Gospel Priority Sunday School week 1 Success Brings Problems

week 1

Luke 4:16–30 ESV

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.” 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 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.

Success Brings Problems

Luke records Jesus and His ministry success in other regions. Galilee, they loved His teachings and watching Him change lives.

He comes home and its a different story. The reason Luke does this is that Jesus’ infamous Nazareth experience dramatically reveals what the gospel is (and demands), why many people reject it, and why some receive it. The study of this text can truly be a spiritual eye-opener.

Jesus Reception?

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Jesus’ Reception

From the Mishnah’s Megillah IV, which supplies numerous details about synagogue worship, we can trace the general flow of the service. There was the singing from Psalms 145–150, followed by the recitation of the Shema, which begins, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one God, the Lord is One (sema yisraʿel ʾadnay ʾelhenu ʾadnay ʾehad)” (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; 11:13–21; Numbers 15:37–41). Next the Eighteen Benedictions, known as the Tefillah, were also recited aloud in succession. Then came the reading of Scripture. An officer went to the holy ark, took out the Torah scroll, removed its cloth covering, opened it to its designated place, and placed it on the table where it was read from by various attenders. The Torah was then returned to the ark, and a portion from the prophets, the Haftarah, was read. This was followed by a sermon. The service was closed with the Aaronic benediction, with the people pronouncing “Amen” at each of its divisions: “The Lord bless you and keep you” (“Amen”), “the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you” (“Amen”), “the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (“Amen”) (cf. Numbers 6:24–26; Mishnah Sotah, XII.6).

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Jesus’ Reception

Very likely, before the service Jesus had been asked by the synagogue president to read the Haftarah, and Jesus had requested that it be a scroll of Isaiah.

And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (vv. 16b–19)

The reading was a combination of Isaiah 61:1, 2 and 58:6 with a couple of lines left out, one of which was the final half of the last line, which adds, “and the day of vengeance of our God” (cf. Isaiah 61:2b).

By omitting that last line, Jesus got their attention! All were silent and motionless. “Then,” records verse 20, “he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down” (thus assuming the seated position of a preacher). “The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he said to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’

2 things Jesus makes in his statement

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Jesus’ Reception

Jesus was obviously saying two things. First, the consolation of Israel promised long before by Isaiah found its ultimate expression in Jesus and his message. And second, while “the day of vengeance of our God” would come (Isaiah 61:2b), it was not being fulfilled on that day. What was being fulfilled that day was “the year [i.e., the season] of the Lord’s favor.

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Jesus’ Sermon

Jesus’ Sermon

This understood, we can examine Jesus’ preaching. His arresting opening line, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” was followed by an exposition of the four classes of people who would benefit from his ministry: the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. These categories powerfully portray the people to whom Christ came and whom he saves.

4 Groups to benefit from Jesus’ teaching:

Poor-Jesus was “anointed … to preach good news to the poor” (italics added). The word “poor” can cover poverty of every kind. But the emphasis here is on a conscious moral and spiritual poverty, which often is the lot of the financially poor.The rich are less likely to be aware of their spiritual poverty (cf. Revelation 3:14–22). The Greek word here (ptochois) is the same word Jesus used in the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Often the poor are especially open to receiving Jesus’ teaching as good news because they realize their desperate spiritual straits

prisoners-Similarly, “prisoners” has a spiritual application because the word technically means prisoners of war. No prisoners were attached to the congregation in Nazareth, but the word broadly includes many forms of spiritual bondage—bondage to money (cf. 19:1–10), bondage to Satan (cf. 8:26–39), bondage to guilt (cf. 7:41–50), bondage to sensuality, and bondage to hatred. To all in the prison-house of sin, the truth about Jesus’ ministry is

blind-The next element that Christ’s ministry offers is “recovery of sight for the blind” (italics added)—a mighty spiritual promise. In fact, Jesus used it again in explaining Paul’s ministry to him: “I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17b–18).

oppressed-Lastly, the root idea of “oppressed” is “broken in pieces” or “shattered” or “crushed.” Jesus comes to those squashed by life’s circumstances, who can see no way out, who find living itself an oppression—and he gives them freedom. Malcolm Muggeridge wrote, after coming to Christ in his later years, “All other freedoms, once won, soon turn into new servitude. Christ is the only liberator whose liberation lasts forever”