Introduction
In recent weeks, there have been concerted and coordinated efforts by the liberal left to silence - even exterminate conservative voice. The uprising by supporters of President Trump at the US Capitol has fueled that effort. Tech giants like Google (YouTube) Facebook, and Twitter are literally deleting accounts of conservative leaders and voices, along with anyone associated with them. This was not limited to political opponents of the left, including the President of the United States and other congressional leaders. This also includes a growing list of pastors, religious leaders, and groups who are not in concert with the liberal agenda. People like Franklin Graham, the Family Research Council, and so on. We saw Parlor, a conservative social media platform virtually wiped off the web. The point is that it is not going to stop here. The message of Jesus Christ stands in opposition to the liberal voice of the world because it underscores Satan’s opposition to God's plans through The Lord Jesus Christ.
The rejection of Jesus is nothing new. From the very moment he entered into the world, Satan engaged in a holy war against him. We see that in Herod and even in the synagogues. It’s interesting to know that this is part of Christ’s suffering on earth. Rejection piggybacks on physical pain pathways in the brain. MRI studies show that the same areas of the brain become activated when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain. This is why rejection hurts so much. In fact, our brains respond so similarly to rejection and physical pain that Tylenol reduces the emotional pain rejection elicits.
1. The Revelation
I’ve spent my life sharing the gospel message and it seems that during mission trips or evangelistic efforts, someone will ask me, “Why did they not believe in Jesus.” Other times in Bible studies, the question will come up as to why the Jews did not believe in Jesus.
?
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1:11 ESV)
?
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42 ESV)
There’s always the same reason people do not accept Jesus. It is not based on facts about him. There is only one reason why they don’t believe. Everyone who rejects Jesus as their Savior has one reason in common and I hope this morning this reason will become clear to you. If you are listening to me today and your eternity is in question or your faith is in trouble, I hope you hear me clearly. Because this is one of the most prevalent and shocking portions in all the gospels. Jesus is speaking in the synagogue and his words are utterly rejected with disdain by his own people. Let’s go back and read the verses from last week
?
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14–21 ESV
Now, imagine that you came into church today and it was not me speaking but you find yourself as an audience of Jesus Christ as the preacher speaking to us in person. He’s telling us that all the prophesies are fulfilled and he is about to complete his Second Coming and take us home to Heaven. How would you respond to those words? That is similar to the words of Jesus in the Nazareth synagogue that day. Sabbath after Sabbath the Jewish people would sit and listen to the Scriptures and the rabbis' exposition of the Scriptures. It would almost entirely be characterized around the coming of the messiah. But on this day, the Messiah himself is in the room and he is proclaiming the fulfillment of the Scriptures they’ve been listening to all these years. That is what Jesus is proclaiming. He reads from Isaiah, rolls up the scroll, gives it back to the chazzan, and says, “Today the Scripture is fulfilled” (v. 21). So how does the congregation respond?
2. The Reaction
?
And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” Luke 4:22–23 ESV
The crowd responds in a way that is fascinating. I can imagine that as Jesus spoke, they are in awe of his words. Yet shockingly, that positive reaction would quickly be reversed. What changed their assessment of Jesus. Some were likely trying to reconcile why Jesus stopped His reading of Isaiah 61:1–2 in the middle of verse 2, omitting the reference to “the day of vengeance of our God.” The Jewish people expected that when Messiah came, He would take vengeance on their enemies. Others could not reconcile the stunning power of Jesus’ oratory with the reality that this was Joseph’s son. Most would have been indignant to his declaration that he is the Messiah. I think more than anything the crowd must’ve decried Jesus’ assertion that salvation is available only to those who acknowledge themselves to be poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed. “How could you say such a thing, we are Abraham’s children!”
?
They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” John 8:33 ESV
What is happening is that the crowd is in self-defense. The problem is never with us. It is always someone else’s fault or an issue of circumstances. Clearly, Jesus is reading their minds as he instantly turns the reaction of the congregation back on them. “Doubtless you will quote to me the proverb, “Physician, heal yourself” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”
Now, I want you to see here that the words of eternal life are offered to them: forgiveness, good news, release, light, sight, but they had to be willing to admit that they were wretched, poor, blind, and imprisoned. What the crowd is demanding is proof. Without proof, there is never going to be an admission that they are in fact wretch, poor, blind destitute in need of salvation. What we are left to wonder is if Jesus had done a miracle, would that have changed their mind. If Jesus had done something miraculous, would that prove that he is able to save your soul from damnation? I doubt it.
That’s the problem today as well. We want a sign. There are churches that are trying to build people on a variety of things today. This includes signs and wonders, music, buildings, and all kinds of things. Prosperity preaching and movements attempting to convince you that all you need to do is tie into your creative spirit and call into existence your health and wealth. We’re singing music that has little to do with the Word of God much less that it contains the word of God. I don’t want us to be that church. I could care less about style and record labels.
The Jewish people knew Jesus did miracles and that he was sent from God. They admit it over and over again (John 11:47). They even say it here: “What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here” (Luke 4:23). Ultimately the issue wasn’t an issue of evidence, but rather it is a matter of their own spiritual bankruptcy and the condition of their heart
?
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. Matthew 16:4 ESV
3. The Response
What Jesus does next is absolutely amazing. In verse 24 he says, “no prophet is acceptable in his hometown” (Luke 4:24). Perhaps Jesus was giving them a bit of an out or acknowledging the depth of this situation. He sympathizing with the situation and the fact that they see him as Joseph and Mary’s son; the boy who grew up around this very synagogue. We find these words in other places of the gospels such as Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, and John 4:44. Humanly speaking, it is something that could be a factor, but the transition Jesus does next is absolutely brilliant: “Folks, I get it. A prophet is not accepted in his own hometown. Speaking of unwelcome prophets, lets also talk about Elijah and Elisha (Luke 4:27). These were two prophets who were also unwelcome in Israel. These were prophets you hated, rejected, and refused to listen to as well. Let’s look at these quickly:
?
25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. Luke 4:25–26 ESV
Now, what was going on here with Elijah? Some of you know the story out of 1 Kings 17. This happens at about 850 BC. Israel is in a time of being absolutely apostate. They are far from God and following after the teaching and worship of Baal. The reason why is because of a man who was their king, named Ahab. Ahab married a woman named Jezebel, who was a Gentile worshipper of Baal and she led the entire nation of Israel astray through Ahab. In fact, Ahab was such a wicked man that 1 Kings 16 tells us that :
?
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 1 Kings 16:30 ESV
Because of Ahab, Israel is thrown into a time of war and conflicts. Husbands and sons are being killed on the battlefield and there are many many widows. So what happens is that God sends Elijah to announce God’s judgment on Ahab and Israel for their idolatry there will be a time of drought. So you have a war-torn, idolatrous nation full of widows facing God’s judgment through a drought. All because of a wicked and idolatrous king Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel. But God loves the widows, right? He delights in taking care of them.
?
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:5 ESV
The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, Psalm 146:9 ESV
Now Jesus reminds his hearers that “Elijah was not sent to any of the widows.” Where does God send Elijah? To the widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. This is a pagan, gentile nation. In fact, Zarephath is even worse because as the home of Jezebel’s father. God doesn’t send Elijah to the widows of Israel. He goes to a God-fearing widow in a place hated by the Jews near the home of the Father of the Apostasy. This widow was down to the last bit of flour and oil. Enough to make 1 cake. Elijah comes to her and says, “I’m a man of God. Make me some bread from the last bit of food you own and you will never be without food again.” Now she’s a God-fearing Gentile widow and says, “The Lord God of Israel lives” (1 Kings 17:12) and gives Elijah what he asks.
What Jesus tells the Nazarene Synagogue, is this widow has more faith than you. Do you think these people would have responded the way the widow responded? Oh no, we want a sign. You’re going to have to provide something to me first. Woe to the church that responds to the Word of God this way! I want my church the way I like it, then I’ll respond to God. It more about feelings and preferences. I need something first before I believe.
The widow says I’ve got one meal left. I am destitute. I’m poor. I’ve in poverty. I have nowhere to turn. If I don’t trust in God or the man of God then I’m dead anyway. The blind person would say, I need to protect this last bit of oil and flour. I need to hold onto these last few dollars. My tithes and offerings need to go to my own welfare. I need to put my needs before my faith and that is the reality of the lost. The widow made a little cake with the remaining flour and oil. and her barrel was never empty again. That’s an analogy of the spiritual life of a fully-devoted follower of Christ.
Here is the reason why people who know the truth of the Gospel refuse to follow Jesus and don’t accept him as Lord. It is because they don’t see themselves as the poor, the blind, the prisoners, and the oppressed. God will save both Jew and Gentile when they come to a place of understanding their entire spiritual poverty and dependence on God for everything and to underscore this again Jesus take the crowd to the prophet Elisha:
?
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” Luke 4:27 ESV
Elisha followed Elijah and the people continued to follow Baal instead of God. Leprosy became a problem and Jesus tells us there were many lepers in Israel and Elisha cleansed only one, whose name was Naaman from Syria. Naaman was a Gentile commander in the Syrian army. The enemy of Israel. When he encounters Elisha, he comes to believe and trust in the power of God and dips himself 7 times in the river and he is cleansed. He comes to a place in his life where his desperation and disease fuels complete faith and trust in God.
4. The Rejection
When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away. Luke 4:28–30 ESV
What’s happening here? Pride. The crowd is incensed by Jesus’ words- filled with wrath. They try to kill Jesus. The greatest cancer to our soul is the pride that says, I’m fine. I have my entire life and everything so figured out that I have no need of God. That was the condition of the synagogue in Nazareth. That is the condition of the lost and that is the condition of the apostate church today. There is only one reason why people who know the truth of Jesus don’t believe and entrust their life to him is that they don’t see themselves as poor, blind, and oppressed. God offers nothing to those who are content with our own condition and everything to anyone who cries out to Him with the little they have left.
Take it to the Cross
