What is your favorite picture of Jesus? If you were to close your eyes and bring to mind your best loved drawing or painting of Jesus, which one would it be? Perhaps you would recall one the many images showing Jesus as the Good Shepherd. That has been a favorite among Christians for generations. Or maybe your heart is drawn to a classic painting of Jesus holding little children in his arms and blessing them. Your thoughts regarding a beloved picture of Jesus may go in a slightly different direction. You may favor a picture of Jesus performing a miracle— showing care and compassion to someone in need. Or perhaps your preferred picture of Jesus is one connected to his suffering and death. Your favorite picture of Jesus is one of him praying in Gethsemane, or even of him hanging on Calvary’s cross.
If we were to look at all of the popular pictures of Jesus would we see something that they have in common? Generally, Jesus is pictured as the compassionate and caring friend of sinners. Most artists have portrayed Jesus as kind and gentle, or as God’s suffering servant.
Although dearly loved by his followers these portrayals of Jesus are somewhat one sided. There are only a few drawings and paintings that picture Jesus in a very different way. At times Jesus was stern. We know that a couple of times he was indignant and even angry. When he drove the merchants and moneychangers out of the Temple he didn’t look like the meek and mild Jesus so often pictured by artists. And according to the Scriptures we know that he will not look like that on Judgment Day either.
Perhaps because we love Jesus we want to believe that he always looked like he is most often pictured. In our minds we would like to think of him as always being soft spoken and always gentle in his dealings with people. But we know from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry that he wasn’t always that way. At times he presented a picture of himself that was the opposite of those things.
In the Gospel Lesson for today we have an example of a time when Jesus’ face most certainly didn’t look the way artists most often picture him. He was rejected by the people of his hometown. He knew going into the synagogue in Nazareth that he would face unbelief. The people there would reject his message and mission. But still the same, Jesus reached out to them with the Gospel. Since examples like these are recorded in the Scriptures to warn us and to teach us we too need to take this Gospel Lesson to heart. May God the Holy Spirit open our eyes to:
“SEE JESUS’ RESPONSE TO UNBELIEF!”
I. He warns all who reject his message and mission
II. He continues to reach out to all who will listen
The Gospel Lesson for today is a continuation of our Gospel Lesson from last weekend. On a Sabbath Day Jesus visited the synagogue (the local church) in his hometown of Nazareth. He was honored, as a visiting Rabbi (teacher) usually was, by being asked to read the Scripture lesson for the day and to explain it to the people. (The worship service in the Jewish synagogue was very similar to the one which we are using this morning. Psalms were sung and prayers were spoken. A selection from one of the five books of Moses and a portion of one of the Old Testament books of prophecy were read.) One of the readings was then explained in what we would likely call a sermon. Jesus was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Luke tells us, “Unrolling it, he found the place where it is 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 proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’” And as we heard in our Gospel Lesson last week and today Jesus rolled up the scroll, and began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
I.
At first it seemed like the people of Nazareth were ready to listen to Jesus. “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.” On the surface the people gathered at the synagogue were impressed with what Jesus had to say. His words were filled with grace—that is God’s undeserved love. However, the people of Nazareth seem to have been taken aback at the fact that although he was raised in their town he had something so meaningful to say.
But very soon they wouldn’t be able to stomach the things that came out of Jesus’ mouth. “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.” At that point Jesus was claiming to be a prophet. Predictably, things were going to get ugly very quickly. How dare he make such a claim! After all he is just the local kid from the carpenter’s shop! But as the Promised Prophet (the Messiah) Jesus had to speak the truth and warn those who were about to reject his message and mission.
Since the Jews at that time were proud of their history and made a big deal out of the fact that they were God’s chosen people Jesus gave them a little history lesson. It was a history lesson that showed the ugliness of unbelief. Jesus continued, “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.” The historic reaction of the Jews to God’s prophets had been consistent. Again and again they rejected the messages God had sent through his prophets. And over and over they rejected the messengers as well. Two of the greatest prophets Israel had ever known, Elijah and Elisha, were persecuted and ignored! Why did Elijah have to flee from his homeland to stay with a widow in a foreign country? Because of the unbelief of God’s people! King Ahab tried to kill him and none of the people defended him. They had hardened their hearts to his preaching. And why was Naaman, a leper from Syria healed rather than any lepers from Israel? Because God’s people had hardened their hearts to everything Elisha said and did. They worshiped false gods and ignored God’s Commandments! Because of their unbelief they suffered God’s judgment on their lives and on their nation. But a Gentile General believed Elisha’s words and was healed of his leprosy.
Would it be any different that day in Nazareth when God’s Son had a message to deliver? Would God’s people finally listen to the Greatest Prophet to ever walk the earth? Luke continues, “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.” Obviously, nothing had changed in the hearts of God’s chosen people when it came to the message and mission of the prophets.
Yes, Jesus’ words in our Gospel Lesson hurt those who were listening. But they needed to be afflicted by him. Our Savior’s words revealed what was in their hearts! They were stubborn and obstinate as we heard in our second Scripture Lesson from Paul’s Letter to the Romans. And if they didn’t repent they would suffer for their unbelief in time and in eternity. Because they had rejected God’s Son they would be rejected by God forever in hell!
If this Gospel Lesson is going to serve its purpose in our lives we need to see ourselves in these verses and take to heart Jesus’ warning. Could something like this happen to us? Would we ever act this way toward Jesus? Our sinful nature is no more receptive to his message than the people in that synagogue long ago. The Jews at the time of Elijah and Elisha had hardened their hearts to God’s Word. Could that happen to us? It most certainly could! We live at a time when many things in the Bible are being challenged or worse yet, they are even being changed. It would be easy for us to go with the flow and do the same.
The people in the synagogue refused to see their sins and to repent. They had remade the Messiah into what they wanted him to be. And then they rejected the real Messiah who was standing in front of them! Again, we need to ask if this could happen to us? We live at a time when every kind of sin is be reclassified as a disorder or a disease. We are being told that God simply made us the way we are and so it is his fault if we sin! And, some would say, “Let’s not even call it sin!”
Although it might be difficult for us to imagine that we would ever reject Jesus’ message and mission we see how easily it could happen to us. We could smile and nod at his words. But when he calls us to repentance and to change our behavior we try to push him away. Today let’s see Jesus’ response to unbelief. He warns all who might reject his message and mission. His face is still filled with concern and love for sinners. But it is also serious. If in unbelief we are stubborn and obstinate, if we close our ears to God’s Word and harden our hearts to God’s will, we too will face God’s wrath and judgment. Today our Savior calls to us. May we hear his voice and take his Word to heart.
II.
Thankfully, we see another side to our Savior’s response to unbelief. Continuing our thought of what Jesus’ face shows he reveals another emotion. In our Gospel Lesson we see how he continues to reach out to all who will listen. Because Jesus’ time to die for the salvation of the world had not yet come the vehement attack on him came to nothing. The people from his hometown wanted to kill him and had attempted to do it! “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.” Jesus continued to reach out with the Gospel message. That gives us hope today. It’s not too late for us to repent, to hear Jesus’ message, and to put our faith in him. Our time of grace on this earth has not yet ended. Jesus is here today to warn us about unbelief. But he is also here to strengthen our faith in him as our Savior. The Gospel will change our hearts. The Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments are driving unbelief out of our hearts. As we listen, as we receive his body and blood, he is empowering us to change the way we think, and act, and speak.
As you know, this account from Jesus’ life in our Gospel Lesson wasn’t the end of the story. For about three years Jesus continued to respond to unbelief by continuing to reach out to all who would listen. In all of his interaction with those who rejected him he never stopped trying to call them to repentance and faith. Recall how Jesus wept over the unbelief of Jerusalem. Think of his words to Peter and Judas as he called them to repentance. And remember his “Father forgive them” as he was being nailed to the cross. And remember how he reached out to the two thieves on the cross. One repented and was saved. The other seems to have rejected Jesus. Yes, up until the moment Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” he never stopped in his efforts to reach out to all who would listen to him. Although his face at times showed anger and frustration his countenance was always set on bringing another sinner to repentance.
And so it is today. We see Jesus respond to unbelief in the same way he did long ago. He warns all who reject his mission and message. He continues to reach out to all who will listen. To you and through you the voice of Jesus goes out calling sinners to repent and believe the good news of what he has accomplished for all people.
The story is told of a man who died and approached the gate to heaven. He was stopped at the gate and was asked, “What’s the password?” The man quoted John 3:16. The angel at the gate said, “Nice try, but that’s wrong.” The man quoted John 3:17 and a bunch of other Bible verses. The angel said, “Nice try, but that too is the wrong answer.” The man recited the 23rd Psalm from beginning to end. Again the angel said, “Nice try, but wrong.” Helplessly exasperated, the man blurted out, “Well, then, I give up!” And the angel responded, “That's it! That’s the password to heaven.” The angel extended his hand to the man and welcomed him into eternal life. “I give up!” really is the key to heaven, isn’t? When we give up on our own ideas, our own efforts, our own goodness and trust in Jesus alone heaven is open to us.
What’s your favorite picture of Jesus? Which look do you like to see on his face? A more important question for us is this, “Which face of Jesus will we see on Judgment Day?” Jesus said that all people will stand before him on the Last Day. They will be separated into two groups. His face will be overflowing with love as he joyfully anticipates spending eternity with his people. But then his face will change. He will have to turn to those who rejected him through unbelief and give them the sad news, “Depart from me.” Many who were in the synagogue in Nazareth, who tried to kill Jesus that day, will find themselves outside of God’s Kingdom forever. May we take his warning to heart! May we faithfully hear Jesus’ message today. May we put our faith in him today and always. Jesus’ response to unbelief remains the same as it was then. He warns all who reject his mission and message. He continues to reach out to all who will listen. Amen.
