Pentecost B Proper 09: God's Word is Divisive

When I was a child, the people in Nazareth always puzzled me. It seemed to me that the people in Nazareth should be proud of Jesus. He was popular. He went about healing people and doing other good things. He taught a message of salvation by grace. You would think that when Jesus returned to His hometown, they would give Him the first century equivalent of a ticker tape parade and the key to the city. They might even put up a sign at the entrance to the town – Home of Jesus, the rabbi and miracle worker.

Instead, the people in Nazareth hated Jesus. We see fierce – even physically violent – opposition to Jesus in every account of His teaching in Nazareth. This is what caused Him to move His ministry headquarters down the road to Capernaum. Every time I heard about the rejection in Nazareth, I wondered what was wrong with the people in Nazareth.

Today’s reading from the Old Testament begins to provide an answer to those wonderings. When God chose Ezekiel to be a prophet to Israel, He warned Ezekiel that the people were very stubborn in their unbelief. When God spoke to Ezekiel, He said, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn.” God told Ezekiel that Israel was a nation of people who were arrogant and stubborn.

The symptom of their stubborn arrogance was their refusal to learn more about their own native son. The things that they did know were absolutely right. Is not this the carpenter? No doubt Jesus had learned the trade from Joseph. Is not this the son of Mary? That’s what Christmas is all about. Is not this the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Certainly! Are not his sisters here with us? Of course they are. Their knowledge of Jesus was absolutely right as far as it went, but it was incomplete. And, in their stubborn arrogance, the citizens of Nazareth were unwilling to learn more about Jesus.

The thing of it is that Nazareth was not all that far from the locations of Jesus’ miracles. Last week we heard about Jesus raising a girl from the dead. That happened in Capernaum, less than thirty miles from Nazareth. Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, was less than six miles from Nazareth. Jesus taught and healed in the area all around Nazareth and yet, when He was in Nazareth itself, He experienced rejection. In their stubborn arrogance, the Nazarenes refused to learn more about Jesus. Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.

Now before we condemn the Nazarenes, we might take an inventory of our own attitude toward learning about Jesus. Do we take the attitude that Jesus has nothing more to teach to us? Be honest! When we have Sunday School and Adult Bible classes, and we provide an hour of Christian education before Divine Service, are you eager to take up this opportunity to learn more about Jesus? What about the opportunity to review the teachings of Jesus in the Catechism with your family? I’ve talked about and encouraged you to read and study the Large Catechism on your own or with your family. The Small Catechism, remember, is for young children as the basic, simplest version of our faith. Do you read or listen to God’s Word as presented in the Scriptures?

In the Great Commission, Jesus tells His church that she is to [Matthew 28:20] teach [His disciples] to observe all that [He has] commanded. Jesus knew that His disciples would be hungry for His gifts – that they would want to know more and more about their savior. In the Great Commission, Jesus instructed His church to be ready to feed these disciples for a lifetime.

C. F. W. Walther – the first president of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod had some words that very accurately described the Nazarenes in today’s Gospel. He said, [Walther, Law & Gospel, Second Evening Lecture] “A person may pretend to be a Christian though in reality he is not. As long as he is in this condition, he is quite content with his knowledge of the mere outlines of Christian doctrine. Everything beyond that, he says, is for pastors and theologians. To understand as clearly as possible everything that God has revealed – all of that is irrelevant for non-Christians.” Walther’s words accurately describe the Nazarenes in today’s Gospel.

Today’s Gospel raises some very hard questions for each and every one of us. How often do I reject the opportunity to learn more about Jesus? The Apostle Paul states that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). If Paul is right and this really is the power of God, why does it get under my skin when my pastor wants me to have more of it? If this really is the Power of God, why do I think it is boring?

The fact is that we are not much different than those people in Nazareth. The message that Jesus has for us is still offensive to many – even some who claim to be Christians. How sad it is that many who call themselves Christians are offended by the very teachings of the Christ they claim to worship.

The fact of the matter is that faithful people, who share God’s message, regularly experience controversy and opposition. People don’t always like what God has to say. This leads to arguments and conflict. As long as we must live in this sinful world, controversy and opposition will be part of the Christian life.

In spite of the world’s opposition, Jesus does not stop offering His gifts. He continued to send His disciples out to prepare the way for His ministry even though He knew they would experience opposition. He gave them the authority to bless those who received them and the authority to shake the dust off their feet against those who did not. The Lord did not withhold His gifts just because His disciples would experience rejection.

Jesus still offers those gifts today. When Jesus died on the cross, He did not die for nice people. He died for sinners. Since the Bible tells us that [Romans 3:23] all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, that means He died for everybody. He died for those who rejected Him in Nazareth and He died for those who still reject Him today. He offers His gifts to all, even those who reject Him time and time again.

Jesus loves you. He wants you to know about Him. He has given the church the command to teach the nations to hold fast to ALL the things that He taught. Take advantage of this command. Learn about the Christ who loves you and gave Himself into death for you. Learn about the savior who delights in giving you the things that are best for you. Learn about Lord who rose from the dead in order to give you the promise of eternal life.

God’s Word is divisive. The Holy Spirit inspired the writer to the Hebrews to say, [Hebrews 4:12] “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The division is between those who are faithful to Christ’s teachings and those who reject them.

Jesus faced opposition in Nazareth, His hometown, because the people rejected God’s Word. Eventually, the people who rejected God’s Word arranged to have Him nailed to a cross. With His death on the cross He reconciled us to God, giving us forgiveness and life. We are among those who say of Jesus: "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." And the moment we say that, we will make someone mad. Amen