Here’s the thing… Jesus is immersed in a religious tradition but is not bound by the limitations of that tradition.

In other words he’s not put off by religious lip-service, scandal, hypocrisy…

He returns to his home town and visits the Synagogue “as he usually did.”

See… he’s immersed in it – “as he usually did” – always hanging out in Synagogues, immersed in the biblical stories, in the accounts of God’s dealing with his people, and he’s no desire to walk away from it.

Remember the time when Mary and Joseph thought he was lost… where did they find him?*

He’s immersed in it and now declares that he’s going to fulfill it.

So taking the scriptures he finds a passage to support what’s in his head and heart.

I’m going to fulfill this in my flesh and blood, not walk away from it. I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere.

He’s radical and incisive, an explosion of God’s presence in their midst.

Isn’t that interesting? No? Yes? Definitely yes, because far from walking away from our religion – which carries the very DNA, so to speak, of Jesus and his religious tradition – it is much more likely that Jesus expects us to be immersed in our religion and to fulfill it in our own flesh and blood, to live it and not be put off by scandal, hypocrisy, indifference… the usual stuff!

Be God’s explosion in the midst of your religion!

*They found him in the temple listening to and engaging the religious leaders. That’s not a surprise.