Have you ever felt like you had taken something for granted and didn’t realize its impact until much later? In some instances, until it was too late? That’s how I felt a few weeks ago when I was reading the passage in Luke 4:16-29.
After Jesus had been tempted in the wilderness, He began his ministry by speaking in synagogues in Galilee and was glorified throughout Israel. You would think He would’ve been received with the same hospitality in His own hometown, Nazareth but things were very different. As was His custom from childhood, he went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath day. The scroll of Isaiah was handed to Him and this time, He chose to read a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me, to bring good news to the poor;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
All eyes were on Jesus as He sat down and said: ‘…the Word has been fulfilled.’ (Drop the Mic moment)
They were amazed at His words until they realized that he was referring to himself. Their delight turned to anger and there were cries of blasphemy against Jesus…not realizing that everything from the birth of Christ to his death had been foretold. They couldn’t see that the one they were crying out to God for all those years to rescue them was staring right back at them. The one they so quickly wanted to reject was the one who came to save, to set them free and to give them the peace they so badly longed for.
Jesus tried to explain that historically, this has been their downfall – the prophets were rejected from their own hometowns. He gave the example of all the lepers in Israel, the one who was healed in the time of the prophet Elisha was Naaman, a Syrian.
Rather than considering the truth that was presented to them, they were blinded by rage and threw him out of the synagogue and drove Him out of his hometown, with the intent to kill.
When I read this passage, my first thoughts were: ‘Jesus I’m so sorry for the way you were treated by your own people. They were so vicious and I thank you for saving us, for acknowledging that we are more accepting of you than your own.’ The Holy Spirit was quick to remind me: How many times have I overlooked Christ in my life when things were great? Or when I thought I had to walk alone in moments of crisis and failed to acknowledge that Jesus was right there,ready to take that load off my back, to comfort and intervene.
The beauty of His love is that it’s never too late. He’s always been and will always be there..ready to save, set free and to liberate! He’s our real life superhero! I am so thankful I serve a God who does not require my works to gain His acceptance. I just need to accept Him and believe. ~Faeba
