West Greeley Baptist Church
March 10 2002
“When going home is difficult”
Luke 4: 14-30
Pastor Mark Hensley
Introduction: There is a story about a father who became disturbed about the length of time his six year old son was taking to get home from school.
The father decided he would make the trip to discover for himself how long it should take a small boy to cover the distance.
The father settled on 20 minutes but his son was still taking an hour. Finally the father decided to make the trip with his son.
After the trip, the father said, "The 20 minutes I thought reasonable was right, but I failed to consider such important things as a side trip to track down a trail of ants...or an educational stop to watch a man fix a flat...or the time it took to swing around a half dozen telephone poles...or how much time it took for a boy just to get acquainted with two stray dogs
and brown cat.
"In short," said the father, "I had forgotten what it is really like to be six years old."
Transition: Remember when you were 6? Think back to the place you called home! Author, Thomas Wolfe said, "You can’t go home again," Was he right? And if you could and if you did what would it be like?
Home, those four letters, flood some minds with warm thoughts of laughter, family dinners Walter Cronkite, Lava Lamps….home made dinners by the greatest cook on planet earth and a simpler time! Home for some brings harsh memories, fear, and a feeling that is somewhere between hopelessness and regret!
There was a time in the Life of the Lord Jesus when he went home, to Nazareth the city of his upbringing. In Luke’s Gospel 4: 14-30 we learn that even for the Lord Jesus Christ going home can sometimes be difficult!
“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"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,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."[1]
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn’t this Joseph’s son?" they asked.
23Jesus 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. 25I 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. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy[2] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They 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. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
I. You can go home and be popular.
II. You can go home and be rejected.
III.You can go home, but there will come time to leave.
I. You can go home and be popular “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"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, 19to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favor."[1]
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn’t this Joseph’s son?" they asked.
*It was this synagogue that Jesus must have frequented in the years he and His parents lived in Nazareth. From what Luke has already told us about our Lord’s discussion with the teachers in Jerusalem at the early age of 12 (Luke 2:41-51), we must be willing to consider the likelihood that Jesus did the same kind of thing with the Jewish teachers in the synagogue at Nazareth. Thus, Jesus would have been a very familiar face in that place. The question, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” may very well reflect the growing sense of recognition of this One whom they had seen so much in the past. *From a sermon by Robert Deffinbaugh.
Jesus went home! Familiar sights and faces greeted him! Yet this wasn’t to be a typical homecoming.
Jesus journeys to his home church, where he begins to read the word of God. As he reads he states that what there hearing has come, in effect the very “Word” of God was standing in front of them! They initially missed it! They turned to one another and with faces beaming recalled Jesus in his formative years, when as a boy he would amaze the synagogue teachers and Torah readers with his insight.
And now, he has returned, and isn’t it nice to see him again, how wonderful to hear him read again. To see him again in the synagogue as was his custom each Sabbath.
22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn’t this Joseph’s son?" they asked.
These words were refreshing, they pointed people to the hope of a messiah who would come and liberate the Jewish people from the tyranny of the Romans!
Yes! It will be wonderful to be apart of a new political movement, where we will be in charge, led by the promised one! They believed Jesus was speaking of the coming messiah not himself!
Family and friends will often warm to a general challenge to follow God, and to expect something from God!
As long as it’s projected, futuristic, out there somewhere…no problem. You can go home and be popular! As long as your faith in God is not directly presented to those from home it’s ok and yours will be a welcome face!
Am I talking to someone today who like our Lord, went home with a new found faith and initially every one was thrilled to see you , and memories of your childhood and early experiences became the topic of conversation?
It was as if you boarded H.G. well’s time machine and the years that had distanced you from home… seemed to melt away! Everything was just right, more than you expected…until you let them know what Jesus Christ had done in your life!
You see, you can go home and be popular! As long as your faith stays hidden, tucked away and quiet!
Two Ladies were sharing lunch together when one said to the other: "I don’t know many Christians, but somehow I can’t help regarding them as hypocrites."
Said the other, "But your sister-in-law, she lives in the same house with you; surely you must acknowledge that she is a devoted Christian."
"That’s just it," was the laughing reply. "She has a very lovely disposition, and she devotes her life to missions and Sunday schools, but she has never said a word to me about becoming a Christian. It’s only make-believe with her about souls being in danger. You need not tell me! I know that she is fond of me, but if she believed all that, don’t you think she would not have said something?" Brian Archer
Too many Christians live their life like this sister, saved yet selfish…holding inside the words of life!
When Jesus went home he was popular at first. You can go home and be popular…until you step out of your comfort zone and declare your love for the Lord! When you do, don’t be surprised when:
II. You can go home and be rejected. 23Jesus 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. 25I 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.
26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy[2] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
Elijah was one of the greatest of Old Testament prophets. During a terrible famine he stayed at the home of widow who lived in Canaanite territory (just north of present day Israel near the city of Sidon).
The prophet told her to bake him a cake, and she said that was her last bit of flour and olive oil. The next day she and her son would begin dying of starvation. Elijah said "Don’t worry, the jar of meal did will not be empty, nor will the jug of oil fail for many days till the rains come (1 Kings 17:8-16).
Elijah was succeeded by his servant Elisha. And while he prophesied in Israel, the commander in chief of the Syrian army arrived demanding to be cured of his leprosy. The five star general was not only a foreigner, but the Syrians were Israel’s ruthless enemy (as they still are to this day). Elisha sent him to wash seven times in the Jordan. And when the general came out of the water his leprosy was not only healed but his skin "was restored like the flesh of a young boy" (2 Kings 5:14).
The two stories were very familiar. But Jesus pointed out a very unexpected conclusion. There were a huge numbers of widows in Israel at the time of Elijah, but not one of them experienced a miracle. And there were hundreds of lepers wandering around the countryside and not one of them was healed (Luke 4:26-27). The point was obvious. The local people all thought "Oh this is Elijah, he was raised among us, what can he do? And we know Elisha. He was just Elijah’s personal servant. We wouldn’t expect a miracle from him." Scornful unbelief always prevents God’s healing power. Jesus hearers were furious at the suggestion that God cared about foreigners from among the despised Canaanites and the hated Syrian enemies of Israel. So we read 28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. From the sermon “Hometown Boy” by Robert Brow
*Jesus compared the real unbelief they had in their hearts with the unbelief in the hearts of their ancestors thousands of years earlier. Jesus tells them just like God the Father blessed non-Jews in their ancestors’ day; God would bless non-Jews through the ministry and life of Jesus.
They stop liking Jesus at this point they started hating Jesus. At one level it might be easy to understand the level of their anger. They had been living under hard Roman rule for hundreds of years. The area where they lived had experienced the hardness of the rule.
History tells us that not far from Nazareth was a larger city called Sepphoris. Around the time Jesus was born some Jews in the area tried to revolt against Roman rule. The Romans simply sent the army, killed the rebels and destroyed much of the town. Now Jesus is telling them that they will not get freedom, but that pagan army officers like Namaan the Syrian and the ones who destroyed their area will get blessings from the Messiah. * From the sermon “Can You Be Mad at Jesus?” by Dan Boyd
24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I 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. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy[2] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
There are times we will hear from God things we would rather not hear a word of correction or rebuke that reveals our own faults problems, or prejudices. We need to ask ourselves this direct question. “Is there anybody in my heart that I don’t want God to bless?”
In this story the people of Nazareth exhibit a mindset that Jesus ran into his whole ministry. He kept getting into conflicts with people who didn’t want God to bless non-Jews, the unfaithful sinners, the drunkards, the children, the foreigners, and the outcasts, each and every time Jesus found a way to bless those others did not want blessed. Dan Boyd
When you adopt a like outlook about people and the potential of each and every person, don’t be surprised if others distance themselves from you and make your homecoming difficult!
Bill Hybels, Pastor of one of the largest churches in America once said “We have never locked eyes with someone that did not matter to God”
“You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat those who can do nothing for them.” Charles Swindoll
I. You can go home and be popular.
II. You can go home and be rejected.
Notice:
III. You can go home, but there will come time to leave. 28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They 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. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
They had heard enough! Its one thing to leave a town and become successful, quite another to return and speak on behalf of God, and challenge the motives of those who believe their adhering to the will of God!
What do you do when those familiar faces and places no longer want to hear what you have to say, as long as it includes your devotion to the Lord of glory?
I believe that love, and kindness should always be a part of our personality and interaction with people. However when those in your life try to get you to compromise your faith and adopt a less expressive relationship with the Lord, then there may come the time to say goodbye, until a more opportune time.
You can be sure God will protect you, and though you may be on the receiving end of threats we learn that God is in ultimate control of your life!
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They 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. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”
You can go home and be popular.
You can go home and be rejected.
You can go home, but there will come time to leave.
Appeal:
To place devotion to God above the acceptance
of people.
To realize that sometimes you’re serving the
Lord, will make others mad.
To be reminded that God’s protection is
always provided.
