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Day 52

Luke 4:16-30 "FACING CONTROLLED HOSTILITY"

Day 52 – Luke 4

Text: Luke 4:16-30

FACING CONTROLLED HOSTILITY

John’s Gospel recorded the ministry of the Lord in Judea. He also ministered in Capernaum, another city of Galilee (Luke 4:23). The name and reputation of Jesus had grown significantly by the time He returned to minister in His hometown, Nazareth (Luke 4:16).

How would Nazareth receive her now famous Son? Would the city give Him a hero’s welcome or would it spurn its homegrown Son? Jesus knew the hearts of the people of Nazareth! They would not accept the well-celebrated Teacher that others acclaimed!

They were controlled in their initial response to Jesus as He read the Scriptures from Isaiah. They were again fairly well controlled in their reaction when Jesus applied Isaiah 61:1-2 to Himself! Their silence said much to Jesus.

COURAGE TO SURFACE HOSTILITY

Sometimes it is baffling to see how Jesus handled a situation! We are always left gasping in surprise how and why He would handle a situation that was obviously tensed and controlled!

Jesus broached the subject of their silent reaction. He knew that they were waiting for Him to perform signs and wonders, as he did in Capernaum (Luke 4:23). He actually surfaced the hostility that He knew existed in their hearts!

Why would He not just leave things alone? Why would He not just “let sleeping dogs lie”? Why did He surface the hostility of his countrymen in Nazareth?

A COURAGEOUS TEACHER OF TRUTH

Jesus was committed to the teaching of the Scriptures. That meant that He was committed as a Teacher of Truth. The unfair, and unreasonable controlled hostility of the congregation must be confronted.

The presence of sin had to be confronted wherever and whenever truth is taught! There was sin in the hearts of the people, though there was controlled hostility. The people had refused to accept Jesus as “a prophet”. What reasons did they have to reject Him?

The good Teacher of God’s Word will always find Scripture coming to mind all the time. As Jesus spoke, He recalled how Elijah was sent to minister to a woman in Zarephath. He ministered to an “outsider”. God sent him to minister to a Sidonian lady! (Luke 4:26)

There were many lepers in the time of Elisha. Yet, God caused him to heal only Namaan the Syrian (Luke 4:27).

As Jesus applied these texts to the congregation in the synagogue in Nazareth, the congregation showed its true colours! They erupted with great anger. Their hostility could be controlled no more.

Who was this young upstart to speak to them in this way? The congregation in the synagogue was “filled with wrath” (Luke 4:28). It took great courage to teach the way Jesus did! The people actually threw Jesus out of the synagogue! More than that, they actually wanted to cast Him down the hill on which their city was built! They were going to commit murder to one of their fellow countrymen! What crime did He commit to deserve such a reaction from the people? He merely exposed the sins in their heart!

In this short passage, we see two powerful forces at work:-

1. There is the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of the people, convicting people of their sins. They could respond in humble repentance. They could also cast aside the working of the Holy Spirit and choose to remain in sin.

2. There is the power of God’s Word. Hebrews 4:12 well describes the power of God’s Word.

“For the Word of God is living (“alive”) and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

THE FRUIT OF SIN

The sins of a heart filled with wrath may be hidden or controlled! However, the presence of sin cannot be denied. Sin will evidence itself soon enough.

Think through this passage again carefully, and the heinous nature of sin would become even more obvious!

1. The place is a synagogue!

2. The people gather at the synagogue to worship God and to study the Scriptures!

3. These people knew Jesus very well. They knew Him as “Joseph’s son” (Luke 4:22)

4. The people proved themselves to be wicked hypocrites. They were hypocrites in that they masked their sinfulness instead of dealing with their wretched spiritual state. They were wicked in that they resorted to attempted murder!

THE SPECIAL PROTECTION OF GOD

Jesus was marvelously protected! How did He escape from the clutches of these wicked men? How did He just “pass through the midst of them, and went His way”? (Luke 4:30). Obviously, God protected Him. We should not be surprised if the angels of the Lord had come and specially protected Him from undue harm and danger! His life cannot be snuffed out just like that!

What an example of commitment and courage! What an example the Lord Jesus sets for all who are Teachers of God’s Word. There must always be that courage to teach the whole counsel of God, even if it means angering people, and even if it means that we endanger our lives! May God raise up good and courageous servants of God.