Jesus Rejected at Nazareth: The Mission of the Messiah (Part 1)

New King James Version:
Luke 4:16-21 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. (17) 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: (18) "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; (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." (20) 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. (21) And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Ang Bag-ong Testamento (Gihubad sa pinulongang Cebuano gikan sa Griego, by Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro):
Lukas 4:16-21 Ug siya mipauli ngadto sa Nazareth diin siya midaku ug sumala sa na-andan, misulod siya sa sinagoga sa adlaw nga igpapahulay ug mitindog siya aron mobasa. (17) Ug gihatag kaniya ang basahon ni Isaias nga manalagna ug sa pagbukas niya sa basahon iyang hingkitan ang dapit diin nasulat: (18) Ang Espiritu sa Ginoo nagpaibabaw kanako, busa gidihog ako niya aron magsangyaw sa maayong balita ngadto sa mga kabus, gipadala ako niya aron mag-ayo sa mga masulob-on, aron magmantala sa kagawasan sa mga bihag, aron ang mga buta makakita, ug paghatag ug kagawasan sa mga dinaug-daug; (19) Sa pagmantala sa tuig nga nahimut-an sa Ginoo. (20) Sa pagkatapus sa pag-lukot sa basahan, iyang gihatag sa sulogo-on ug milingkod siya; ug ang tanan nga didto sa sinagoga mitutok ngadto kaniya. (21) Ug misugod siya sa pagsulti kanila nga karon kining kasulatan natuman na pinaagi sa inyong pagpamati.

Speaking of beginnings, here is a bit of history. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. The family probably stayed there until the 40 days was over for Mary to offer for her purification ceremony and for Jesus to be presented in the temple. It could also be that days after giving birth they went back to Nazareth and came to Jerusalem after 40 days to perform the said ceremonial laws. Then in Luke 2:39 they returned to Nazareth. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. But when King Herod ordered that all male children aged two and under be killed (Mat. 2:16), the family escaped to Egypt. When Herod died, the family returned to Israel and lived in Nazareth. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, v. 16 where He had been brought up. He lived His childhood years there until the age 30, that is why He is called Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, Luke skipped some events in Jesus’ early ministry, the reason of which is beyond the scope of our study today. John the Beloved has supplied us with these missing events which is about nine months or a year in span. Jesus started His ministry by turning water into wine in a wedding celebration in Cana of Galilee (John 2:1), a little up north of Nazareth. After that, He went to Capernaum (John 2:12), in the northern part of the Sea of Galilee when He heard John the Baptist was put in prison (Mat. 4:12-13). He ministered there for a few days; He did some miracles as verse 23 in Luke 4 indicates. Because the Passover was near, Jesus went to south, to Judea and Jerusalem to minister there. This is where John recorded for us in chapters 1 to 3 of his gospel the events of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem and Judea.

In John 4:1-3 it says, Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (2) (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), (3) He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. This is the background of our passage today, of Jesus returning to Galilee. And let me read to you verse 14 of Luke 4, Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. He became and was well known because of the things, miracles He had done.

I. The Setting

So now He came back to Nazareth. By the way, the Galilean ministry lasts about one and a half year of Jesus' life and Luke's record of it started from chapter 4 through chapter 9. Our venue today is a synagogue. And the synagogues were the usual places where Jesus taught. Synagogues were gathering places. The original word means a gathering place, or a gathering. They were called by Philo "houses of instruction." The purpose was to go there and hear the Word of God explained.

Synagogues were established by the Jews after the first temple, Solomon’s temple, was destroyed, after the Babylonian captivity.

a. 10 men can start a synagogue

b. It is a place for worship, it’s also a place to study for children

c. Entrances faces to Jerusalem

d. Ruler, and other servants minister in a synagogue. The ruler of a synagogue is in-charge of keeping the synagogue and in assigning persons who will serve during a service. He also assigns and schedules teachers who will explain or give a sermon.

e. Torah is read, and then one from prophets is read

f. The custom was to stand when one reads the Scripture, and to sit down when teaching or giving a sermon.

II. The Message: He is the Messiah

1. The verses that Jesus read is Isaiah 61:1-2. "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; (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." After reading that portion of Scripture, Jesus then proceeded to give His exposition. That is the custom. Jesus gave a sermon and Luke only gave us the summary. We can say that because in verse 21 Luke wrote And He began to say to them, from the word began it means this is just the beginning or the summary of what was said.

2. And Jesus said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." What does He mean by that?

3. To answer that properly then we must understand Isaiah 61. And Isaiah 61 is a Messianic passage. It means it relates to the Messiah. It is a prophecy about the Messiah and His activity or mission. A prophecy of the anointing of the Messiah. Here, Isaiah prophetically speaks for the Messiah, and the Messiah announces that He is blessed and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord GOD.[ii]

4. So, when Jesus said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." He means to say that He is the Messiah. He is claiming as the Messiah who will and is fulfilling what is said in Isaiah 61. Walvoord, previous president of Dallas Theological Seminary said, When Jesus added, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” the implication was clear. Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah who could bring the kingdom of God which had been promised for so long.[iii]

5. So, this portion of the passage that Jesus read is used to identify the Messiah. Its purpose for being prophesied is so that people will know who the Messiah will be, and what He will do and accomplish when He arrives.

6. And Darrel Bock, an American scholar said, Jesus’ claim that “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” places both listeners and readers in the position of having to make a choice.[iv] Jesus already claimed that He is the Messiah. What is your response now? Do you accept Him now as your Messiah or will you continue to rely on your own goodness and/or religiosity for your salvation?

7. There are other preachers who teach and say that this is the mission of the church today. One of their biblical basis is Isaiah 61:1, the verse read by Jesus in our passage. Is this really the mission of the church as instructed by our Lord? (Liberation theology: a movement in Christian theology, developed mainly by Latin American Roman Catholics, that emphasizes liberation from social, political, and economic oppression as an anticipation of ultimate salvation (Oxford Dictionary). Liberation theology, religious movement arising in late 20th-century Roman Catholicism and centered in Latin America. It sought to apply religious faith by aiding the poor and oppressed through involvement in political and civic affairs. (Britannica Dictionary)

8. While we support social reform, it is not the mission of the church. The salvation that the church proclaims is not salvation from economic poverty, political oppression, or social injustice.

9. Let us remember that the Lord commissioned His believers, that includes us, the church, in Matthew 28:19, and Acts 1:8. Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Also, Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. That is our only mission. We are witnesses to Jesus, what He has done, what He has accomplished and what He can do if we entrust our lives to Him. We witness that it is Jesus who can give true freedom. We proclaim that only Jesus can make us whole, who can release us from all forms of poverty and bondage. He is the one who will save us from God’s judgement if we make Him our Savior. Matthew 16:26 says, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

10. Dr. Isidro said, Isaiah 61:1 is an activity only for the Lord as a proof of His Messiahship[v]. It is a Messianic passage that describes the Messiah and his work. The Messiah will do that to show and prove that He is God’s anointed.

11. Lastly, another proof that this text was used to identify Jesus as the Messiah is when John the Baptist was in prison, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether He was really the Messiah. Let us read how Jesus answered in Matthew 11:2-6. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples (3) and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (4) Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (5) "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (6) "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

12. Jesus could have answered by saying “yes.” But what He told John’s disciples was more than a positive answer. He showed them that His works fulfilled what the ancient prophesies about the Messiah would do. Jesus told them to relay to John what they have heard and seen what was accomplished by Jesus. Jesus in a way was saying, “I am fulfilling the ancient prophecies that the Messiah should accomplish. Through my ministry the blind see, the sick are healed, the gospel is preached to the poor. These prophecies speak about me and my works. I am accomplishing these things so you will know that I am the Messiah.”

Conclusion

Jesus has claimed that He is the Messiah. His works and accomplishments proved His claim. The Messiah, God’s anointed, the Savior of the world, has made himself known. Will you now accept Him to be your Savior and Lord. But then again, as Simeon and the Old Testament prophets prophesied, many will rise and fall because of Jesus, many will oppose Him. Your decision about Jesus will determine your eternal destination. May the Holy Spirit remove your doubts about Jesus and give you faith to believe in Him. Amen.

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[i] Alfred Edersheim (1965). The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (p. 457). Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

[ii] David Guzik (2014). David Guzik's Enduring Word Commentary.

[iii] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge Commentary: An exposition of the scriptures (2:214). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[iv] Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke. The IVP New Testament commentary series (Lk 4:16). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

[v] Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro (2003, 2005). Isidro Annotated New Testament.