UNRECOGNIZABLE

Luke 4:23-30

Truth walks into Nazareth and He’s unrecognizable. Jesus comes to His hometown to announce His ministry and they reject Him. Even more, they try to kill Him!

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

He could have let them throw Him off the cliff. Get up unscathed and come back and try again. He doesn’t. He just walks away.

To say Jesus’ preaching in their synagogue was not well received is an understatement. This rejection of Jesus goes down in history as one of the worst reactions to a sermon any preacher ever experienced!

Jesus warned them of the consequences of their rejection. This made things even worse. Luke says – all the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

What prejudice vaccinated them against the truth? Was it certain religious pre-conceptions?

Certainly, the fact it was Jesus’ hometown played into their reaction. Jesus says – I tell you the truth…no prophet is accepted in His hometown.

Are we missing something too? Is it possible our beliefs about Jesus prevent us from understanding His message in its fullness?

Has the primary Christian perspective of Jesus as a Savior kept us from recognizing Him as our daily Teacher? Have we settled for church membership rather than becoming His serious students?

It’s true. Jesus has come to save us in heaven someday. But do we recognize this truth has also come to our town? He offers - as our Teacher - to save us from the persons we will certainly become in this life without Him. He wants to change our hearts!