It is often easier to accept teaching and correction from an outsider than from someone whom we knew when he was a child. Jesus encountered this problem when He returned to the place where He grew up.
In chapter 4, verses 14 through 30 of his inspired Gospel, Luke writes, “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was 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 heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’” He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.” They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things. They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff. But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.”
After His baptism, Jesus spent forty days in the desert, fasting and being tempted by the devil. It must have taken a long time for Jesus to recover His strength after this ordeal, but the Scriptures pass over it with little mention. Before returning to Nazareth, Jesus performed several miracles. Several people also became His disciples. However, Luke passes over these events as well. He only mentions that Jesus taught in the synagogues of Galilee and that people praised Him.
Up to this time Jesus had not publicly declared the purpose for His ministry or declared Himself as the Messiah. This changed when Jesus spoke at the synagogue in Nazareth. He read from Isaiah, chapter 61 and then, declared to the people that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled before them.
Jesus’ statement has profound implications. By it He identified Himself as God’s Servant whom Isaiah predicted would come – the Servant who would sacrifice Himself in order to redeem people from sin. Through Isaiah’s words Jesus declared that God’s Spirit was upon Him. As Luke had already written, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism and Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. This meant that the words Jesus spoke and the works He did were not from Himself, but from God.
Jesus said that He was anointed to preach good news to the poor. This was a clear statement that He was the Messiah. For hundreds of years the Jewish people had been waiting for God to send the Messiah to deliver them. Now the Messiah was in their midst. The ‘poor’ to whom the Messiah would preach are not merely those who lack possessions, rather they are the ones who are not self-sufficient; they acknowledge their need of God.
The rest of the passage which Jesus read from Isaiah details the good news which Jesus would preach. Jesus would proclaim freedom for the prisoners. This did not mean that Jesus would open the jails. Instead, it refers to Jesus releasing people from the bondage of sin. Many years later the Apostle Paul wrote, “But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:22 NIV) Indeed, it is good news that Jesus can release us from the sin which enslaved us.
Jesus would also preach that the blind could recover their sight. Though Jesus did heal many blind people, this pointed to a greater reality. It is Jesus who releases people from spiritual darkness. On another occasion He said, “…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV)
Another aspect of the good news Jesus preached was release for the oppressed. In reality, the source of all oppression is the devil. The Apostle John writes, “…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8 NIV) Truly, it was the year of the Lord’s favor when Jesus proclaimed that salvation from sin had come.
At first, the people at Nazareth spoke well of Jesus’ words. But then, they took offense and opposed Him. There were two reasons for their opposition. The first was familiarity. “We know Jesus’ family. We knew Him as a boy. How could He grow up to become a prophet?”
However, their second cause of offense was more serious. Jesus used incidents from the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha to rebuke the people for their lack of faith. Like many today, the people of Nazareth thought that their ancestry was what made them right with God. Jesus pointed out that it is not ancestry, but faith, which pleases God. It is not the family we were born into but following Christ which gains us God’s favor. When Jesus used the illustration of how God cared for and blessed non-Jewish people, those listening to Him became so angry that they tried to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff. However, the force of Jesus’ personality was so strong that He was able to walk through the crowd and go on His way without harm.
Just as He promised, Jesus began to proclaim good news to the poor and the oppressed. To learn more, be sure to listen to our next program.