Are you blaming the messenger?
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Luke 4:14-30
People react to God in a variety of ways.
Some are enthusiastic and inquisitive while others have no interest what so ever and even deny the existence of God. What happened in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 4:14-30 is an account of how people reacted when they were confronted by their faith in God.
You would think that these people who were religious folks would be enthusiastic about being present when the things they had studied and learned came true right in front of them.
But that was not the case and it makes me wonder which parts of Gods story you have a hard time accepting when they are presented to you?
Maybe it’s not the Bible you have a hard time accepting but rather those who present what it teaches.
This was what happened when Jesus made plain a portion of scripture that was recorded by Isaiah
Isaiah 61:1-2a
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,”
Jesus told those who were listening that the scripture He had just read came true as they were listening to it in Luke 4:14-30.
Their reaction was one of rage instead of one of rapture and wonder. These religious people wanted to commit murder and Jesus was their target. But why did they react that way?
I think the reason is that God does not reveal His truth in ways that we expect or fully understand. Sometimes we are surprised or even alarmed by what we hear ministers and pastors preaching about.
Sometimes we tend to blame the messenger for the message.
God’s ways are so far above our ways that we get frustrated, angry and even fearful so we deny what is clearly evident right in front of us.
Isaiah 55:9 New International Version
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts
The Bible is a very big book that covers a multitude of subjects.
There is history, religion, poetry, wisdom literature, prophecy as well as numerous personal accounts by dozens of writers covering thousands of years.
For this reason it is a book or collection of books that some folks find intimidating yet it is written in such a way that simple people can understand its great and deep spiritual truths.
The people listening to Jesus in Luke 4:14-30 got so upset because Jesus dared to identify Himself as the person that Isaiah was talking about in Isaiah 61:1-2.
That person could only be the Promised Messiah of God. Jesus was in effect claiming to be Him.
Moses warned us in Deuteronomy 18:15-20 to be aware of false prophets and he told the Hebrews how to deal with them. They were to be put to death.
God would provide another prophet for them after Moses died. This new prophet would speak the words of God and God would put His words into this prophet’s mouth. Bible scholars agree that Moses was talking about Jesus.
The people present to hear Jesus strongly disagreed.
For them Jesus just did not fit the mould of a Messiah.
They were looking for someone who was more like King David. A man of action and power not a carpenter working in a family shop.
The Messiah was to be a spiritual leader and a military and political leader and Jesus did not hold any kind of religious or political office. In their eyes Jesus was a Nobody from Nazareth. For Jesus to claim to be the Messiah was for them the height of blaspheme. For such a claim Jesus had to die according to the teachings of Moses. That is why they attempted to kill Jesus there and then.
However God the Father had His hand on His Son and as they were about to throw Jesus to His death, Jesus simply walked right through the crowd?
In His defense Jesus mentioned that they could examine the things He had done in Capernaum.
Luke 4:23
“And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”
It would seem that the people of Nazareth did not care or believe what Jesus had done in Capernaum, they thought they knew better.
Jesus also gave them two examples of how people had missed recognizing Gods messenger in the past when both Elijah and Elisha were ministering.
Again this added fuel to the fire to include Himself in the company of these two great prophets of God. In our day we have pastors and ministers who are called to continue the preaching of God’s word for the edification and instruction of Gods people.
We believe they are “Called” to this ministry by God through the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus.
Jesus told us He would send us such people.
Matthew 23:34
34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
What they are “called” to do is to faithfully relate and share God’s word as they have been instructed by the Holy Spirit and by their study. They should and I should point you to Jesus not to themselves or someone else. For we have only One Saviour and Lord and that is Christ the Lord.
However when I or some other minister or pastor attempt to teach you about portions of the word of God that you find disturbing or uncomfortable you must not reject them for their efforts.
Those of us who are called to teach you do so with fear and trembling knowing that we must give an account for what we pass on to you. For this reason I must cover the whole Bible including the parts that are hard to understand and that are ominous and disturbing.
The Book of Revelation is one such example. It is a book that is a collection of visions and prophecies. They portend what is to come and the words of that book come from Jesus.
We cannot chose what parts of the Bible we want to accept or reject if we follow Jesus. We must read, study, and search out the whole of God’s word for all of it points to Jesus.
If what I or another pastor shares with you from Gods word disturbs or upsets you. You should first go to Gods word for yourself to see if what is being shared lines up with Jesus teaching on the matter.
Saints don’t take my word for it, see what the Lord teaches.
If I am wrong then I will be in your debt for correcting me and I will admit my error and ask for forgiveness.
But if what I teach is true and correct then the responsibility falls on you to follow what Gods word instructs.
For we have but one teacher – the Messiah Jesus Christ. Matthew 23:10
Let us hold to His teaching and instruction in these days and forever more even if it is hard for us to hear.
Amen
