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Have you ever been rejected by the very people you thought would stand by you no matter what? If so, you’re in good company!
Nazareth was Jesus’s hometown. He lived the majority of His life in that small village. Like most small towns, everyone knew everyone – and everyone most definitely knew Jesus! They had watched Him grow up. They had seen Him always treat His parents with love and respect. They had seen Him as a caring big brother to His half-brothers and half-sisters. In recent years, since the death of Joseph, they had seen Him care for His mother, as the head of His family. As a capable carpenter, He had probably performed carpentry work for many of His neighbors. He was a good son, a good brother, and a good neighbor.
One day He surprised them all. He left the village, giving His brothers and sisters the responsibility of caring for His mother. He walked out of the village alone, but now, about one year later, He returned to the village with a small group of followers accompanying Him.(1) In recent months, the people had begun to hear reports of the healings and miracles He had performed in other parts of Galilee and Judea. They had been surprised by the reports because they had never witnessed Him do such extraordinary things while He was living among them.
His return to Nazareth, therefore, likely created a stir. Given the reports, His neighbors probably expected their favored son to perform some pretty impressive miracles in their midst. If you want a great point of comparison to the reception He received in Nazareth that day, consider His return to Jerusalem three years later. The people gathered to shout His praises on Palm Sunday, looking forward to the miracles He would perform, and then they shouted to crucify Him on Friday. This hometown crowd was also just that fickle.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus taught in many synagogues, but the Gospels only report of Him “reading” the Scripture on this one occasion – in His “home” synagogue in Nazareth – the place He had worshipped since His youth. Consistent with Jewish tradition, the Priest, a Levite and five other members would read from the Scriptures on each Sabbath day. Though the Gospels are silent on how Jesus spent most of the days of His first thirty years, one thing is certain: on the Sabbath He would have been in synagogue, and on numerous occasions after his twelfth birthday, He would have been one of the men reading from the Scriptures. So Jesus did on that day what He had done on many previous occasions – He served as one of the five. Like all of those previous times, He stood and read one of the passages selected by the priest.
Jesus read these words from the writings of Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Him,
for He has appointed Him to preach Good News to the poor.
He has sent Him to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see, and the downtrodden will be freed…,
and the time of the Lord’s favor has come.(2)
The people knew this passage was referring to the Messiah. They had read it or heard it many times before, and many times they had prayed for the coming of God’s promised Messiah. After Jesus read the passage, He sat down and began to teach, as was also the custom. We don’t have the full discourse of His teaching, but through His words He made it very clear to everyone gathered as they listened and watched intently, that He was the One to whom Isaiah was referring.
At first, the people were attentive and affirming, probably with faces beaming at their favored son. They marveled at the clarity of His words and His teaching – just as they had done many times before. But suddenly their mood began to change. “Wait a minute, did Jesus just say that He is the Messiah?” someone asked. Then another added, “This is Jesus; He’s one of us. We’ve known Him since He was a child. He is Joseph’s son – the son of a poor carpenter. He can’t be the Messiah; the Messiah is a King!” One of His lifelong neighbors probably looked at the others and said, “The little house He grew up in is DEFINITELY not a palace fit for the Messiah!”
Then a few of the elders began to add, “There is no question that God has given Him the power to perform miracles. The stories are too widespread and too well known to refute. Jesus has healed many people. And now that He has come back home, we will experience some of those same miracles ourselves. If He healed people in Judea and even Samaria, can you just imagine what He is going to do right here in His hometown? But let’s not take this to the extreme! The Messiah? Jesus hasn’t even attended rabbinical school. He has no credentials. He was a good boy and a fair man, and there is no question that He is a captivating speaker and teacher – but the Messiah? From Nazareth?”
Jesus had known what they would say and how they would respond, long before He returned. “No prophet is accepted in his own hometown,”(3) He said in response to their reaction. Jesus had come to His own and His own received Him not.(4)
They rebuked Him,
they rose up against Him,
they rejected Him, and
they rebelled against Him with fury and frenzy.
So, what are the lessons we can learn from this journey back home? Let’s face it. Jesus had a purpose for everything He did – and that purpose includes us.
First – don’t miss the personal application as it relates to our own “acceptance” of Jesus. We must be ever so careful that we never allow our own “familiarity” with our Lord to cause us to miss out on what He wants to do in – and speak into – our lives. Sometimes, we allow our familiarity with Him – and His tenderness and grace – to cause us to lose sight of who He is – the Sovereign Almighty God! He knows all things, can do all things, and always knows what is best. He is not Aladdin’s genie at our beck and call. We must guard that we never reject Him for Who He is and miss the reality of what He desires for our lives.
Second – don’t miss the application as it relates to those who reject us. Jesus knew they were going to reject Him, but He still went to them. We must never avoid doing something He has told us to do out of fear of rejection. And He didn’t respond to their rejection by arguing with them or berating them. He never lost His composure. He spoke the Truth to them in love. Even when they attempted to do Him bodily harm, He didn’t retaliate – He turned and went away from them.
Imagine the Master’s heartbreak – even though He knew how they would react. Those He knew the best, rejected Him the most. Those He desired to bless the greatest, turned from Him with the greatest fury.
Jesus made the journey back home to tell His neighbors that the time of His favor had come. We, too, would do well to remember that His favor has come. No matter where He leads us in our journeys, we are to walk in His favor … bear witness to His favor … and walk in such a way that His favor is reflected through our lives.
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This post is adapted from Walking With The Master, chapter 11, entitled “A Journey Back Home.” This fourth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.
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(1) Luke 4:16-21, 29-30 (NLT)
When [Jesus] came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll containing the messages of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him, and He unrolled the scroll to the place where it says: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has appointed Me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come." He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at Him intently. Then He said, "This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!" …Jumping up, they mobbed Him and took Him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff, but He slipped away through the crowd and left them.
(2) Isaiah 61:1-2 (NLT)
(3) Luke 4:24 (NLT)
(4) John 1:11
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