Part 11: Luke 4:14-30
 “Just Passing Through”

Let's open our Bibles this morning, to Luke chapter 4 and we're going to start in just a few minutes. In verse 14, Luke 4:14. This is part 11 of our series, working through the Gospel of Luke. As we start this morning, this may already be obvious to you, but I have obviously discovered, the Fountain of Youth.

I can tell you a way that you can instantly get quite a bit younger. Then you already are. You can go back in time discover the Fountain of Youth. Here's how you do that. Grow up in a church. Go off to college. Do whatever you're going to do and returned to the church that you grew up in. And you'll be 16 years old again.

It's amazing how that works. I hope we don't do that to our kids when we don't ever let them get older. When they get older. They get older. That's just how it happens. We don't like that, but that's just the way it works. But I remember being a young man, it in a church that we are our church was a split off from another Downtown Church in San Antonio that happened when I was a freshman in high school. And so I had spit a lot of years into that church in that church and even into my twenties at and there began to be this growing frustration, in my own heart of missing. Why is it that I can go and speak at youth camps? Or lead worship at at this event outside of my church, but I don't get to do anything in my home Church. Why is it that I get to go and preach at these other churches? Which actually are bigger than this church. Thank you very much my home church, but I don't get to do anything in my home church, and I was I was venting that frustration one time to it to an older guy in the church who had known me and knew me well, and we're still talk, but he said something to me and it has stuck with me and made a lot of sense. Even at the time. He said you got to understand once you have been 16 years old, in this church. You will always be thought of that way even when you're not anymore it. And so the reason why that doesn't necessarily you can be going out there is because you're not 16 there, but you're still 16 here even though you're not sixteen anymore. So true. So, so spot-on. A prophet is without honor in his hometown or his home church until finally in the Gospel of Luke. We're going to get sort of to the place where Jesus is Ministry, begins because everything that we've done, has led up to this and his baptism. And last week, we talked about the Temptations in the wilderness. All that was going on. There Will presumably that ended. Jesus ended the fast and began his ministry in the Gospel of Luke. Luke is going to skip over some things to bring us to a specific place. And where we're going to be today in Jesus. Jesus is Ministry is Nazareth the place where Jesus had grown up the place where Jesus was known his home church so to speak. And what's happened is we we've already by the time we get to where we're going to pick up today. Jesus has begun his ministry and we see some hints, some indicators of things that have already taken play. John chapter to where Jesus turns water into wine, where Jesus cleanses the temple. And in chapter 3, Jesus has this conversation with Nicodemus, all of those things, take place before what we're going to see today. Evidently, but Luke doesn't mention them because Luke wants to begin here at Nazareth. So let's begin in verse 14 and Jesus returned. In the power of the spirit to Galilee, in a report about him, went out throughout all of the surrounding country and he taught in their synagogues. Being glorified by all. So after all the intensity of the preparation, Jesus has already been doing Ministry. There have been things that are that are going on to things that I mentioned in. Luke Chapter 2, but will be looked down at verse 23, it reveals, that Jesus is already obviously been teaching at a place called capernium, which is in Galilee. Now, if you'll picture it this way, just a little bit of geography of that area. There's Jerusalem further to the South and then the, the Jordan River is going to run up northward from there and then get to the Sea of Galilee which is up in the north. And so that's where we got places like Nazareth and capernium in Cana and things like that. They're all up in the north and that's where Jesus is going to begin and that's where he grew up. So evidently he's been ministering around there. That's just not exactly where Luke begins. But Jesus is receiving a warm welcome and it's a big reception and worried about him is Spreading everywhere. But now he comes to Nazareth and this is where Luke is going to focus the attention. Look at verse 16. And it 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 know it. Let's pause there for just a minute because if there is something here, important it and I I realized to some degree. I'm preaching to the choir here with what I'm about to say, but I think it's important that we see this as was his custom. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The point is Jesus went to church.

Jesus went to church. People have a lot of bad experiences and they get burned in churches, if that's happened to you. It's happened to me. Also. It's probably happen to a lot of us. You can have a bad experience with people in churches. Does hypocrites that go to churches. And that would be all of us. Maybe some more than others, but it's true. Of every one of us. There's a lot of churches or some Churches. Anyway, that lost their way, along time ago, and why they're still in existence. And what in the world it is they're doing, it's not the gospel anymore. I don't know what they're doing. Some Churches have a real jerk for pastor. Some churches will sing songs that you don't like to sing and they are not your favorite songs, but all of that to say Jesus went to church As was his custom. So, typically in a Jewish synagogue, this is what would happen date. They would be the Sabbath day obviously, and one of the important men in the end of town in the area, or even sometimes, a guest would come and read the scriptures and then that person would sit down and expound on what just had just been read. So, evidently on this day in Nazareth, with his reputation spreading in all that Jesus was the guest of honor. Even though he's grown up around these people, he returns home. He's the guest of honor in the synagogue and there's all this excitement in the air, the people of Nazareth. And hey, this is Jesus and we're hearing about these miracles in his great teaching with authority. Word's getting around and they're excited. Verse 17. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him and he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. A hold on, just a minute before we even getting into reading the scripture that he read. Let's stop here for a moment. Jesus did not open the scroll to the place or right. There was his Isaiah chapter 61 because, The scripture have not been divided into Chapters at that point. And if we could look at the schools, that Jesus was looking at that day, even if we did understand Hebrew or Aramaic or whatever it was it that time. It's just a bunch of letters and riding all piled up together. No chapter, two visions, no tabs. No versus none of that. Jesus is about to find Isaiah 61 to read it. He would have had to have known his squirrels, his bible really well, because it didn't have the ability to just open his Bible. Do Isaiah 61 to Doty any certain place on the scroll. You had to know where you were what you were looking for. Are you would have spent all day looking for it. The point is Jesus knew his Bible Bible. He was the son of God. And yes, he was but that's not the reason. He studied and learned his Bible all of his life. So it wasn't a challenge for him to open up the school to exactly where he wanted to get to and Isaiah chapter. 61. He found it cuz he knew where to look as Jesus knew his Bible. So before we go any further, this is a challenge for all of us. Don't need an answer, not trying to fuss it. Anybody be legalistic about it. But here's the thing. This past week. Outside of church or maybe outside of a Bible study that you attend. How much time did you spend in God's word? But that's not a legalistic thing. That's not a condemnation thing. That's a challenge to say. Jesus knew his Bible. We we ought to know our Bibles to at and we do that by taking the time during the week to study and read God's word. Let's continue. So here's what he read. This is what Jesus read that Day, verse 18. 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. Just said it Liberty, those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And the fact that Jesus read that passage, which is directly would then read this morning too and pass it right out of Isaiah, chapter 61 as we know it. No one was surprised. No one thought. Well. That's just really crazy that he would read that scripture here to us when we read it together. This morning. We said amen, but nobody was taken by surprise by it. There's good news. It's being proclaimed to the poor, in the captain, in the blind, in the oppressed. That sounds like the Bible that we would expect Jesus to read that. But if Ben had read the passage this morning and we listen to the passage and talkin about freedom to the couches, to the spirit of the Lord is on me and all that, and then read the passage and then been looked at all of us and said and I And the Fulfillment of this passage of scripture. We would look at them. Funny. At least we would wonder okay, you know that that's that's nice. But but maybe not you specifically as what that's talkin about. Jesus, read the passage. And Jesus sat down and said today, in your hearing. This scripture is being fulfilled. What I just read. This is about me.

And the people were fine with it. That's the strange thing. No one just lost their minds over that, if one of us read that passage and announce that we were the Fulfillment of Isaiah chapter, 61. I say you're crazy. Jesus Reddit.

Said, this is me. Nobody had a problem with it. It was the excitement in the air. It was building. Let's go to verse 20, and he rolled up the scroll. I gave it back to the attendance. And sat down. MRIs 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.

Those big move that was bold and if they were going to get mad, if they were going to get angry about something. This could have been the moment. There's 22 and all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth and they said is not, this is Joseph's son.

Jesus took credit right there for being the Messiah for being the Fulfillment of what Isaiah was talking about and they all thought it was wonderful. It was great. They spoke well of him. They marveled at his words. Not Jesus obviously said some other things along with that, but whatever he was saying they were accepting of it. This is great. And they were amazed that somebody that had such wisdom and such teaching Authority. Could have come from Nazareth. From among their own Community. I mean, imagine this Jesus grows up in this town. This dismal place of Nazareth, a very well, could have been that some of them had a piece of furniture in their home. The Jesus. And Joseph had made that that table. That was sitting over there in the corner. Jesus helped Joseph make that, and it's in their house. They they remember that. And here's Jesus in the, in the synagogue saying I'm the Fulfillment of Isaiah, chapter 61, And so far everybody's happy. Everybody's thrilled with this at least temporarily Jesus knew what was in their hearts and Jesus knew what they really wanted. Jesus knew why they were excited and I didn't throw a fit when he said, Isaiah 61, it's me first 23. And he said to them. Doubtless, you will quote to me, this proverb physician, heal yourself. What we've heard you did it capernium. Do here in your hometown as well? And he said, truly, I say to you. No prophet. Is acceptable in his hometown? Even Jesus. This may be hard for us to imagine today, but in those days.

You couldn't always trust the science. You couldn't always follow the science. And there were certain doctors that proposed, certain remedies for certain things, that you wouldn't necessarily trust that. Just because that doctor said that, this is absolutely what you should do. Got that only happened, then that wouldn't happen today. But when a position would suggest a cure for an ailment one of these traveling, snake oil salesman positions, will you do? If you take this, then you'll be cured of this off in the way that they would respond to that position. So to speak as well. If that person is supposed to help me than you, drink it first. And if they could get the position to drink, it will, then maybe it would be okay, but he had to try it first. So in response to Jesus is claimed to be the Messiah, the one that Isaiah is talking about what we knew, what they were really seeking was, we want you to do a miraculous sign. We want you to do a miracle here cuz we heard about you doing it, other places. So, go ahead. Yeah, I don't do some of that stuff. Go ahead. When you grow up around here, and we know who you are and will be over here and all this stuff. So get after it. And watch how this conversation turns really quickly. Is Jesus is essentially saying you want me to do some kind of sign you want me to perform a miracle here, even if I did? You still wouldn't believe it still wouldn't be enough. I am not going to go out and prove this to you cuz it's not what I would have. What else was sent to do? And maybe that sounds harsh. But Jesus grew up with these people. He knew these people and he knew what was in their hearts and he's not there to establish a fan club. He's not there to get this big following and get them all excited about miracles. And ultimately the same people who just a few minutes ago. We're just so excited. They're going to reject him because he refused to do a trick. He refused to perform this miracle cuz that's all they wanted. It's easy for us to look at these people and think, man. They're they're just really didn't out how stupid they must have been in. Jesus himself said a prophet is without honor in his hometown.

Leaving now.

Even today, Jesus has all kinds of fans. There's a lot of people who admire Jesus. They don't follow Jesus. They don't, they're not Obedience of Jesus, but man, they think he was pretty cool. Same kind of response. We can we can fill churches with people who are fans, who are admirers, who like Jesus?

But when you start really preaching.

Things like take up your cross and follow me. He who would save his life must lose it. You start hearing things like that and in the Cradle then out a whole lot because we have admirers, we have fans. We don't have that many followers of Jesus and believe it or not. The people of Nazareth really didn't like that response from Jesus. Jesus had only begun to offend. If you had just left it at that, they would have just disregarded him or dismissed him. But Jesus didn't leave it there. When he's about to go on to say, is going to really make them mad to the point that they're going to try to kill him. They ended up here later. Of course, he went to the Cross, but even early on as soon as Luke begins. Jesus is ministry here in and his gospel. They're already trying to kill him. What's 25? But in truth, I tell you. There were many widows in Israel, in the Days of Elijah. Jesus is talking here. There were many widows in Israel in the Days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, a Great Famine came over all the lands and a larger was sent to none of them. But only 20 South in the land of sidon to a woman who was a widow and the remaining representing Israel in the time of the Prophet Elijah and none of them was cleansed. But only Naaman, the Syrian When they heard these things. All in the synagogue were filled with Wrath. That changed quickly. And it rolls up and they 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. It went away.

Did Jesus. Give two examples from the Old Testament? Same. Same point of both of those 1st. Kings chapter 17, you might remember the Prophet. Elijah. There's a drought, there's a famine in the land. God is preserving Elijah by the book with feeding him with Ravens. And God tells him to go to a place called Zarephath outside of Israel in the area called siding. And in Elijah goes to this woman who is a widow. She has a son and he walks right up to her and says, can you give me a morsel of bread as she explains to him? Well, I guess I can, but you need to know that the the oil and the flower that I have to prepare that morsel of bread for you is all that we have left. And after that, we are going to starve. And Elijah said to her. The oil and the flower shall not run out. Until the time that the famine is ended and she acted in obedience sheet. She believed it before she saw it. She acted in obedience and got took care of her all the way through this famine. And she was not Jewish. She was Gentile. She was outside of the area. She was outside of the faith and God provided for her. Sometimes, we think God's provision. I love the story, and I want to get two off far off into this was sometimes we think God's provision. Looks like him. Blessing us with great, abundance. And in all the jars are full.

Sometimes God's provision is just the little bit that we have doesn't run out. It's somehow we keep being sustained. We keep being provided for and small ways that we never expect.

Second Story that Jesus references second Kings chapter 5. There was a Syrian Commander, not as your light Commander, a Syrian commander in enemy of Israel. This guy has leprosy. He comes to the king, the king sends him to Elijah, Elijah tells him. Going tip yourself in the Jordan River seven times and it first, he said we've got Rivers back in Syria that are better than this one. I'm not going to go dip myself in the river and one of his servants said to him. Hey, if the prophet told you to do something great and dramatic when you do it will then since it's something simple. What have you got to lose? Go do it. And this gym tile, the Syrian Commander named and goes and gets himself in the Jordan River. 7 time. He comes up out of the Jordan, the 7th. I'm completely cured of his leprosy. The problem with that story for the people in Nazareth wasn't, yay. It's a miracle. Look at what God did for this naming. It was Being angry at Jesus was because he's quoting references to where God came to the Gentiles instead of to the Jews. And Jesus is essentially saying. It's just like that. Right now. I'm talking about the kingdom of God coming to the nation's coming to the world and you're upset because I won't do a trick for you. You, I won't do a miracle or a song for you right here. And that made them angry enough.

To take him out and try to kill him. The people of Nazareth, get this. They wanted to see it to believe it. Anime examples that Jesus gave.

It did just the opposite. They had to believe it to see it. They both responded in obedience. And then they saw the miracle not the other way around. Give us a miracle. Give us a sign know. I'm not going to do that. Then they're filled with wrath. It says that everyone in the synagogue was filled with wrath at that point. We go from everybody being happy to this day, be escalating. So, they're now they're angry with him and now they want to kill him. This is one of the many times in scripture, where I wish that we had more details cuz I can't explain to you how this happened. They March him out to the edge of the cliff and they're going to throw him over the cliff.

As simply says, but passing through their midst, he went away.

So I am picturing this in my mind. How does Jesus just passed through them and walk away? When were they frozen in time? This everything stops and Jesus walks off. Did they get confused and the Uproar in Jesus just kind of ducks under and walks away. Not really sure. However, it happens. Jesus just passes through. Is this wasn't the time?

Jesus could have done the very same thing about three years after this. When they came to arrest him in the garden. But that was his time and he didn't do that. But as far as we know, Jesus never went back to his hometown. He was done. There. Wipe the dust off of your feet. He was rejected there. it'd be received in a lot of other places, but no more in his hometown. And today. We sit here and we reflect on hand, those those people of Nazareth. So foolish, so stupid. How it? How could they do that? They have the Saviour right there and they rejected him.

They had their chance.

What about you?

What's causing you to reject Jesus?

You might come to church, you might even come to church often and that, that's a good thing. But just coming to church, that doesn't mean that you have really received Jesus that you have accepted him, that you have believed on him as your savior in your lord, and please hear this. I'm glad you're here at all of that, but you're not getting the points for church attendance. There is not a ledger in heaven that you're getting credit for being here in church, salvation is by grace, through faith, in Jesus. It's not a merit system. It's not a point system where your, your good outweighs your bad and so you get in it. It's all Jesus or nothing.

Salvation by works or buy anything else? Is actually a rejection of the Gospel. Because the gospel is by grace, through faith. Well, that's not me. So I'm good. Okay. But for us, maybe a little closer Home. For Christians. Yeah, I got the Salvation part down. What? And how we're living our lives this week?

Are you really trusting him that he is who he says he is that life really is found in him. Are you going to him? Are you drinking from him? Are you receiving from him? Are you being Satisfied by him?

What are you doing? What we do a lot of the time giving him lip service. All the while trying to satisfy your heart with the stuff of the world. Brent finding life finding satisfaction, whatever it is that you're pursuing and trying to find that outside of Jesus and something other than Jesus. He didn't come to give us a nice alternative or a pretty good option. It came to be. Savior, and Lord of those of us who will admit. I need a savior and I need him to be my Lord.

And so we finished with this. It's just a very simple thought. The people of Nazareth. Could be around Jesus, all of their lives. They can listen to him. Teach in the synagogue. They could know about his miracles and in all of that.

Sadly, they missed out. On Jesus.

What about you? Let's go to prayer. Would you stand with me?

father, we bless you for your word and we thank you for The truth of the Gospel. We thank you for the Savior that said, I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the father, except by me.

I got we we acknowledge this morning in our own hearts.

so often we can feel like and that's, that's really narrow that that's really so specific, but Even if you had given us a thousand ways to Salvation instead of just one, we'd still complain that there's not a thousand and one ways to salvation, but thank you that you have given a Salvation in your son, Jesus. May we put our trust in him? And got us as we live as Christians this week. Those of us who have trusted in you and in call you Savior and call you Lord, mate. May we? Live that out as well. Not trying to drink from the wells of the world. Not trying to find our satisfaction in anything other than you. Thank you for your blessings. Thank you for the things that you provide for us, and the gifts that you give us to be able to enjoy.

May we not make Idols of any of those blessings and Trust fully in you? Pray, your blessings over this church and all that you're doing in our lives as a group of people. And as individuals, we love you and praise you. And it's in your name. We pray. Amen.