Luke 4:22-30

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered Luke 4:14-21. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus taught in the synagogue that the following prophecy from Isaiah 61 was fulfilled in the ears of the people present:
-The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah was upon Jesus
-Jehovah had anointed Jesus to preach good tidings unto the meek
-Jehovah had sent Jesus to bind up the broken-hearted
-Jehovah had sent Jesus to proclaim liberty to the captives
-Jehovah had sent Jesus to proclaim the opening of the prison to them that were bound
-Jehovah had sent Jesus to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor

The commentary for the last verse of the previous portion of the passage from Luke 4 was:

(Jesus stated that about half of the first sentence from Isaiah 61 was fulfilled in their ears. How would the people respond?)

We will see in today's post...


Luke 4
"22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?"

(In this passage, grace was charis - the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life. The people wondered how Jesus could proclaim this when it could only come from God through a prophet. They followed up this with the question: "Is not this Joseph's son?" This meant they didn't believe He was a prophet or the Christ: He was just the son of a local man.)

"23 And he said unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country."

(Remember, Jesus' second miracle was the healing of a nobleman's son. The nobleman came to Jesus while He was in Galilee during the same time as this story. The nobleman's son was in Capernaum. The son was healed, however, people in Galilee wouldn't have seen the healing...they would have heard about it.)

"24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country."

(Jesus' response was that He knew they would want to see the same miracle as He had done for the nobleman's son in Capernaum...but wouldn't be able to because a prophet wasn't acceptable in his own country. Notice, Jesus stated a PREMISE (WHAT) and a REASON (WHY). Jesus said they would doubt Him because He wouldn't be able to do great miracles...and the reason He wouldn't be able to do them was because of THEIR unbelief in Him. Next, Jesus would support His Premise and Reason with an example from the Scriptures...)

"25 But of a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;
26 and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow."

(Jesus referenced Elijah being sent by God to a woman outside of Israel. Then, Jesus had a second example...)

"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."

(Jesus referenced Elisha doing a miracle healing for a leper outside of Israel. Perhaps Jesus had a third example...)

"28 And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things;
29 and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong."

(However, the crowd became so angry they attempted to kill Jesus. This proved the crowd understood Jesus' Reason: Jesus wouldn't be able to do miracles among them because of THEIR unbelief. In the New Testament, sermons had the following structure:
1. PREMISE - a statement of WHAT the person believed
2. REASON - the reason WHY the person believed their PREMISE
3. SUPPORT - examples from outside of the person that support the PREMISE and REASON. There were usually three. Paul used examples from nature as well as Scripture for his SUPPORT. Jesus didn't make it to His third SUPPORT in this story.)

"30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way."

(Jesus simply passed through the crowd and went on His way...)


CONCLUSION
The crowd questioned Jesus' authority. Jesus responded by telling them He would be unable to do miracles because of THEIR unbelief. Jesus simply passed through the crowd as they attempted to kill Jesus.

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