Luke Chapter 7

Luke 7

Vv1-10 : The great faith of the Centurion has healed
his servant.

Vv11-17: Jesus raised a widow's son.

The GREAT TRANSITION TO THE YEAR OF OUR LORD

Contrasting John's ministry with Jesus' ministry gives
me insight of God's overall salvation plan for us.
From the beginning up until John the Baptist, it was
God preparing for the way of the Messiah, Jesus
Christ. The former was rule-based which result in a
rigid lifestyle, the latter requires a change of heart
and is faith-based which resulted in true freedom in
the year of our Lord.

Vv18- 23
Jesus gave clearly observable evidence to John's
disciple that reflected the predicted ministry of the
Messiah. In Jesus' review of his works, he used an
ascending scale of impressive deeds, ending with the
dead raised and the good news preached to the poor.
In this way he reminded that these things were
fulfillment of the prophecies. (Source: NIV Study
Bible)

V24-27
Jesus affirmed that John was the unique prophet sent
to prepare the way of the Messiah.

V28 He who is the least in the kingdom is greater
than John the Baptist? Why?

The verse parallels Mt 11:11 John belonged to the age
of the old covenant, which was preparatory to Christ.
The least NT saint has a high privilege in Christ as
part of his bride than John the Baptist, who was only
a friend of the bridegroom (Jn 3:29)

"He who is the least" – In Mt 18:3-4, Jesus stated, "
I tell you the truth, unless you change and become
like little children, you will never enter the kingdom
of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like
this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
….such a person, though "least" is regarded by God as
even greater than John the Baptist. Wow! How
privileged are we to be born in the NT times!

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

V47: The love of the sinful woman for Jesus was
evidence of her forgiveness. Our salvation from our
sinful past should result in our love for our Lord.
V50: The sinful woman was saved by faith.

Clearly, this account of Jesus being anointed by a
sinful woman is one of the many examples that reflects
Jesus' ministry of changing hearts and lives of
sinners.

Luke, Su

Luke Chapter 6

Luke 6

Lord of the Sabbath

Vv1-10: Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath – He
intentionally healed the the man with shriveled hand
to point out to them the true meaning of Sabbath and
to challenge them of their traditional beliefs (Which
is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to
save life or to destroy it?) I pray that my
traditional beliefs will be challenged with His
liberating new life that He has given me… a
Spirit-filled life!

V12: Before choosing the 12 apostles, Jesus spent
time in solitude and in prayer.

Vv20-49: Jesus' sermon on plain appears to parallel
Mathew's sermon on the Mount. Jesus was preaching a
message that is out of the world of His time - It is
the Kingdom message that emphasizes on the authentic
change of heart attitude. It addresses poverty both
physically and more importantly spiritually, the
hungry, the sorrowful , the outcast and rejected and
contrast that with the rich, the well-fed and "happy"
and satisfied people… He was painting a radically
different world - the heavenly kingdom – for the
people of His time. This kingdom is radically
different from ours as well!

The Kingdom Values vv27-36

Jesus uses many examples to further illustrates the
Kingdom mindset -
" If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the
other also."
"If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from
taking your tunic."
"If someone takes what belongs to you, do not demand
it back."
"Love your enemies and do good to them"
"Lend without expecting to get anything back"
"Kind to the ungrateful and wicked"

I believe these values were radical to the people of
the Jesus' time and they are totally radical to
today's values as well!!!!!!

At glance, as a Christian I don't even know if I can
practice all of them. It does not appear to be
earthly values at all. It is truly out of this
WORLD!! We are taught with some very different values
such as an eye for an eye, to know and demand my
rights, not to be taken advantage of of……I see that
Jesus is preaching about not only a change in heart
attitude, but truly a deep deep deep change or
overhaul of our heart, mind and soul. We can no
longer hold on to our worldly values but to slowly
over time rid of the old self and to embrace the new
kingdom values which admittedly not an easy thing on
earth but I believe that as Kingdom people, we need to
prepare ourselves diligently with all the Kingdom
values!

There are more Kingdom Values that I should practice
at all times:
Vv37-38
• Do not Judge
• Do not condemn
• Forgive
• Give

Vv39-42
Jesus reminded that that it is foolish and
hypocritical for us to criticize someone for a fault
while remaining blind to our considerable faults. I
need to always examine myself and not fall into the
trap of being hypocritical.

Vv43-45
V45 – for out of the overflow of his heart his mouth
speaks - may God help me to cultivate my heart. As
each tree is recognized by its own fruit - may the
things stored in my heart reflects Him and His
goodness.

V46- 49
May I be a wise builder, may I not only be a hearer of
God's words but also be diligent to put them into
practice. So that we the flood (bad times) comes, my
faith/house will not be shaken but it is well built as
I put them in practice daily!

Luke, Su

Luke Chapter 5

Luke 5

The calling of the First Disciples

Vv4-8:

Simon Peter's obedience ("because you say so, I will
let down the nets.") is an example for us to follow -
it is an important trait of Jesus' disciple.

Simon Peter's reaction speaks to me: when he
"recognized who Jesus was" (previous chapters speak
about Jesus' ministry and His mission on earth), he
saw his own sinfulness! I recalled that when I was
confronted with the gospel, He revealed to me my
sinfulness and the darkness in my life and moved me to
repentance and a changed heart. Then, He filled me
the peace that surpassed all understanding when I
received His salvation. When confronted with the
gracious, merciful, loving, holy and most High God, I
guess our only response could only be a humbling,
repenting one – there is nothing we could do to
deserve His great love over for sinful soul but to
accept and received His unconditional love just as we
are.

The Man with Leprosy

V12-13 – Jesus healed the man with leprosy. - the
man appeared to have a very simple faith (Lord, if you
are willing, you can make me clean) - It is a simple
statement but is reflects his incredible faith! I
want to acknowledge my Lord and my God as well! I
believe that if He is willing, he can make me …..(
yes, any quality that I lack, I can go before Him, my
Lord and my God)

V14 - Jesus asked the man whom he healed to submit to
the Abrahamic laws and regulations as a testimony to
others. The emphasis appears to be the call to be
obedient and to submit to certain rules /authorities
(?)

V16 - Again, Jesus withdrew to lonely places and
prayed. Time spent in solitude with the Lord appears
to be key in getting ourselves in tune with His Voice.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

VV 17 – 20 – Faith is a critical element that results
in healing, both physical and spiritual.

V24 – Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins.

The Calling of the Levi

V31 - Jesus came for the sick and sinners and to call
them to repentance. He spent a lot of time eating and
drinking with them, along with His disciples.
Contrasting between his ministry and those of the
Pharisees and John the Baptist's, Jesus and his
disciples enjoyed a freedom not known by the
Pharisees' whose lifestyles tended to be a lot more
rigorous and legalistic.

Jesus' ministry is marked by authentic change of heart
attitude…He opposes legalistic display of false
righteousness in every ways (fasting….) The parable of
the new wine and old wineskin sent a strong message to
those who are reluctant to change from traditional
religious, legalistic religious ways to the gospel of
salvation – the new wine will burst the old wineskins
and the win will run out and the wineskins will be
ruined!

Su

Luke Chapter 7

• The account of the centurion in Luke 7:1-10 spoke to me in the way that it illustrated the faith and commitment of the centurion. Some of the elements of this account that stood out and struck me were as follows:

• Despite not being Jewish (an Israelite), the centurion was somehow able to boldly acknowledge Jesus as his Lord (v6).

• Going further, the centurion also acknowledged the power of Jesus in 7:7 where he stated, “just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
  

• The centurion must have been a fairly compassionate master as we know he regarded at least some of his slaves in a high manner (v2).
  

• I liked the way the centurion explains his thought process in verse 8 and the reasoning behind his decision to not go to Jesus directly with his request. The description in verse 8 really conveys the centurion’s total comprehension of Jesus’ unquestioned authority.

In other words, the centurion appears to be saying that subordinates, whether soldiers or slaves, do not ask or tell their superior what they will do. To the contrary, a subordinate is told what to do and does as ordered. In this manner, the centurion, better than most, understands the utmost importance of this type of complete submission to authority.

What comes to mind is the zealous marine officer played by Jack Nicholson in the movie, “A Few Good Men”. In the movie, Jack’s character is the commanding officer of the US military base in Guantanamo Bay. The most notable aspect of the character is his inflexible belief in the importance of the chain of command. Something about this centurion seems to indicate that he lived according to a code of hierarchical relationships and took those codes seriously.

As noted, adding to the impact of the centurion’s deference is the fact that he seems to be a ranking officer and a person of standing. This was most likely a man that had devoted his life and career to the Roman Empire and must therefore have been indoctrinated with concepts of allegiance to Rome. Thus, the manner in which the centurion so overtly submits to the authority of Jesus is nothing short of amazing.

Hangin' with Sinners (Luke 5)

Luke 5:1-11
In Luke's account, the calling of the 1st disciples can be seen as an amazing metaphor of church ministry. Simon fished all night but did not catch anything. Following Jesus' direction, their catch is so large their nets began to break and they needed assistance from a 2nd boat. Their boats were so full they began to sink on the way back to shore. Many times we're laboring all night yet there are no results, yet we wonder why. As in this story, we need only follow Jesus' direction and the results will come. In light of this, Christian ministry should be very easy: we only have to follow Christ. The hard part of Christian ministry should be handling the huge catch of "fish" as Simon experienced that day.

Their is a remarkable parallel between this passage and Isaiah 6. In his vision, Isaiah realizes his sinfulness in God's presence. Likewise, if it was not clear to Simon before, it is now after the miracle catch of fish that he is in the presence of God and his response is like Isaiah's.
Isaiah 6:5-

"Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

Luke 5:8-

"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

Simon becomes Jesus' disciple similar to Isaiah accepting his calling to be God's prophet, "Here am I, send me!"

By the way, Twila Paris has an awesome song "Send Me."


Luke 5:12-26
The healing of the leper is a parallel to Mark 1. In Mark's account, it makes mention of Jesus' compassion, not mentioned by Luke. But it is evident in the way Jesus healed the man- by touching him. According to the Wikipedia entry for leprosy, it is still not known how leprosy is transmitted but it is believed to be from contact or close proximity which was certainly the belief in Jesus' time. Therefore when Jesus' touches the man, it is likely the 1st human touch he's experienced since contracting the disease. May we be as compassionate to the outcasts in our modern times as our Lord was!

It is instructive to skim Leviticus 14, which Jesus cites in Luke 5:14- After the healing, Jesus' tells the man to show himself to the priest thereby beginning the man's acceptance back into the community. See Leviticus 13:45-46 which describes how lepers were to live. Jesus heals the unclean by faith and then reconciles him to the clean community. Likewise, Jesus cleanses our sin and unites us with the Christian body that has been forgiven of its sin!

Now, Jesus has His first encounter with the Pharisees in Luke 5:17-26. The Pharisees may have initially thought Jesus was a pretty awesome teacher. Maybe they came from all over to hear His teaching as we go to hear a famous pastor at a conference. Jesus does not 1st heal the paralytic, rather He forgives his sins. The Pharisees immediately question his authority, for "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" And Jesus answers them directly, "... the Son of Man" (Daniel 7) The healing serves as a sign for the Pharisee's belief. I've read this story many times before, but noticed for the first time, that this encounter with the Pharisees appears to end well- "they" glorified God having witnessed the healing. I wish the other Pharisees Jesus encountered would have glorified God when they encountered Jesus.

Luke 5:27-39
Here we begin to see the Pharisees begin their attacks on Jesus questioning Him why does he eat w/ the sinner and tax collectors. Note the Pharisees low opinion of the tax collectors as they were Jews collecting taxes from their own people for Rome. It is also interesting to note Jesus "first picks" for disciples- four fisherman and a tax collector. I wonder if I were Jesus and had to recruit twelve disciples where I would have gone and who I would have chosen. I probably would have gone straight to the finest seminaries in the nation and chosen the top students!

We can observe the stark contrast between the heart of the Pharisees and Jesus.
Luke 5:30 - Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?

What is left unspoken but can be inferred is that the Pharisees did not eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners and thought Jesus shouldn't either.

Next in the very same encounter, the Pharisees question Jesus again-
Luke 5:33 - "The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink."

It appears the Pharisees didn't seem to have any issues with John the Baptist since they compare him to themselves. They now not only questioned with whom Jesus ate, but now they are questioning why His disciples are not fasting as they do. Jesus in fact addresses this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:

16"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

17"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

18so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Ironically, Luke's shortened account of the Sermon is in the next chapter, six! Yet, as Jesus instructs, when we fast we're not to do it to be noticed by others, rather it is to be done in secret. Therefore, if Jesus' disciples were fasting, the Pharisees would not have known about it because it was to be done in secret!

Jesus also addresses prayer in the the Matthew 6:

5"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

6"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

Again, prayer is to be done in secret not for other's to see so they would be impressed with us!

Sadly, unlike the Pharisees in Luke 5:17-26 who gave glory to the Lord, these Pharisees and their kind continue to nitpick Jesus' actions. Jesus in turn used those as teaching moments to the followers around Him.

Jesus responds to the question of fasting in Luke 5:34 with the wedding banquet analogy, when Jesus, the bridegroom, is here it is time to feast, but when He goes away, then it is time to fast.

Jesus saw that the Pharisees just didn't get what He was all about so He confounds them even more with the parable of the wine and the wineskins! The old wineskins are the Pharisees and the old wine is the Law. The Pharisees are so concerned about maintaining obedience to the old Law that they missed it completely when the Messiah is with them face to face. Hence, the new wine is Jesus and the new wineskins are those who believe in the new Law that He brings. Indeed, the Pharisees hear, but they do not comprehend.

It is ironic that Jesus chose fishermen and a tax collector to be His disciples. Simon the fisherman responds to Jesus, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" while the Pharisees equate the tax collectors with sinners. Why not choose the Pharisees? Their position in the synagogue must have meant they were some of the top seminary students of the day. Alas, they used their knowledge to puff themselves up in self-righteousness and appointed themselves the moral judge. Jesus first statement tells us why He chose fisherman and a tax collector as His first disciples, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." Indeed.

Today, the challenge for us is to be attuned to the Holy Spirit that we may follow it's leading. While we must steadfastly adhere to the Word, we must also recognize the Spirit's leading and then follow.

Luke Chapter 6

• Jesus’ response to the accusations of the Pharisees in Luke 6:1-10 gives rise to a couple of interesting considerations. It seems that there is value by looking at both what Jesus said as well as how He delivered his message in these verses.

WHAT (Jesus says)

In one context, it appears that there is something to be learned by understanding (or at least trying) what Jesus is saying through His response to the Pharisees in 6:1-10. Jesus’ message appeared to be a rebuke against the Pharisees for having an extremely narrow, legalistic, understanding of the Sabbath. More importantly, perhaps their flawed understanding of the Sabbath was indicative of the Pharisees’ flawed understanding of God, Himself, and what He desired of his believers.

It seemed that Jesus’ message to the Pharisees was that they were misguided in thinking that mere adherence to the law, done in isolation and without understanding, was pleasing to God.

In 6:9, Jesus presented the following question to the Pharisees, “’I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?’" Presumably, this was rhetorical and meant to illustrate the ignorance of the person that would choose to say that it was unlawful to do good or to save a life if such acts were to occur on the Sabbath.

Part of the flaw with such an absurd response is that at best such strict, legalistic adherence requires little if any thinking on the part of the believer. At worst, such a response would indicate that the believer does not truly understand God, and therefore may not understand what he really believes in.

• HOW (Jesus said it)

In another context, I found it useful to observe how Jesus responded. I thought it was interesting that Jesus chose to chastise the Pharisees by rhetorically asking, “’Have you not even read what David did…’”, thus highlighting the importance of not only reading the Bible, but also understanding it and applying its lessons in appropriate circumstances.

• Key Takeaways: At least one key point taken from the preceding analysis was that God neither designed nor intended for us to be one dimensional, robotic practitioners of faith. Instead, it seems we are supposed to think and appropriately apply God’s teaching as presented in the Bible.

• From 6:12-19, titled, "Choosing the Twelve", as mentioned previously, I wonder how Jesus chose his disciples, especially the Twelve.

• In reference to the night before Jesus was to choose his Twelve Disciples, 6:12 states, “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” By the way, I just noticed that v12 speaks to The Twelve Disciples. I wonder if the author had a sense of humor there.

In any case, this incident once again highlights the critical emphasis Jesus placed on prayer. Choosing his Twelve Disciples must surely have been one of the most important decisions Jesus made in his time on earth, and we see Him praying the entire night before making his choices.

• 6:20-26, titled, "The Beatitudes", brings up some interesting points. 6:20 states, “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say…”

What I find interesting is that it is clear that Jesus is speaking to a crowd of His disciples. Yet, in 6:24-26, Jesus begins to say to this very same crowd comprised entirely of disciples, “Woe to you…”

One question arises from trying to understand the meaning of “Woe to you…” It seems that this statement refers to the fact that some of His disciples will not receive salvation. While this issue appears to be clearly addressed in Matthew 24:42-51, titled, “Be Ready for His Coming”, it appears to be the first time this issue is addressed in Luke.

Then again, what are the theological boundaries of salvation? Are believers in Christ entitled and thereby assured of salvation or is salvation impacted by our actions here on earth?

• 6:46-49, titled, “Builders and Foundations” really resonates with me and most fully captures my sentiments at the current time. This analogy is quite clear so I will not attempt to explain it. Suffice it to say that at this point in my life, my foremost desire is to have a well built foundation in Christ.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic : Stumbling blocks for the wise (Luke 5:17-26)

A paralytic is brought by some men* to Jesus. Jesus first forgives the paralytic his sins on account of the men's faith. The Pharisees and teachers of the law question Jesus' authority in their minds. Only when Jesus heals the man physically do they presumably believe.

The significance for me is that this happens in front of Pharisee and teachers of the law. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 says:

22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The forgiveness given to us by Jesus Christ is not something we can intellectually believe. But God knows that we as human beings need to see to believe; so Jesus said:

24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...

Jesus is saying: the powerful miracle here is the forgiveness of sins! The physical healing is just to accommodate those who do not believe. Sometimes it's so hard for us to see God because we spend so much of our time on intellectualizing and church-izing Him. But it's when it comes to brokenness and fervent faith in His power to change us that God can do the most.

* Jesus said "Friend, your sins are forgiven." (Luke 5:20) But it doesn't say the paralytic was a friend of the men carrying him - a common assumption. Jesus was just calling the paralytic his friend. Imagine: we can bring complete strangers, so broken they can't even go in their own strength, to Jesus!!!

Luke 4:38-44

Just a couple notes to finish off Luke 4...

Why does Jesus instruct the evil spirits not to say that He is the Son of God?

This occurs in Luke 4:35 and 4:41.
Also, sometimes Jesus would heal someone yet instruct him not to tell anyone.
Something to think about, I'll write more about this later...

Teaching and Ministry

Luke 4:40 tells us that beginning at sunset, people began bringing the sick to Him to be healed and Jesus would heal them. 4:42, Jesus withdraws to a secluded place while the crowds were searching for Him and even tried to keep Him from leaving. Mark 1 has a parallel account of this story. In Mark's account, Simon(Peter) comes to Jesus and says the crowds are searching for Him! In short, Luke 4:40, 42-44 and Mark 1:32-39 illustrate the dilemma we all face in church ministry today. How many times have we heard the refrain, "There is so much that needs to be done at church!" In these passages, Jesus shows us how we are to handle it. See my blog entry on Mark 1 for more. But we see in Luke, as we do in Mark, that Jesus' primary focus is to teach, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." Note that He didn't mention healing, though He continued to heal people.

The Tale of Two Cities (Luke 4:14-37)

Ok, I admit I have never read The Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, but the opening paragraph seems apropos to Luke 4:14-37. Here it is via Google Books: Click Me.

In this passage of Luke, it is indeed the tale of two cities - Nazareth and Capernaum. Coming out of the desert, Jesus begins his ministry and it looks very positive. Luke gives a summary overview statement in v14, 15:

14And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

15And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

Ironically, though Jesus was "praised by all," Luke tells us about the one place where he wasn't praised- his hometown of Nazareth. Why?

There are remarkable parallels between Jesus' encounters in Nazareth and then Capernaum. The obvious differences are the "results"- the people of Nazareth were ready to throw him off a cliff, while the people at Capernaum saw Jesus' authority and power and word of Him spread. Naturally, why the different reactions from the two cities?

In Nazareth, Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1-2:

1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

First, this passage is a Messianic prophecy that Jesus says He is its fulfillment (4:21). What it would have been like to be sitting in the synagogue and to hear Jesus' claim? Remember, this is his hometown. Perhaps some of these people knew Jesus as a little boy growing up; even friends of Mary and Joseph. Maybe some of them were his classmates or childhood friends. "He's the Messiah?!" But it appears that they reacted favorably to His pronouncement. (4:22)

But note that Jesus didn't read all of Isaiah 61:2, but only the 1st phrase of that verse. (He left out the red part above.) If you read the rest of Isaiah 61, you will find see that the Israelites would have been looking forward to the fulfillment of the rest of the prophecy in addition to the arrival of the Messiah. Notably, Isaiah 61:4, 5-

4Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

To a people who are under Roman occupation, this is their hope! Why didn't Jesus read the rest of the chapter?!!!!!

For Jesus was not here to fulfill the rest of the chapter, at least not yet. If you've read the rest of the gospels, you know Jesus did not bring vengeance on this time.

Now, the people seem to have responded favorably to Him, even if He didn't read the "good parts" of Isaiah 61. And then Jesus seemingly, intentionally, turns the people against Him. Why would He do that?

In Luke 4:23 Jesus said, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'" It appears that Jesus was likely ministering around Galilee already and had already been to Capernaum before, even though He goes there after Nazareth as told in Luke 4. From Jesus' statement, we infer that the people at Nazareth had heard of His teaching and healings are Capernaum and now wanted to see them firsthand; i.e. "show me what we've heard you can do." If we look back at 4:22, it appears the people were amazed at His words because they were coming from a carpenter's son they had watched grow up, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

Jesus exacerbates the situation in Luke 4:24-27-

24And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.

25"But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

26and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27"And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."

If they were pleasantly surprised before, albeit in a backhanded way; now they are piping mad. Elijah and Elisha were probably the most famous prophets in the history of the nation of Israel (i.e. post-King Saul). Yet, they served the Lord at a time when Israel was at its lowest point. And worse, Jesus points out that while there were many widows and lepers in Israel, God sent them to minister to Gentiles (unclean unclean!)! Ouch. Time for the lynch mob... "Run Jesus Run" (i.e. Forrest Gump) Literally, it is a miracle that Jesus passed through their midst and went His way.

Now, contrast the city of Capernaum in Luke 4:31-37. It starts off in a similar fashion- Jesus teaching in the synagogue, though it doesn't say what was the Scripture.
I think there's a hint at why Jesus was received differently in the two cities if we compare 4:22 and 4:32. In Nazareth, they spoke well of Him and wondered at His gracious words. Whereas in Capernaum, they were amazed at His teaching for it was with authority. Here, Jesus preaches in two places and gets two different reactions. I liken this to same pastor, same sermon but two types of listeners. The Nazareth listeners will walk out of a service and say, "Gee, that was nice sermon the pastor gave today. He's a pretty good speaker." While the Capernaum listeners will respond to the same preacher but say, "Wow. Pastor's sermon today was as if God were directly speaking to me through His Word!"

Another similarity between the two cities was the healing Jesus did or did not perform! In Nazareth, Jesus did not perform a healing, though He referenced Elijah and Elisha going to heal Gentiles, but not Israelites. While in Capernaum, Jesus heals a man possessed by an unclean spirit.

Note that Jesus didn't do anything magical (special chant, ritual) to cast out the unclean spirit, but by the power of His word it was done. Also note that the unclean spirit recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God (4:34)! Ironically, Jesus' hometown rejects the Son of God, while the unclean spirit recognizes Him. We also learn something about the gospel of salvation from the unclean spirit. Even the evil spirits and Satan recognize that Jesus is the Son of God, i.e. they believe that Jesus is God. But do they believe in Him? (John 3:16)

So- what kind of listener are you? Nazareth or Capernaum?