Jesus' Mission
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ”
Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
I. The Year of the Lord’s Favor
I. The Year of the Lord’s Favor
Jesus returned from his temptation a victor. Now Luke’s summary statement allows for Jesus to accomplish any amount of his Galilean ministry before returning to Nazareth. Matthew and Mark have the story in a different location, because none of the gospels aim to be strictly chronological. They all have selected a different order of events to fit what they are trying to say.
Thus, the reason Luke has this event first is that it is first in importance for understanding Jesus’ mission. Here, Jesus relates his own account of what he is here to do. Also, the rejection he experienced is a microcosm of Jesus’ entire ministry.
Now a word about Synagogue services. It was common for the service to begin with some psalm singing, followed by a reading from the Law in Hebrew. After the scripture was read, it would be translated into Aramaic by the Rabbi, since most people did not speak Hebrew. These Aramaic paraphrases became standardized and eventually written down by about 600AD, in the Targums. After the paraphrase, the Rabbi would preach on the passage. The same pattern would also occur for the prophets, or the psalms. There would be two or three readings and sermons in a service, which would last several hours.
it was also common to ask visiting Rabbis to give the reading and sermon. So they ask Jesus to speak just because that was customary for any teacher.
But while they selected the Isaiah scroll, Jesus selected which passage to read. The passage he read was from chapter 61, which means that he had to take the largest scroll and spend quite a while rolling and unrolling it to the very end, until he found what he wanted. In other words, he did not select this passage randomly.
Jesus practiced what was common in his day, where he inserted several other verses into the quotation. Two phrases were inserted, both clearly also about the Messiah
To set at liberty those who are oppressed is from Isa 58:6
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Recovery of sight to the blind is from Isa 42:7 - add a miracle to the list. Jesus did not put this verse in by accident. He is stating that his mission involves doing miracles as well, such as giving sight to the blind. But the reason he does miracles is not just to help people, it’s to prove that he is who he claims to be.
To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
What is much more important that what Jesus includes is what he leaves out. He actually stops reading in the middle of a sentence Isa 61:2. That too must be deliberate, since no one just stops in the middle of a sentence unless they’ve got a reason. The phrase he stops at is “the day of vengeance of our God.” With the benefit of progressive revelation, we know that Jesus actually comes to earth twice. The first time he did not come to judge, but to offer salvation; the second time he comes to put the world right. The only way to set the world right is for God to pour out his wrath.
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
When Jesus declares that this Scripture is fulfilled, he’s declaring himself to be Isaiah’s suffering servant, to be the one through whom God will fulfill Israel’s promises. But since he stopped at the middle, he is only declaring that this is the time he will announce these blessings. In other words, Jesus is offering Israel the Kingdom. If the offer is to become reality, the nation as a whole must accept it, particularly including her leaders. When David, the second anointed King of Israel, was appointed king, this is exactly what happened. David gradually built up popularity with the people, so that they wanted him to be King. But the current leadership, the elders, also liked David and accepted him as well. When the time was right, David marched into the most important city in Judah, Hebron, to offer himself as King 2 Sam 2:1-2. When he did so, the elders of the towns came and appointed David King in Judah 2 Sam 2:4. Also God had anointed David years before, David only became King when the people and its leaders accepted him. The same pattern must occur for Jesus to become King. God has already anointed him, so Jesus will inevitably become king.
It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.”
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.”
Now if Israel rejects God Messiah then the passage does not say what would happen then - though it does not take much imagination to realize that killing God’s promised Messiah would be very, very bad.
II. Isn’t this Joseph’s Son?
II. Isn’t this Joseph’s Son?
The reaction of the crowd is negative. The phrase itself could mean either, but since the story ends with them trying to throw Jesus off a cliff, I’d say it should be taken negatively. So what do they mean?
Obviously we know from Luke’s account that Jesus is not in fact the son of Joseph, but of Mary alone.
The real point, however, is that the people understand Jesus’ claims. They know he’s claiming to be the one God has appointed to restore Israel to glory; they are held back by their long association with him. They have known him for years as the Carpenter/construction worker son of the late Joseph. To them, he’s just another guy - how can this ordinary man be the One God has chosen? So they do not believe his claims and therefore are quite offended. They think this is quite arrogant - if Jesus were a phony, they’d be right. To make such breathtaking claims to be God’s chosen Messiah is either true, or the most arrogant thing imaginable.
But their negative evaluation of his character clashes with the eloquence that comes out of his mouth. If Jesus were known already to be a good speaker, they wouldn’t have this reaction. But until his Baptism, Jesus wasn’t known to be able to speak well. Now, however, he is a powerful and compelling preacher. They cannot understand where he got the ability to speak like this. They are unwilling to consider that the only logical explanation is that he is exactly who he is claiming to be. A man who can preach like that can’t be crazy. They know his character; they know he is not evil. He can verify his claims with miracles. He must be who he says he is. But that’s a step too far for them. They can’t be convinced.
Jesus’ reply, therefore, explains what will happen if they continue to reject his offer as they are currently doing.
They are willing to accept him as a healer, but they blame him for not doing what they have heard. Yet the problem was few people believed he could heal, so few of those with actual sickness came forward for healing (Mark 6:5-6). In other words, people who didn’t need healing were theoretically willing to recognize him as a healer, but those who actually needed it were reluctant to put their confidence in what they saw to be the local construction worker. So the proverb is entirely disingenuous - Jesus could heal just fine and was willing to heal. People were so stuck on his being the local carpenter they weren’t willing to look at the obvious evidence right in front of their face.
Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Jesus’ proverb - no prophet is honored in his own country - explains this remarkable closed-mindedness to the clear evidence. This has two implications
First, Jesus is a prophet himself. He’s more than a prophet, of course, but he is not less.
Second, that the problem Jesus is having isn’t unique to himself, but is a common problem among prophets. A prophet, by definition, is anyone who can speak for God. You don’t need to be any particular kind of person, except to be pure enough for God to use you. So who you are doesn’t matter - if God speaks to you, you’re a prophet. But those who know the prophet, know full well that they are quite ordinary, and this knowledge gets in the way of them recognizing the truth of the message. It’s not logical - of course a prophet is a human being - but it is human nature.
Jesus’ third and final point is made by two illustrations that show what God will do when Israel rejects her Messiah, as Nazareth is currently doing. God will still accomplish everything he’s planned on, but those who reject him will be passed by.
First illustration - Elijah was sent to a widow in Zarephath, though there were many widows in Israel. God specifically sent him there (1 Kings 17:8-10). I find it hard to believe there was no widow at all with at least as much faith as the one Elijah was sent to. So why pass by so many faithful widows for a Gentile? Because Israel’s King, Ahab, had rejected the true prophet of God; and the people of Israel were too apathetic to push back against it. To keep Elijah safe he must leave Israel entirely. So God ended up blessing a Gentile, because Israel had rejected the prophet God sent to them. God did not fail to bless someone, but when the generation who was supposed to be blessed by the prophet Elijah didn’t want the blessing, a Sidonian widow ended up receiving the blessing instead.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”
Second illustration - The only leper healed in the days of Elisha was Naaman the Syrian.
When Naaman heard through his wife’s servant girl that there was a prophet in Samaria who could heal, he immediately sent to the King to ask for this healing. Naaman naturally assumed that any prophet who could do this would be nationally recognized and therefore the King would know who this prophet was and how to get in touch with him. (2 Kings 5:1-6).
However, this was not the case. The King of Israel assumed that the King of Syria was trying to make an excuse to go to war. This was because Elisha did not actually have the recognition that Naaman logically assumed must be the case. Elisha had to remind the King that he was a prophet and could do this. 2 Kings 5:7-8
Why did Elisha have to do that? He was already accepted as a prophet by his previous actions. Because the King of Israel didn’t actually care very much about the prophet. Naaman took the trouble to come, still with the foreign assumption that prophets must be important people, and tried to treat Elisha with the importance his office deserved. His ignorance of the fact that one cannot purchase the service of a prophet of God like the pagan prophets he was used to doesn’t change the fact that Naaman was trying to give Elisha the recognition his high office deserved.
But we must ask another question. Leprosy was a common illness back then. There were always a few lepers around. So if Elisha could heal those who asked him for healing, why didn’t the lepers flock to him for healing? Because, again, the people of Israel did not actually grant to Elisha the respect his office deserved. He should have been welcomed into the King’s court; He should have been given great power and respect by all; but that’s not what happened. It’s not like people hated Elisha; No, they liked him. They just didn’t give his messages from God the credit those messages deserved. So no one had enough interest to ask for healing; thus, no one was healed.
But again, we have the people of God being too apathetic to bother making full use of the tremendous opportunity to hear the Word of God. But what happened as a result? God did not fail to bless people, but when the people of Israel didn’t want the blessing, he chose to bless someone else. Thus Naaman the Gentile was blessed, instead of the people Elisha was actually commissioned to speak to.
The reaction to Jesus sermon. Why was there such a violent reaction?
Because Jesus threatened their fundamental worldview - that because they were the people of God, they would be blessed by God no matter what. Instead, Jesus is declaring that their enjoyment of God’s blessing is not automatic, they must choose to accept him as God’s Messiah or face being left out of the Kingdom.
Now God has made promises to Israel; promises God will certainly keep. But the ability of any one individual Israelite to enjoy those promises has always depended on their acceptance of God’s Word. Rejecting God’s Messiah is the most radical rejection of God possible. If God blessed Gentiles before when Israel refused the blessings due her, he can do it again.
This was completely unacceptable - they were unwilling to even consider Jesus as Messiah, no matter what he said and did. They were also unwilling to listen to even their own scriptures when it declared that those who reject God’s Word will be passed up and those blessing given to those who do accept them. Anger was inevitable, and they tried to kill Jesus.
But it was not his hour, so he just passed through them. This seems supernatural. How can you just pass through a crowd that all know what you look like and are actively trying to kill you? We see that no one could lay a hand on Jesus unless he wished it.
conclusion
1, 2 Timothy, Titus 2. The Theological Basis for Christian Behavior (2:11–15)
“I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to
Now what does it mean to acknowledge Jesus as Lord? In Jesus’ earthly ministry it was pretty simple - believe he is God’s Messiah and follow his directions. Believe that he can fulfill all God’s promises to Israel.
But today, Jesus is in heaven. Until he returns, how exactly do we make sure that our idea about Jesus is not merely a theoretical proposition, a nice doctrinal formulation that has no practical meaning? It means accepting a Biblical worldview about heaven, hell, and sin; it means accepting a Biblical worldview about your own moral standing. It means rejecting the world’s morality - whatever the latest moral fad happens to be, the latest shibboleth of the secular left. Abandon all self-righteousness and trust in his.
Now many of you are Christians. By definition you already have fallen at Jesus’ feet and called him Lord and God. It isn’t exactly radical for me to ask you to believe that. But as fallen humans, we have an enormous capacity for inconsistent living. Is there some aspect of your life that remains part of this world system? something you know you ought to do, think, or say, but you find it more comfortable to go along with the flow? If Jesus is Lord, he has the right to tell you to do anything at all, no matter how difficult. Full surrender is the only rational position, anything else is to live in hypocrisy.
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