever read a book or watched a movie that starts with one of those opening lines that instantly pulls you in? Think about some of those famous first liners: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” or maybe even, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” These openings set the stage for something big, something worth paying attention to. They grab us from the get-go!

That’s exactly what Luke is doing in the opening of his Gospel. He begins with this carefully crafted prologue, saying, “I have investigated everything accurately anew” (Luke 1:3). Essentially, Luke is saying: “This story I’m about to tell you? It’s life-changing, and I need you to hear it.”

Then something interesting happens in this Gospel. The Church in giving us this selection has decided to skip 3 whole chapters. She makes us fast forward to chapter 4, where Jesus stands in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. That’s deliberate. The Church is telling us that the message Luke wants us to hear has something to do with this next part.

So, let’s picture the scene: it’s a regular Sabbath day. The people are gathered in the central space of the synagogue, and Jesus, the carpenter’s son, gets up to read. And what is handed to Him but the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. He opens to the part where it says:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

And then, if that wasn’t enough, Jesus does something that takes this whole ordeal to another level. He rolls up the scroll, sits down, and says, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Think about that moment for a second. The people of Nazareth have watched this Jesus guy grow up. They know his family; they know where He came from; many of them have likely been to His house and shared a meal with His family. He’s just some ordinary dude that lives in the same town as them. And then He has the audacity to say that?!

What’s truly happening here? Jesus isn’t just reading a nice prophecy and hoping that it will happen someday. He’s saying, “I’m the one Isaiah was talking about. I’m the Savior. I’m the one you’ve been waiting for.”

Now, let’s get personal. What does it mean for us that Jesus is a Savior? First, what this passage says about Jesus is that He came for the poor; He came for the captives, the blind, the oppressed. But don’t just think of “the poor” as people without money or “the blind” as only those who can’t physically see. Jesus is talking about anyone who is struggling – anyone weighed down by sin, shame, fear, or hopelessness. And guys, that’s all of us; in some form or fashion, that’s you and me.

Jesus didn’t come to be a Savior in theory. He didn’t say, “One day I might help you out.” Instead, He came to step into our messes, our struggles, our pain, our sufferings. He steps into our lives, into our hearts, into those areas where we are most in need of Him.

And yet, just like the people in Nazareth, we sometimes have trouble believing that Jesus desires to save us; we struggle to believe that Jesus is who He says He is. We might think: “Jesus? A Savior? Sure, maybe for someone else, but not for me. My problems are too big – or too small – or too complicated.” But that’s the beauty of who Jesus is. He doesn’t back away from our brokenness; He doesn’t shy away from meeting us and loving us in our sinfulness; He doesn’t run away from our woundedness. Instead, He steps into it with us.

So, the question for us today is pretty simple: Do we believe it? Do we believe that Jesus is the Savior – and not just for the world in general, but for you and me personally? Do we trust Him to bring freedom, healing, and hope into our lives?

If we do, then everything changes. That’s what Luke was so eager to share when he wrote his Gospel. That’s what Jesus declared that day in the synagogue. And that’s what He declares to us every time we encounter Him in prayer, in the Word, and most especially in the Eucharist.

A homework assignment for us this week…let’s ask ourselves: where in my life do I need to experience Jesus as Savior? And then, let’s have the courage to invite Him in – because, y’all, the good news is, He’s already here…and He is only waiting for us to say yes.

Photo: Jesus Christ, taken by Paul Zoetemeijer. Stained glass in Kruiskerk, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Used under Unsplash license.

Readings for Mass: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time