Jesus teaching in Galilee-Pt. I

John records (Jn1:19-4:45) other ministry work prior to returning to Nazareth, but Luke, Matthew and Mark do not, Only Luke starts with the Galalean ministry.

Where did your beginnings happen? Where do you like to go to be welcomed back to?

Some background:

Galilee was a fertile, progressive, densely populated region.

Josephus records (and he was the governor of that region at one time) of a population of about 3million people, consisting of 240 villages/cities with about 15,000 per village (Life of Josephus pg 235).

Nazareth of Galilee is where Jesus was raised and lived in obedience to Joseph and to Mary. Learned a trade from Joseph and were well known by the people in the region.

Our Galilean passage

Luke 4:14–15 NASB95

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

Luke 4:16–17 NASB95

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. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

Luke 4:18–19 NASB95

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, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Luke 4:20–21 NASB95

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. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:22 NASB95

22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Luke 4:23 NASB95

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.’ ”

Luke 4:24–25 NASB95

24 And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

Luke 4:26 NASB95

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.

Luke 4:27 NASB95

27 “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

Luke 4:28–29 NASB95

28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

Luke 4:30 NASB95

30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.

Anything in particular stick out to you in this passage?

If you were to summarize this passage in your own words how would you do it?

Think on this question for a minute, how does Jesus come to return to Galilee?

After being filled with the Spirit (Lk3:22; 4:1); led by the Spirit (Lk4:1) now is operating under the power of the Spirit (4:14)

How was Jesus reception in Galilee, and why do you think that (vv.14-15)?

He was praised by all

They had heard news about Him

What was Jesus custom (v.16)?

Entered the synagogue on the Sabbath

He reads from Isaiah (v.17) but what points can you pull out from the reading (vv.18-19)?

Spirit of Lord upon me, anointed me, sent me to proclaim, to release, to recover, to set free, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.

Extra point question: what, who is Isaiah speaking of?

Jesus makes bold statement when all the eyes were upon Him (v.21), what was the statement?

Today this has been fulfilled in your hearing

What emotions come about after Jesus words (v.22)?

Speaking well of Him

Wonder

Questions

Who is Jesus speaking to (v.23)?

The people in the synagogue, specifically those who are questioning is he not Joseph’s son

Who does Jesus use as illustration to not be received (v.25)?

Elijah

Jesus uses another illustration with Elisha (vv.26-27); but now what is the response to Jesus (v.28)?

Filled with rage!

To point drove him out, led to hill to throw Him off

They wanted a sign, demanded a sign, what sign did Jesus give to them (v.30)?

He passed through their midst.

(Transition) Let’s see if we can navigate this passage together now.

Jesus return to Galilee

Jesus operating under the power of the Spirit returns to Galilee to a warm reception, being glorified by all.

Filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, walking under the power of the Spirit, the same things we as Christians are to do today.

Remember Jesus lived to please the Father and did nothing on his own initiative.

Word of Jesus the Nazarene had gone out throughout the region

Jesus taught in their synagogues

Jesus in Nazareth comes to the Synagogue

Luke 4:16–17 NKJV

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

Important facts

Jesus returned home

Jesus custom was to attend synagogue on Sabbath

Jesus participated in service by reading scripture

Interesting facts:

Order of typical meeting in Synagogue, Opening prayer

Words of praise and adoration

Words from the Law (Deu6:4-9, 11:13-21) the Hebrew confession of faith

Scripture reading followed by sermon, teaching by one of the men, or a visiting rabbi

Closed by a prayer, a benediction by a priest if present, if not, then dismissal by layman.

Jesus stands to read scripture

Luke 4:18–19 NKJV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus was handed the scroll, Jesus selected the text, the prophetic/Messianic text that they would be looking for fulfillment of.

Jesus stood when he read the passage, it was common to stand to proclaim, sit to teach. Many bodies of believers stand for the reading of God’s holy word and this is an example of why.

After reading He sat down (v.20)

All eyes on Him and He claims this has been fulfilled in your hearing (v.21)

quote now

Luke 4:21 “21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.””

Breaking down the passage:

Anointed Me: This means to rub or sprinkle on; lavishly at times (Exo28:41) to represent the Holy Spirit to work in the life and service of the one anointed.

Anointed me to: Jesus saying he is the fulfillment to came to heal the damage that sin brings.

For sin impoverishes, Messiah brings good news to impoverished people

For sin breaks hearts, Messiah has the good news to for the broken hearted (poor in spirit)

Sin takes people captive: The Messiah came to set them free

Sin blinds Messiah comes to heal spiritual and moral blindness

Sin oppresses, Messiah comes to give liberty, freedom to the oppressed

“Jesus did not come to only preach deliverance or even to only bring deliverance. Jesus came to be deliverance for us.” - Guzik

The Messiah would come to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (consider Lev25:9-15 year of Jubilee). Slaves freed, debts cancelled, things started new.

One more thing should point out, and we will need to stop for this morning, turn with me to

Isaiah 61:1–2 NASB95

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

Jesus stopped reading partway through passage, As one commentator put it, stopped there for the next phrase was about the second advent, the second coming, so over a 2,000 year space between the phrases.

If there is time left by chance can talk about the year of jubilee.

The year of Jubilee is described in Lev25.

Every seven years is a “Sabbatical year.” A time of letting the land rest. no crops, etc. then

Every fiftieth year (after seven sabbatical years) would be year of jubilee. Purpose was a time of balancing the economic system, slaves were set free, property was reverted back to original owners, all debts were cancelled. And, the land would lay fallow as man and beast rested and rejoiced in the Lord (Wiersbe)