Have you ever had something play out in your head one way only to have it go a completely different way in reality? I think about the movie, Hitch, when Will Smith’s character takes a young lady on a date. He takes her jet-skiing on the Hudson in NY. They end up at Ellis Island, where he shows this lady where her great-great-grandfather signed his name to the role of immigrants coming in. Talk about doing your homework! The scene turns suddenly as the lady screams and runs off in tears. Will Smith’s character is left standing there saying, “I saw that going differently in my mind.”
The Gospel of Luke, chapter 4 tells of a time when there is an unexpected response to Jesus and the good news He brought. Luke tells about a time when Jesus went back to His hometown of Nazareth. Nazareth wasn’t a big city. It was more of a small town – the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else.
Going home can mean different things to different people. If you had a decent upbringing, going back home can be a welcomed time. If things growing up weren’t so good, sometimes, coming back to your hometown is not a good thing. For Jesus, this seemed to be a good thing.
Jesus does what He normally would do going to a place – He found and attended synagogue. Jesus knew the importance of gathering together with other people to worship. The synagogue was a small congregation of Jewish people that would gather for worship and study of God’s Word when they couldn’t get to the Temple in Jerusalem. During a synagogue service, three things would normally happen: (1) Reading from the Law, (2) Reading from the Prophets, and (3) Teaching.
We can see Jesus being asked to do the reading of the Prophets and allowed to teach the assembly. He turns to what we know as Isaiah 61:1-2 to read. These verses share about a time known as Jubilee. The Jubilee was a time when things were restored and set free. This particular passage spoke about the Jubilee the Messiah would bring about.
As Jesus rolls up the scroll and begins to teach on this passage, He shares one sentence: “Today, as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” What a bold claim! Jesus is declaring that He is the Messiah, and He is bringing deliverance to those in need and the Lord’s favor to people. That’s some good news!
The People’s Initial Response
What we see in verse 22 is that the people didn’t quite get the fullness of this message. They saw it as good news, but they did not recognize Jesus as anything other than “Joseph’s son.”
Remember, Nazareth is a small town where everyone pretty much knows everyone. Many of these people knew Jesus’ earthly family. They had trouble seeing past that fact.
Some of you would be scared to death to go back to your hometown. The people of your hometown might have stories of who you used to be. You might find it hard to live past those past failures because some people don’t like to let you forget or live them down.
One thing we see from the life and ministry of Jesus is that He is in the business of giving people a fresh start. He knows all about “those stories” that some may hold over our heads. They don’t scare Him away. In fact, He is the only one who can truly give you freedom from your past.
In verse 23, we get a little insight into the fact that Jesus can see the condition and conversations of our hearts. Jesus recognized the people of His hometown wanted to see some of the miracles Jesus had done in other places.
Jesus is not some sideshow sent for our entertainment. He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
Before we look down on these people, we need to ask ourselves: are we any different than them? How many of us would seek the things that Jesus can do rather than Jesus Himself? What if Jesus didn’t do any miracles for you, would you still listen to and follow Him?
In verses 25-27, Jesus uses two Old Testament illustrations to show that those who respond in proper faith are the ones that experience the fullness of Jesus. It’s not about what family you come from. It’s not about what ethnicity you are. It’s not about anything other than will you place your faith completely and solely in Jesus.
The People’s Later Response
This teaching of Jesus — while it was the good news that He had come to offer freedom from sin to all — did not sit well with the people of Nazareth. To hear that God would offer His grace to those outside the Jewish race was too much for them.
They became angry at how Jesus’ teaching revealed the sin of their heart. They pushed back on Jesus’ words because they felt they were “entitled” to this blessing by being Jewish.
Rather than listening, humbling themselves, and receiving this blessing, they chased Jesus out of town and even tried to kill Him (v 29). Upon hearing the good news that Jesus shared, they ran Him off. They would rather hold onto their rights and what they had been raised to believe than receive the gospel.
We may shake our heads and wonder how could these people do that. If we would be honest, we might be shocked to see that we do this very thing in our own lives at times. When God comes to us to deal with something in our lives, are we submissive to His Word fully, or do we react much like the people of Nazareth?
Conclusion
The people of Nazareth, much like us, had an incredible need. They were in need of deliverance that can only come from the Messiah. We also need the deliverance the Messiah offers.
Jesus came to Nazareth — and He comes to us as well — with the good news of the gospel. Though we stand condemned before a holy God because of our sin, Jesus has paid the penalty for that sin and offers to us eternal life.
The message of the gospel is not just facts about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. The message of the gospel is an invitation to life and a real relationship with God. It is only through Jesus a person can experience this. As with any invitation, it requires a response. What will be your response to the good news of the gospel?
0 comments:
Post a Comment