Ain't that Joe's Boy?

Been a couple of weeks since my last posting, so lets catch up on what is happening here in Luke chapter 4 since Jesus has left the desert and the temptation by Satan.

Luke 4:14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

After resisting the temptation by Satan he leaves the desert and enters the area of Galilee.  Jesus is no longer hungry, weak or alone.  He has been ministered to by angels and has received power through the Holy Spirit.  As he travels about he teaches and makes quite an impression on everyone in the surrounding area.  They are excited.  To glorify is to give to Jesus the recognition that is His due.  Essentially they are praising Him for his ministry in word and dead.  He was healing and doing miracles as we see from the reputation Jesus had when he visited Nazareth.

This is great so eventually he comes into Nazereth.  Basically Jesus home town.

Luke 4:16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
       18 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
       Because He has anointed Me
      To preach the gospel to the poor;
      He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
      To proclaim liberty to the captives
      And recovery of sight to the blind,
      To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
       19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Jesus went into and taught in the Synagogue because there he would find people gathered together for prayer, the reading of the scripture and exposition of what was read.  This basically meant the reader expressing what the scripture was about.  This wasn't like a lot of churches today.  The reading was done at a table typically at the center of the assembly.  After the reading the person proclaiming what the passage was about sat amongst all the others that were gathered.


It was likely as Jesus entered the Synagogue in Nazereth that he was asked to do the reading because of the reputation he had gained.  So he reads the passage from the Old Testament scripture in the book of Isaiah which ends with the phrase to "proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord".  As stated many months ago when we first started studying Luke, the people of Israel were looking for the Messiah.  They were looking for someone to restore them to their former glory, as an independent and powerful nation.  To free them from the rule of the Romans.  This was a passage of hope that someday God would deliver Israel.  The people in the synagogue were anxious to see what Jesus would say about this passage.

Luke 4:20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

WOW!! This is great news from someone the people looked to and respected.  The scripture has been fulfilled.  Jesus is saying His arrival is ushering in the acceptable year of the Lord. He probably went on to explain more about this passage which we will look into more in depth next time.  As he finishes speaking a few things happen.

• They were amazed at His teaching.  They way he taught, the authority and knowledge that Jesus had.
• There must have been encouragement in His words that lifted their spirits
• Now that Jesus was with them they were ready to witness the miracles and healing that they heard about.  Since this was Jesus home town they were expecting quite a show.
  
• Some were wondering about how the son of Joseph could be the person that they have been hearing about. 

Many times around here when something happens in the local news (heard in the Whistle Stop, Dunkin Donuts', Sophia's or parking lot of the IGA) involving a young person good or bad.  The phrase is usually uttered ain't that Joe's kid, the Smith boy, one the kids up on Durginton Road or some such similar phrase.

So it was in this situation.  Jesus was now well known and its was hard to believe that He grew up right here in Nazareth.  Can't wait to see what he is going to do.  Jesus knew what they were thinking.

Luke 14:23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

Briefly since this post is getting kind of long.  Jesus knew they wanted Him to have a special ministry right there in Nazareth.  Stick around our town and become famous.  Jesus responded that He really would not be accepted just because of His teaching.  The prophets that God sent to Israel were not welcome.  Examples are given about Elijah and Elisha ministering to foreigners when Israel was in need.  Jesus was indicating that the people of Nazareth were really not ready to receive Him as the fulfillment of scripture.

Needless to say this was not well received.

Luke 4:28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  

The people had two choices.  They could have made every effort to prove Jesus wrong, by accepting His teaching and inviting Him to continue in His ministry there.  It would have proven that there words of praise were sincere.  However they proved Jesus right that really in there hearts they weren't ready to accept Jesus, the local boy made famous and Jesus really revealed their true hearts as they rose up in wrath to cast Him out of thier town.  Next time we will spend a little personnal update and also look more closely at the passage Jesus read to better understand what is really being fullfilled.