Epiphany 4 (5)
Notes
Transcript
Luke 4:20-32 (NIV)
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 and 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! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'" 24 "I tell you the truth," 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. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. 31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.
I am sure you have noticed that the more public, known, and open a person is; the more likely they are going to have mixed reactions toward them. In the sporting world this had reached a fever pitch in the past several weeks as the NFL playoffs are underway and all but one team will end the playoffs with a win. Coaches, quarterbacks, and other key players are praised or vilified.
But controversy about people is not limited to sports. The recent deaths of celebrities such as Betty White, Sidney Poitier, Bob Saget, and Meat Loaf have produced comments ranging from high praise to outright condemnation.
Nor is politics immune from such controversy. Want to get into a shouting match at a local establishment or force your relatives to leave a family gathering? Voice your strong opinions of certain government officials and their policies.
Certainly, the way in which the COVID-19 virus is or is not being handled is controversial.
But controversy doesn’t have to be so wide spread. We can all related to controversy in the work place, in our homes, in the neighborhood, and even sometimes within a congregation.
It should not surprise us then what Luke records for us in our sermon text. But we must remember that in this case, the controversy isn’t being caused by the one who is considered controversial. It is being caused by the different ways in which different people react to the same person. REPEAT
Was Jesus controversial? According to some, he still is.
It is difficult to determine the most controversial person in history. I think controversy itself prevails within single force. Humans are different at their aspects, their thoughts, behavior, and attitudes that lead to them controversy. But generally, controversy means an outcome that invoke debate, speculation with negative reputation.
Jesus
Muhammad
The Clintons
The Rothschilds
The Royal Family
Hitler
Sigmund Freud
Karl Marx
The Great Orange One (aka The Trumpkin, The Donald, Donald J. Trump)
Michael Jackson
Anton Szandor LaVey
George W. Bush
The point today is not that Jesus creates controversy, the point is that we are to respond to him in ways that are not controversial but believe in him and trust in what he has done for us and what he teaches us to believe and do.
Last week we had noted that he preached at his hometown synagogue of Nazareth for the first time. He had already been active for a while and news had spread about him. The over all reaction was favorable. “Everyone praised him.” “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.”
Jesus still creates such a response in millions and millions of people. This is expressed when we . . .
worship him.
pray to him and to the Father through him.
tell others about what wonderful things he does.
live our lives for him.
(Example of a hymn of praise) 368 in Christian Worship
O Savior, precious Savior, Whom, yet unseen, we love; O Name of might and favor, All other names above. We worship Thee, we bless Thee, To Thee, O Christ, we sing; We praise Thee and confess Thee, Our holy Lord and King. 2. O Bringer of salvation, Who wondrously has wrought Thyself the revelation Of love beyond our thought, We worship Thee, we bless Thee, To Thee, O Christ, we sing; We praise Thee and confess Thee, Our holy Lord and King.
In a recent poll asking, “Who is the most famous person you have ever talked to?” Christians are not afraid to proclaim the name of Jesus.
This glorifying of Jesus is emphasized in the Bible.
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
But not everyone responds to Jesus in the same way. Note the negative reactions.
“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” What does this imply?
1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe because they had a prior history with him, they could not accept that we the one sent by God to be the Messiah. Rather than believe in him and his claim to be the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy, they took offense at him.
Luke Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth / 4:16–30 / 32
FAMILIARITY BREEDS DISRESPECT
It has been said that an expert is anyone who comes from out of town. There is an element of truth in that statement. For whatever reason, people have a hard time accepting the fact that someone can grow beyond their expectations. Instead of listening to and objectively evaluating what that person has to say, it’s easier to dismiss him or her, saying, “Why, I knew you when you were in diapers!” Even Jesus encountered this attitude. When have you experienced this kind of external criticism and limitation? When have you imposed this kind of unfair, unwise, and unbiblical limitation on anyone else? Learn a lesson from Jesus and the people of his “hometown”: Allow others’ words and actions to speak for themselves. Don’t dismiss them because of unfair expectations.
And so we see the controversy as there are different responses to Jesus. How does Jesus address this?
“Physician, heal yourself.” Prove that you are the Messiah by doing the miracles we heard you have doing at other places. Then we will believe in you. This should remind us of the mockery made while Jesus was dying on the cross. “Come down from the cross, and we will believe in you.” Jesus knew this would not convince them. And because the people did not believe, we are told that Jesus was not even able to do many miracles at Nazareth (research).
“No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” (meaning?)
Jesus gives two OT examples of how God’s prophets were sent to Gentiles because God’s people had rejected them.
How did the people react to Jesus’ truth? “No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.” PLATO (background)
All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. To the point that they intended to kill him.
Wait! What? Jesus came to his own but his own did not receive him? (see other examples of how people rejected Jesus).
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
This is a very serious sin. Those who reject Jesus are rejected by God and condemned to eternal condemnation.
But Jesus wan’t always rejected. Luke 4:31–37 (NIV84)
31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
How are we to respond? John 1:12–13 (NIV)
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Note how personal these blessings are for us. Oh, we may favor certain celebrities over others, but at the end of the day, what difference does it make who you cheer for on the athletic field, whose music you prefer. or which political leader you vote for? In the end , it doesn’t really matter. But when we received Jesus as the Messiah, God himself promises us these rich blessings during our lives and eternal life in heaven.