On the drive to Nazareth, we passed through the Jezreel Valley known foremost as a home to infamous King Ahab and Jezebel. In light of the evil daily reported by today's news, how comforting it is to reflect on God's protection of His people through nations, exiles, and idolatrous kings. How much reason the people of Israel and Judah must have had for despair because of the generations of kings all who followed in the steps of Ahab! Yet, just as evil king Ahab reigned for a time and was defeated; so also will evil be destroyed finally as said in the same valley, home to Megiddo (Rev. 16).
Luke 4: 16-22
And He {Jesus} 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. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll {Isaiah 61:1-2} and found the place where it was written,
“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,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
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. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.
Here in Nazareth, Christ reminds the people of two Gentiles in the Old Testament who accepted by faith the God of Israel. Even in times when Israel rejected God's prophets, He graciously extends the gift of salvation to those will receive it. How exciting to know that as Gentiles we can also boldly approach God's throne with a heart of repentance and be welcomed into His family. Sadly, it is not recorded that Jesus ever returned for any length of time to Nazareth, but journeyed onward to Capernaum where the majority of ministry would remain. Now is the time of salvation; the day of vengeance is not yet come (Is 61:2). Rejoice in the gift and grace extended to you!
Luke 4:24-30
And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 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, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 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.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 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. But passing through their midst, he went away.
Here in Nazareth we see the culmination of the waiting for the Messiah and the commencement of the Great Commission! It grieves my heart to see a nation still in denial of the Messiah who walked their land. Today, the history and culture and emotions make the situation all the more tense. Even still, it is now your opportunity to response to Christ's message, to accept His love or reject it. And for those who are believers, what greater reason to proclaim Christ, to yield to Him, to walk out your faith. Because of the Gospel we do not walk as those without hope! It is a beautiful story, but not just a story.
So get in God's Word and let it change your world, let it change your mind, your desires, and your perspective. Read it as a letter from a loving Father, a Holy King, the One who makes intercession for you; read it with confidence in its Truth, with humility as a student of the Word, with faith that He is working unseen things to come, with peace that He has overcome the world, and with eager anticipation for His return. Do not just take someone else's word for who God is and get to know Him yourself, seek His face (Jeremiah 29:13, Is 55:6, James 4:8), and taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8)! Read His Word; read all of it; then read it again!