Nazareth Luke 4:14-30

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?' She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?'

She again replied, 'Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair."

-Jesus suffered to save sinners.

I. The Subject of Salvation vv. 14-19

In our passage this morning, Jesus has just endured 40 days of temptation in the wilderness, and now in the power and direction of the Spirit, He returns to Galilee

After doing great work around the region, Jesus returns to Nazareth

This is going to be an important stop, because this is His hometown and He will reveal important information about the nature of His ministry

He begins by reading from the scroll of Isaiah, a passage about the Lord’s anointed servant

This servant will be in the business of proclamation: bringing good news to the people:

It is freedom for the captive, sight for the blind, good news for the poor, and liberty for the oppressed

This may seem a little foreign to us, or for other people, but spiritually speaking, this is our condition

We are born in sin; it is the human condition. Apart from God’s intervention, we are poor, blind, captive, and oppressed

You are a sinner and there is nothing that you can do about it on your own!

There is good news, however. Now is the “year of the Lord’s favor”

This is a reference to another Old Testament concept, the year of Jubilee.

Every 50 years, a special time came around and all debts were forgiven and whatever property had been lost was regained

There is a greater jubilee that has come: God wants to show you His grace and He wants to set you free.

He wants to give you a gift that you have not earned and you don’t deserve.

He wants to invite you into a completely different type of life that is both abundant and eternal and He makes it possible through His Son

It would be easy for us to focus on the physical, but what God has for you is much more than that!

If you go down to Baldwin County, you can visit Fairhope, the Jubilee City. You may wonder what a Jubilee is and what it has to do with the biblical idea. Sporadically, the waters of Mobile Bay lose oxygen and the fish and crustaceans of the Bay are driven into the shallows on the Eastern Shore. In those moments, the fish, crabs, and shrimp that so many labor so hard for or buy dearly are available for the taking. People pile in with washtubs, baskets, and ice chests and take all that they want. You don’t have to earn it; you just have to receive it. That’s exactly what the salvation that the Lord is offering to us is like!

II. The Source of Salvation vv. 20-22

At the end of His reading, the people are spell-bound.

They have heard about the works of Jesus and they hope that He is going to bring about the prophecy He has just read

He does not shy away from their hopes; He tells them that the prophecy is being fulfilled right now!

However, there are 3 primary problems with this:

In other places, we see that they misunderstand what this salvation is; they marvel, but wrongly

In Mark, we see that they are offended, out of familiarity; they struggle to believe that one of their own could be the Messiah

In Luke, we see another problem: Presumption. They assume that since Jesus is “one of them” that His great work will be most present among them

There are a lot of ways that we can miss out on the salvation that God offers us, but I don’t want us to miss this: it is only found in Jesus

He is the Servant that is sent by the Lord

He is unique and He accomplishes for us what no one else can do!

Acts 4:11–12

[11] This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. [12] And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (ESV)

III. The Scandal of Salvation vv. 23-27

We see Jesus address their presumption head-on

He quotes an old proverb that illustrates their assumption

“Physician, heal thyself” a call to serve His own people first

Jesus, however, points to two critical Old Testament examples that show a different way that God works

The widow of Zarephath feeds Elijah with the last food that she and her son have to live on and God sustains them through the famine

Naaman the Syrian is a leper who dips in the Jordan River and his disease is healed

There were countless Israelites that God could have shown His grace to, but instead He works in the lives of these Gentiles

It turns out that God’s grace isn’t received as a result of family, culture, nationality, political stance, or religious practice; it is a gift that is received by obedient faith in God

On the one hand, this is incredibly good news; on the other, it is a problem! I must not assume anything about my relationship with God, but must examine the quality of our faith!

Do I believe the right things about God, or do I believe God?

Does this lead to faithful action and transformed character?

Is my life self-directed or Spirit-led?

Do I see God at work around me in ways that only He can receive the credit for?

If the answer to these questions is a solid no, perhaps you are presuming on Jesus yourself!

On Sunday July 26, 2009, one of the biggest and most famous men in the world—NBA star Shaquille O'Neil— tried to get into the White House without an appointment. At 7-1 and 325 pounds, with a winning smile, and NBA championship rings on his fingers from years of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq has what it takes to walk into most places he wants to go. Doors open for Shaq. And so, Shaq decided to put his celebrity, and President Obama's love of basketball, to the test. He was on a D.C. sports radio show on Friday July 24th, and he put this question to the listeners: "Check this out, I got on a nice suit, I'm in D.C. paying a visit, I jump out of a cab in front of the White House, I don't use none of my political or law enforcement connections. If I go to the gate and say, 'Hey, I'm in town, I would like to see the President,' do I get in, or do I not get in?"

Two days later, Shaq gave it a try, and just as Shaq has rejected those who would drive past him to the hoop, so the security guards at the White House gate rejected him. Later that day, Shaq tweeted, "The White House wouldn't let me in, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy."

IV. The Suffering of Salvation vv. 28-30

The people respond to Jesus with anger and attempt to kill Him; we tend to just ignore Him!

They cannot accomplish it, because the time is not right; He will fulfill this work at the Cross

However, what takes place here is a picture of what will happen later

It turns out that the Servant who saves is also the Servant who suffers

This suffering is caused by the sin of people, but it is also for the sin of the people

It is precisely because Jesus suffers that sinners are set free

Isaiah 53:2–6

[2] For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

[3] He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

[4] Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

[6] All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all. (ESV)

The one who came to seek and to save was willing to suffer so that those who were lost could be found:

This is good news

This is for you!