From Popular to Not So Popular
Luke 4:14-28
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”
24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
This Sunday’s service can be viewed on our Facebook page @ Sunday, February 2, 2025
Hi NewDay!
This week, we continue the story we started in Luke 4, last week, where Jesus made His Big Announcement in Church (Why He came, and what He was all about!) If you were with us on Sunday, we read in Luke 4:14-21 about this announcement. Jesus explained to the gathered congregation that He was the fulfillment in Isaiah 61. He revealed Himself as the Messiah, the anointed One, during this exposition on Isaiah. To paraphrase, Jesus told the church- I am here to free the captives, bring hope, open the eyes of the blind, and defeat suffering.
In Luke it says that everyone was amazed at His words- His gracious words it is noted.
And, then the opinion of the crowd quickly turned on Jesus. That's where we will be exploring and learning from this Sunday in Luke 4:22-30.
If you are reading from Luke's Gospel to prepare for this Sunday, be thinking on a few things: Have you ever felt rejected? I bet you have- I believe to be human means that at some point in our life, we will all experience rejection.
What do you do with rejection? Why was Jesus rejected to the point the crowd tried to throw Him off a cliff?! And, what does His rejection mean for us?
One thing for sure- Jesus gets us. He truly gets us. So, if you are experiencing some kind of rejection in your life, or were hurt by rejection, so was Jesus. May this fact give you comfort and reassurance. He is with us in what we go through in this world.
And, ultimately, He came to free us from sin, reverse suffering, restore joy, and heal, open the eyes of the physically blind and spiritually blind, and open our ears to His truth. Jesus rose above rejection, and as He was dying, we see once again how He responded to rejection: "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they do." Luke 23:34
May you be blessed today in every way, and may the Holy Spirit prepare us for worship together this Sunday.
I thank God for you all!
Pastor Kari
Lectionary Readings for this Sunday: Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Psalm 71:1-6; Luke 4:21-30
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