Getting to Know Jesus #3

Yesterday we left off in Luke 4, where Jesus was in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth and had just read the prophecy from Isaiah about One whom God had appointed to proclaim His Good News:

20 And he rolled up the scroll and 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.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and 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[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away. 

It was tradition in the synagogue that the Rabbi would stand in honor of God's Word when reading it, then sit down to comment on it. Jesus sat down, and the people waited for Him to say something. Finally, He simply says: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” - in other words, "I am the One Who is bringing this Good News." They couldn't believe it, and He began to respond to their disbelief. Isn't that just like us? Always skeptical of the promises of God.  Jesus knew His own townsfolk would expect special treatment, but if they would not believe the simplest, shortest statement, they would not receive the same blessings even foreigners, Gentiles did.  He told them what they did not want to, but needed to hear. And the response was dramatic: They wanted to get rid of Him: He was too convicting. Again, that is often our response to the truth: "Kill the messenger. Don't tell us we need to change." But we do.