Jesus Rejected in Nazareth
Luke 4:14-30
Jesus went to His hometown, Nazareth. On the Sabbath day, Jesus went to the synagogue like He usually did. The Sabbath day was a holy day of rest. On that day, the Jews gathered in the synagogue to worship God. The synagogue was a special building where Jews met together to pray, worship, and learn about the Scriptures. Jesus stood up to read Scripture. He unrolled the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has chosen Me to tell good news to the poor. He has sent Me to tell the captives that they are free, to tell the blind that they can see, to free people who have been treated badly, and to announce that the Lord’s favor is on us.” Then Jesus rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. Everyone who was in the synagogue stared at Jesus. Jesus said, “Today as you listened to Me reading these words, they came true.” The people said good things about Jesus, and they were amazed at Him. But some of the people in Nazareth had known Jesus from His youth. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus was far from ordinary. Even though Joseph raised Jesus as his own son, Jesus’ true Father is God. Then Jesus said to them, “You will probably say this old proverb: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You’ve heard about the miracles I performed in Capernaum, and you want Me to do them here in My hometown too.” Jesus also said, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” Jesus reminded the people of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. When there was a terrible famine in Israel and no rain fell there for three and a half years, plenty of widows in the country needed help. But Elijah did not help the widows in Israel. Instead, God sent Elijah to help a widow in another land. And when Elisha was a prophet, many people in Israel had leprosy. They wanted to be healed, but Elisha did not heal them. Instead, he healed a man named Naaman (NAY muhn), and Naaman was from Syria—a country that hated God’s people. The people listening to Jesus in the synagogue became angry. They forced Jesus out of town. They wanted to throw Him off a cliff, but Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on His way.
Christ Connection: Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote about God’s plan to send a Messiah. He would bring good news and redeem people who were broken and hurting. Jesus read Isaiah’s words and told everyone who was listening that He is the promised Messiah.
**This is a Lifeway Lesson**
Luke 4:14-30
Jesus went to His hometown, Nazareth. On the Sabbath day, Jesus went to the synagogue like He usually did. The Sabbath day was a holy day of rest. On that day, the Jews gathered in the synagogue to worship God. The synagogue was a special building where Jews met together to pray, worship, and learn about the Scriptures. Jesus stood up to read Scripture. He unrolled the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has chosen Me to tell good news to the poor. He has sent Me to tell the captives that they are free, to tell the blind that they can see, to free people who have been treated badly, and to announce that the Lord’s favor is on us.” Then Jesus rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. Everyone who was in the synagogue stared at Jesus. Jesus said, “Today as you listened to Me reading these words, they came true.” The people said good things about Jesus, and they were amazed at Him. But some of the people in Nazareth had known Jesus from His youth. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus was far from ordinary. Even though Joseph raised Jesus as his own son, Jesus’ true Father is God. Then Jesus said to them, “You will probably say this old proverb: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You’ve heard about the miracles I performed in Capernaum, and you want Me to do them here in My hometown too.” Jesus also said, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” Jesus reminded the people of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. When there was a terrible famine in Israel and no rain fell there for three and a half years, plenty of widows in the country needed help. But Elijah did not help the widows in Israel. Instead, God sent Elijah to help a widow in another land. And when Elisha was a prophet, many people in Israel had leprosy. They wanted to be healed, but Elisha did not heal them. Instead, he healed a man named Naaman (NAY muhn), and Naaman was from Syria—a country that hated God’s people. The people listening to Jesus in the synagogue became angry. They forced Jesus out of town. They wanted to throw Him off a cliff, but Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on His way.
Christ Connection: Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote about God’s plan to send a Messiah. He would bring good news and redeem people who were broken and hurting. Jesus read Isaiah’s words and told everyone who was listening that He is the promised Messiah.
**This is a Lifeway Lesson**