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Luke introduces Jesus ministry to us with him going back to the town where Jesus was raised ie Nazareth.We know that he'd been in Galilee just before coming to Nazareth. Jesus went to the synagogue on the sabbath as was his custom,he stood up to read from the prophet Isaiah 61:1-2 "The Spirit of the lord is upon me,because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,to set at Liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord"
after he'd closed the book and sat down he said to them "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
The scripture Jesus says, is fulfilled in your hearing today comes right out of the book of comfort in Isaiah. Isaiah 40 -65 is the book of comfort for it deals with Israels restoration in terms of the coming Kingdom of God. Jesus is saying to the congregation in Nazareth all you've heard about in Galilee is because I am the one on whom Gods Spirit rests,I am the anointed one who is bringing you good news. What we have here is Israels King coming to her to save her from her captivity. Jesus is telling them from Isaiah I am the anointed one. Now we have seen from Jesus' baptism and from King Saul and David that to be Gods anointed one they had to have the Holy Spirit which was upon them to deliver Israel from her enemies. Jesus is saying to them I am Israels King because the Holy Spirit is upon me to deliver Israel. Thats what he's saying when he says this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing today. Immediatly they react by saying isn't this the son of Joseph? and said to Jesus do here what we heard you did in Capernaum. He answers them by telling them how in the days of the prophet Elijah there were many lepers but none were healed except Namaan the Syrian. He also reminds them that there were many widows in Israel at that time but Elijah was only sent to a widow in Sidon. when they heard this their reaction was to Kill Jesus by throwing Him off the cliff at Nazareth. So what is Jesus saying to the people of Nazareth that they wanted to kill him?. Well it is that a prophet isn't accepted in his own country. Elijah had a terrible time in apostate Israel under King Ahab. He also wasn't received by his own in Israel because of their wickedness and unbelief. So God healed gentiles from outside Israel because of their faith in Yhwh. Namaan was a leper in charge of the King of Syrias army, we are told that The King of Syria was given victory in battle because of Namaan, who acted justly according to the ways of the Lord. Also we find that he obeyed the word of the prophet that was spoken to him. We find that Namaan not only was healed of lepresy but also turned to the one and only true God and salvation came to him a non Jew because of faith in Gods word through the prophet. When he heard and obeyed what the prophet told him he was healed. The same goes for the widow in Sidon. Though they were to eat their last morsels and then await death, Elijah tells her to give him food first. He then tells her the word of the Lord that she won't run out of oil or bread until it rains again. Again a gentile is given the word of God by Gods prophet and believes it and sees the power of God in saving her from starvation. Here the Jews in the synagogue are given Gods word by Gods King and prophet and they do not believe it and that is why they are likened to Israel in the days of King Asa when God would not act to save in Israel because of their wickedness and unbelief. He's saying don't think because you're Jews and Gods chosen people that God will act if you don't believe His word and His prophet and especially so if they won't believe His King. So then Jesus would not do in Nazareth what he'd done in Capernaum as they'd asked Him because they tried to kill Him as they had done to all Gods prophets.So the one who would save Israel from her captivity and show them the Lords favor was sent to the people of Nazareth but His Christ was rejected by the people he grew up with.The point of Jesus message to Nazareth is that God will send His grace and power to gentiles if Israelites would not believe. Israel isn't held in favour just because she is Israel. The Israel which counts to God is a believing and faithful Israel. God will not act while the people of Nazareth behave as pagans. |
