SSL 7 - Luke 4:14-30 - REJECTED
BACKGROUND: Last week in Luke 3:7-18, we studied the preaching ministry of John the Baptist as the Forerunner of Jesus. John's ministry proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and the three main focus points of his preaching were: (1) Your religious heritage-i.e. being Jew-won't save you from the wrath of God; (2) honest repentance requires faithful fruitfulness-sharing your provision with others and doing your work with honesty and integrity; and (3) that either salvation or judgment would be coming from the One who is mightier than him-Jesus Christ. In today's lesson Luke moves to the story of Jesus in the synagogue at His hometown of Nazareth. Even though Luke used the gospel of Mark as an outline, he modifies the chronology to place this story at the beginning of Jesus' ministry rather than midway as in Mark and Matthew. He does this purposely in order to start out with an emphasis on three great themes of Jesus' ministry: (1) empowerment by the Holy Spirit (v. 14); (2) the importance of His teaching (vv. 15-30); and (3) His miracles (v. 30). It also introduces His concern for vulnerable people (vv. 18-19) and His openness to the Gentiles (vv. 24-28), themes that will permeate this Gospel. And His short sermon at Nazareth (vv. 18-21) served as a mission statement, which He confirms at the very end of the chapter, where he states, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose" (4:43).
Read Luke 4:14-15 - JESUS COMMENCES HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY
14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
v. 14a: "And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit" - So far Luke has taught us that the power of the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary's womb (1:35), prophesied through Zacharias that Jesus was God (1:69), prophesied through Simeon and Anna that Jesus was the foretold Messiah (2:25-38), and (we skipped this) descended upon Jesus at His baptism (3:21-22), which Luke uses to remind us that Jesus' ministry is Spirit-empowered. That Luke mentions that Jesus "returned to Galilee" to show this region, a cultural backwater, will be His ministry focus rather than Judea.
v. 14b: "and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district" - By this time, Jesus had preached, taught, and performed many miracles over the course of His first year of ministry.
v. 15: "And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all" - In those days, Jewish worship took place either in the Temple in Jerusalem or at local synagogues scattered throughout the outlying communities. Temple worship focused in ritual and sacrifice, while services in the local synagogues mainly involved praying, Scripture reading, and teaching. For the vast majority of Jews, Temple worship was something experienced only infrequently, so that local synagogues were the place for their regular worship. And the synagogues' emphasis on spiritual teaching rather than following rituals became a strong influence on the formation of the early Christian church. I can imagine that these Jews were galvanized by Jesus' teaching-it's no wonder that they praised Him.
Read Luke 4:16-21 - HE CAME TO NAZARETH
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECASUE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELSEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCALIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." 20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
v. 16a: "And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read" - Matthew's Gospel tells us that early in adult life, Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum (Matthew 4:13), so this was just that, a visit.
v. 16b: "and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read" - Here we see Luke confirm Jesus' deep roots in Jewish religious tradition and His faithfulness to the synagogue and Sabbath observance. Mary and Joseph were both devout Jews who would have raised Jesus from infancy in the synagogue, connecting Him with Jewish traditions in a way that made synagogues a natural starting place for His ministry. Luke also indicates that Jesus customarily "stood up to read," According to tradition, a man would stand up to read from the scrolls, and after reading the passage, would sit down and teach.
v. 17: "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written," - This is our oldest detailed account of synagogue worship. The general language spoken in the service would be Aramaic but the reading would be in Hebrew, after which the reader would translate and teach it in Aramaic. Although Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah, it appears that He selected the actual chapter and verse.
vv. 18-19: "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECASUE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELSEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCALIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." - Jesus quotes primarily from Isaiah 61:1-2 and taught from this passage to explain to the people of Nazareth what He came to do:
• He was "ANOINTED" at His baptism when the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove (3:22).
• He would preach "good news to the POOR," people suffering from economic and spiritual poverty.
• He would "RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES" by His miraculous of casting out of demons.
• He would restore "SIGHT TO THE BLIND," physically and spiritually (see 7:21-22; 18:35-43).
• He would "SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED"-the word oppressed literally translates to "crushed," meaning people who've been mistreated, abused, and neglected in life. Jesus would heal them.
• Jesus would "PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD" by bringing a fresh beginning as new creations in Christ, for in Him we have no past mistakes and bad decisions-everything is brand new. And as Messiah, Jesus would fulfill all six of Isaiah's proclamations in His First Coming.
v. 20: "And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him" - Some in the crowd are undoubtedly thinking, "Hey, wait a minute! You left out the best part. They're wondering why He skipped the last clause of Isaiah 61:2: "TO PROCALIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD AND THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD." Why did Jesus leave it out? Because the second clause of v. 2 and the verses that follow refer to His Second Coming. They talk about the "DAY OF VENGEANCE," when God will set Israel back in her rightful place among the nations (JR explained the yet to be fulfilled promises to Israel during his end-times study last year). In short, Jesus didn't come to do all of this in his First Coming but will fulfill it in His Second Coming. Right now, we're living in the "AND"-the Church Age between the First and Second Comings.
v. 21: "And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing'" - This is one of the world's shortest but at the same time, one of the most powerful sermons. It is the fulfillment of (six promises of Isaiah 61:1-2a) what the people of Israel have been waiting for six centuries. Jesus has now told them the wait is over--"THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD"-and that salvation is available. The fulfillment of this Scripture began with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and continues in the life of His church today.
Read Luke 4:22-27 - PROPHETS ARE NEVER POPULAR
22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" 23 And He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'" 24 And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
v. 22: "And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" - They were amazed because Jesus taught with real power and authority, rather than the vague explanations they were accustomed to hearing from Scribes. The comment, "Is this not Joseph's son?," shows that Jesus' audience were having a hard time reconciling their memories of Jesus the boy with the man standing before them.
v. 23: "And He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'" - This "proverb" is really a just cliché or old saying, like "put your money where your mouth is." What is implied here is that some in the crowd want more proof that this son of Joseph is really a Prophet of God. They wanted Him to produce some signs and miracles like those they'd heard of in Capernaum. It really wasn't an unusual request: true prophets are expected to perform signs and wonders.
v. 24: "And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown" - Jesus isn't telling them that He can't perform miracles there or that He won't perform them (He will). In the next three verses, rather than the give the sign they expect, He will tell his hometown folks a story they will not like to hear. As Jesus rightly infers, Israel has a long history of rejecting prophets. Prophets are seldom popular because God sends them to say unpopular things.
vv. 25-27: "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." - The stories of Elijah and Elisha would be familiar to them. These two prophets came with the Word of God but did not perform miracles or signs before the Israelites because of their hardened hearts and unbelief. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah went to the widow Zarephath in Sidon and asked her to obey in faith and believe that her food supplies would be restored if she gave him food and water. When she acted in faith, her food supply never ran out and later, her son was raised from the dead. The problem with this story was that this faithful widow wasn't one of the "many widows in Israel" but a Gentile woman. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was healed of leprosy by faith when he believed and followed Elisha's instructions to the letter. Naaman, a Syrian, was likewise a Gentile. Using two Gentiles as examples of people blessed by God because of their faith would have certainly touched a nerve with these people. This brings to mind John the Baptist's message last week that being a Jew wouldn't exempt you from God's judgment (3:8-9). Thus, Jesus' underlying message to the crowd in the synagogue is clear: Do you choose to believe in Me by faith or are your hearts hardened by unbelief like the Jews in the foregoing passages? There is always a choice when people are confronted with Jesus: Will you believe in Him or will you reject Him?
Read Luke 4:28-30 - THEY WERE FILLED WITH WRATH
28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.
v. 28: "And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things" - The Jews in the Nazareth Synagogue, like other Jews, viewed the message of Isaiah 61:1-2 as a promise only to Israel. They were expecting a Messiah who would bring good news to a nation now a vassal state in the Roman Empire by proclaiming liberty for Israel and wreaking vengeance (Isaiah 61:2b) on its enemies. Jesus, however, reminded them of a low point in their history, when God brought famine on Israel as a judgment but saved a Gentile widow, along with a blessing on another Gentile. Because Jesus' message was the opposite of the one they expected to hear, they were filled with hate. This is a very common human response when someone tells them a truth they don't want to hear.
v. 29: "and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff" - This might have been in preparation for a stoning-to-death, the usual punishment for a false prophet. By pushing a person off a cliff, into a low place, the crowd could stand above and throw stones down on their victim. This story actually establishes a pattern for the rest of Jesus' ministry and also for the early church in Acts: (1) Jesus continuing emphasis to minister to outcast groups; (2) growing opposition to Jesus by Jewish leaders and the crowd's insistence that Jesus be crucified; (3) the persecution of early Christians as reported in Acts; and (4) the eventual acceptance of Gentiles in the church starting in Acts 10.
v. 30: "But passing through their midst, He went His way" - Luke doesn't give us the exact details, but it was a miraculous escape of some kind-most likely the intervention of the Holy Spirit-that allowed Jesus to get away because "His time had not yet come." The real irony here is that the Jews in synagogue asked for a sign-a miracle-and this was the one they got. In Acts Luke will tell other stories of miraculous escapes: An angel frees Peter from prison (Acts 12:6-11); Pauls' miraculous survival of a stoning at Lystra (Acts 14:19-20); and an earthquake frees Paul and Silas from prison in Philippi (Acts 16:25-34).
APPLICATION-Points:
1. You must accept Jesus for who He claims to be, both Lord (God) and Messiah (Savior). Jesus, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2a, acting and speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit, claimed to be the "anointed one," the Messiah. He did not come of his own initiative, but was sent by the Father to bring God's salvation to the world.
2. People reject Christ because they do not want to admit their sinful condition. The crowd in Nazareth probably thought themselves to be basically good people. After all, they were Jews, not idolatrous pagans. Then along comes this hometown boy who says God's message is for the poor, the captives, the blind, and the downtrodden, and He had the nerve to say that He would take God's blessings to the Gentiles. They simply could not conceive Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and their sinful self-righteousness and arrogance blinded them to the truth.
3. If you reject Jesus today, you might not get another opportunity to receive Him. The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus, so he passed through them and went on His way. Rejection of the gospel can be final and fatal.
