14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
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.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. v15 What does it mean that He was glorified by all?
2. v22 What does it mean that they spoke well of Him?
3. v28 What did Jesus say that filled them with such wrath that they wanted to murder Him?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/05/mark-61-6-jesus-left-there-and-went-to.html says:
ReplyDeleteWestern society is blessed to be steeped in the teaching of Scripture and the person and work of Christ. However, we must take care that this blessing of familiarity does not motivate contempt in us for the things of God. Even if we do not consciously disregard the Lord, failing to marvel at the Father’s grace — because we hear of it every week — is a subtle and powerful form of contempt. Take time to meditate on the greatness of our God and His love for us.
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When we think of omnipotence, we think that God can do anything - such as create a rock heavier than He can lift.
Omnipotence doesn't mean that. It means that one can do anything that can be done.
One thing that can't be done, is that God does something against His own nature. Doing miracles in a place that lacks faith goes against God's nature. God cannot do something that goes against His nature. That means that God is both omnipotent, and limited by His own nature.
Is that an oxymoron? Not if you keep the proper definition of omnipotence in mind.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteThis period of Jesus' Great Galilean Ministry extends through Luke 9:50 and lasts for approximately 18 months.
From the chart note that the TIME GAP occurs only in the Gospel of John between Mk 1:13 and Mk 1:14, Mt 4:11 and Mt 4:12 and Luke 4:13 and Luke 4:14. This TIME GAP is estimated to be about 12-14 months and constitutes Jesus' EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY completely omitted by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Some refer to this TIME GAP as the "YEAR OF OBSCURITY." Jesus may have been "obscure" but He was not inactive - John records Jesus' early interaction with John the Baptist (John 1), the miracle of Water to Wine at a wedding (John 2), the Temple cleansing (John 2) and giving Nicodemus knowledge by night (John 3)! This period unique to the Gospel of John extends from about John 1:19+ through John 4:44, 45+. It is also known as the EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY because most of the events occurred in Judea. Note however that some of the events in John 1:19-4:54 took place in Samaria and even Galilee, but Jesus official ministry in Galilee did not begin until after John was taken into prison.
Galilee is a region in northern Israel. The term Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part and divided into Upper Galilee (Hebrew: גליל עליון Galil Elyon) and Lower Galilee (Hebrew: גליל תחתון Galil Tahton).
Galilee was not large; it was only fifty miles from north to south, and twenty-five miles from east to west. But, small as it was, Galilee was densely populated. It was by far the most fertile region of Palestine; its fertility was indeed phenomenal and proverbial. Josephus tells us that in it there were two hundred and four villages, none with a population of fewer than fifteen thousand people. So, then, Jesus began his mission in that part of Palestine where there were most people to hear him; he began his work in an area teeming with men to whom the gospel proclamation might be made.
Of all parts of Palestine Galilee was most open to new ideas. Josephus says of the Galileans, “They were ever fond of innovations, and by nature disposed to changes, and delighted in seditions.” They were ever ready to follow a leader and to begin an insurrection They were notoriously quick in temper and given to quarreling. Yet withal they were the most chivalrous of men. “the Galileans,” said Josephus, “have never been destitute of courage.” “Cowardice was never a characteristic of the Galileans.” “They were ever more anxious for honor than for gain.” The inborn characteristics of the Galileans were such as to make them most fertile ground for a new gospel to be preached to them.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThe traffic of the world passed through Galilee. Away in the south Judea is tucked into a corner, isolated and secluded. As it has been well said, “Judea is on the way to nowhere: Galilee is on the way to everywhere.” Judea could erect a fence and keep all foreign influence and all new ideas out; Galilee could never do that. Into Galilee the new ideas were bound to come.
More than once foreign invasions from the north and east had swept down on it from Syria, and in the eighth century B.C. the Assyrians had engulfed it completely, the greater part of its population had been taken away into exile, and strangers had been settled in the land. Inevitably this brought a very large injection of foreign blood into Galilee. From the eighth until the second century B.C. it had been largely in Gentile hands. When the Jews returned from exile under Nehemiah and Ezra, many of the Galileans came south to live in Jerusalem. In 164 B.C. Simon Maccabaeus chased the Syrians north from Galilee back to their own territory; and on his way back he took with him to Jerusalem the remnants of the Galileans who were left. The most amazing thing of all is that in 104 B.C. Aristobulus reconquered Galilee for the Jewish nation, and proceeded forcibly to circumcise the inhabitants of Galilee, and thus to make them Jews whether they liked it or not. History had compelled Galilee to open its doors to new strains of blood and to new ideas and to new influences. The natural characteristics of the Galileans, and the preparation of history had made Galilee the one place in all Palestine where a new teacher with a new message had any real chance of being heard, and it was there that Jesus began his mission and first announced his message.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThe synagogues were an open door to Jesus before the hostility of the Pharisees was aroused.
Historically, the Synagogues originated in the Babylonian captivity after the 586 BC destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar and served as places of worship and instruction.
The chief administrative officer was the synagogue ruler (Mark 5:22 ; Luke 13:14 ; Acts 13:15+; Acts 18:8,17+), who was assisted by an executive officer who handled the details of the synagogue service (Luke 4:20). Laypeople were allowed to participate in the services, especially in the reading of the prayers and the Scripture (Luke 4:16-20). Visiting sages could be invited to provide the sermon (Luke 4:21 ; Acts 13:15+). Synagogues were attended by both men and women, as well as by God-fearing Gentiles who were committed to learning more about the God of the Jews (Acts 17:4+).
How quickly with this wonderful adoration would become rabid antipathy as He preached in the synagogue in Nazareth. The men of Nazareth, with their violent antagonism, which we are about to consider, were only, after all, a few months in advance of the rest of the nation in their rejection of the Messiah.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 4:16 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.
Nazareth was an obscure village not mentioned in the OT and was located about 20 miles southwest of Capernaum and about 70 miles north of Jerusalem. Nazareth did not enjoy a favorable reputation as judged by Nathaniel's question "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Thus the term Jesus of Nazareth in some context implies reproach.
As was His custom - Undoubtedly His custom since childhood. William MacDonald notes that "There were two other things which we read that He did regularly. He prayed regularly, and He made it a habit to teach others.
Children at the age of five years were admitted into the synagogue, and at thirteen attendance there was part of the legal life of the Jew. These synagogues were the regular places for religious gatherings every sabbath day, and also usually on Mondays and Tuesdays, besides on other special occasions.
The fact that Jesus stood up would suggest a sign of respect for the Word.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThe book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him - The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him by the chazzan. This is a reflection of God's providence, for Jesus was handed the scroll and did not choose which scroll was to be given to Him.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum - It was Jewish practice, and still is, to go through the Mosaic Law each Sabbath throughout the year. It is divided into 54 sections, and the same part would be read no matter what synagogue one attends any where in the world. The books of the prophets are likewise read in such a fashion, correlating with the reading of the Mosaic Law. A minimum of three verses would be read. Jesus broke this tradition by not reading the full three verses, only half the passage. This passage of Isaiah 61:1-3 was recognized as being Messianic.
Luke 4:18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
In sum, the word "poor" can cover poverty of every kind, but in this passage Jesus lays the emphasis on a soul's sense of moral and spiritual poverty, which often is the case of those who are literally poor. A soul who is worldly rich is less likely to be aware of his or her spiritual poverty (see Laodicea below), whereas the financially poor are often open to receiving Jesus' teaching as good news because they realize their poor spiritual condition and thus their desperate spiritual need.
Hughes on the captives - No prisoners were attached to the congregation in Nazareth, but the word broadly includes many forms of spiritual bondage—bondage to money (Luke 19:1-10), bondage to Satan (Luke 8:26-39), bondage to guilt (Luke 7:41-50), bondage to sensuality, and bondage to hatred.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 4:20 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.
Fruchtenbaum on He sat down - Luke’s Gospel takes notice of Jewish practices. When reading a passage of scripture in the synagogue one would stand, and when teaching in a synagogue one would sit. Luke 4:16 says He stood up to read. He sits down, and begins to teach.
Luke 4:21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus is referring specifically to the prophecy in Isa 61:1-2 which his hearers understood as a prophecy of the Messiah. What Jesus was clearly stating was that He was the fulfillment, that He was the "anointed" one, the long expected Messiah (See Messiah - Anointed One). Can you imagine being in the synagogue that day listening to the One read from Isaiah the prophecy that was fulfilled in Himself? What thoughts must have been going through these Jewish men in the synagogue!
Luke 4:23 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.'"
The point of the parable seems to be that the people were expecting Him to make good His claim to the Messiahship by doing here in Nazareth what they had heard of his doing in Capernaum and elsewhere. "Establish your claims by direct evidence" (Easton). This same appeal (Vincent) was addressed to Christ on the Cross (Mt 27:40 = "And saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Mt 27:42 = “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him."). There is a tone of sarcasm towards Jesus in both cases.
“Physician, heal thyself” also communicates a demand that the Miracle-worker work some of His miracles at home. The doctor in the proverb should heal himself; that is, he should practice his medicine at home. In the same way, Jesus should display His power at home, in Nazareth, and not just in other places. In this way, the proverb “Physician, heal thyself” is similar to our modern proverb “Charity begins at home.”
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 4:24 And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.
Truly (amen, verily) (281)(amen from the Hebrew word amen which in turn is from the Hebrew verb aman = to be firm, to believe, this word conveying the idea of certainty) means trustworthy. Surely acknowledges that which is valid and binding. The OT often used "amen" at the end of a sentence (truly, surely, certainly) to confirm the preceding words and invokes their fulfillment. Only the Lord Jesus uses amen (truly) at beginning of a sentence. His "Amen" guarantees the truth of His saying and affirms His authority.
Luke 4:26 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.
Fruchtenbaum - By mentioning the Gentile widow to whom Elijah was sent (to the exclusion of the Jewish widows), and the healing of the Syrian leper by Elijah (to the exclusion of the Jewish lepers), Jesus is hinting that what the Jews reject the Gentiles will accept.
The account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath offers many insights.
First, God often uses unlikely people and sources to accomplish His purposes.
Second, God’s mercy extends to all people, both Jews and Gentiles, and the Sidonian widow was blessed for her faith (see Acts 10:34–35).
Third, God requires faith (Hebrews 11:6). The widow’s miracle only came after she prepared a meal for Elijah—an act of sincere faith on her part.
Jesus was not a people pleaser as C H Spurgeon so eloquently explained...
We therefore ought to preach many truths which will irritate our hearers; we ought to declare to them the doctrines which are really for their present and eternal welfare, however distasteful they may be to their carnal reason and natural inclinations.
Jesus used the story of Naaman and Elisha as an illustration of Israel’s problem of unbelief. But God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34–35), and the Gentiles eventually received the Gospel that Israel rejected.
It is worth noting that it was not Jesus' claim that He was the Messiah that made them angry, but it was His suggestion that their reaction made to His claim made them like one of the worst periods of Israel's history along with the implication that Gentiles might be more helped by God than the nation would be.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteReligious people may accept Jesus on a superficial level, but they do not want to bow before Him as Lord.
Outside of Nazareth, the news about Jesus was spreading, and so far it was favorable: He was “praised by all” (Lk 4:15). Probably at this point, the people of Nazareth were proud of their hometown boy who was becoming famous. But He will come and we’ll see if the rumors are true.” Sure enough, He soon came into town, and everyone turned out at the synagogue that Sabbath. We have here (Lk 4:21) only a sentence summary of Jesus’ sermon, because Luke states that Jesus began to speak, and the people mention “the gracious words which were falling from His lips” (Lk 4:22), implying that He said much more. But, the point is, the initial response to Jesus’ sermon at Nazareth was favorable, although superficial. As sermon critics, they were giving the “hometown kid” good marks on His delivery and style. “Not bad! I can see why we’ve been hearing good reports about the young man. He’s a polished speaker.”
But it wasn’t long until the nodding heads began to stop, and the approving smiles turned to frowns. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. “Who does He think He is, making these claims about fulfilling this Scripture? He’s implying that His message applies to us! We’re not poor! We’re not slaves! We’re not blind and downtrodden! How dare He imply that He can be our Savior, as if we even needed one! If He really is so great, then why doesn’t He do here some of the miracles we heard that He supposedly did in Capernaum? Then we might believe in Him!” They were initially impressed by Jesus’ style, but they took offense at the substance of His sermon. Their offense soon turned to rage and rejection.
These stories offended the religious crowd in Nazareth for two reasons.
First, they were offended because the stories clearly teach that God sovereignly chooses those on whom He bestows His mercy, and that no one can demand His grace, because all are undeserving sinners. Proud man will accuse the Almighty God of being unfair because He does not pour out His grace on everyone, as if everyone was deserving of it! But the Bible teaches that there is none righteous, not even one (Ro 3:10), and that God owes nothing but judgment to all sinners. If He chooses to show His mercy to some, that is His prerogative as the Sovereign Potter . . .
The second reason these stories offended the religious crowd was that they show that God is pleased to bestow His blessings on pagans as well as the religious. There is a wrong way to apply the doctrine of election, namely, to grow conceited and think, “I’m really something because I’m one of God’s chosen people. But that person is not as good as me, because he is a pagan.” The proper application of the doctrine should fill us with humility, gratitude and fear (Ro 11:17-22). When we realize that God shows His mercy to one kind of person only-sinners-we who know God should reach out with compassion to those who are lost.
Let’s apply this point to ourselves: It’s easy to accept Jesus on a superficial level. We hear that God loves us and that Jesus cares for all our needs, and that’s true. So, we welcome Him into our lives. But at some point early on we begin to get a bit uncomfortable as we realize that Jesus’ teaching confronts our pride and self-righteousness. Rather than building up our self-esteem, Jesus begins shining the light of His holiness into the dark, hidden closets of our soul. We begin to see that “nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18). At this point, you have a crucial decision to make. You can dodge the hard truths of the Bible, either by throwing out the whole thing or, as many people do, by finding a church where you hear more soothing, comfortable messages. Or, God’s way is that we face the hard truth about ourselves and submit to Jesus as Lord.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-4-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 4:30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.
Ryrie on passing through their midst -- These words do not necessarily imply a miraculous deliverance. Rather, His commanding presence and righteousness had power to thwart the crowd's plan. (Ed: That "power" certainly suggest at least a hint the miraculous - This reminds one of His effect on those who came to take Him captive in John 18:6 - "When therefore He said to them, "I am," they drew back, and fell to the ground.")
We see other accounts of the Jews trying unsuccessfully to seize Jesus.
John 8:59 (Why? See Jn 8:58) Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
John 10:39 (Why? See Jn 10:39) Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. v15 What does it mean that He was glorified by all?
2. v22 What does it mean that they spoke well of Him?
These are the same question, so will be addressed together. Jesus' teaching was amazing. There was also home town pride - they wanted Jesus to be a big deal. He was their "boy".
3. v28 What did Jesus say that filled them with such wrath that they wanted to murder Him?
Oddly enough, it wasn't Jesus' amazing claims to be the Messiah that upset them. What upset them was that in those stories, Jesus basically was telling them they were unworthy of God's attention, and that Gentiles were closer to God than them. It's possible that they were especially sensitive because they were far from Jerusalem and had a bad reputation. It's possible that they were considered Gentile-like by the people in Jerusalem, so Jesus really hit a sore spot.
When Jesus "turned" on them for their doubts, they used their personal offense as an excuse to claim Jesus was a false prophet.
I heard a sermon on this passage just this week, interestingly. One insight from the sermon is that the people of Nazareth may have sort of wanted to cash in on Jesus being from Nazareth. Like George Washington slept here, they finally had a claim to fame,something to get puffed up about, and felt they deserved a few miracles from Joseph's son. When he apparently didn't deliver their noses may have been out of joint. His illustrations point to the fact that God's miracles are for His sovereign purposes, not for our comfort or entertainment.
ReplyDelete