So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. (Luke 4:28-30)
Over the years, I’ve preached hundreds of sermons in many different places and situations. After preaching, I have had various responses. Sometimes people are grateful, sometimes indifferent, and occasionally disappointed.
In all my years of preaching, I’ve never had a congregation try to murder me after the sermon, but that is what happened to Jesus when He preached in His hometown, Nazareth.
Luke 4 explains that when Jesus came to the synagogue in Nazareth, He read from Isaiah 61:1-2. Jesus used that beautiful passage to explain His ministry. Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to give recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty the oppressed. Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2, and He said so.
You might think that this would make the people of Jesus’ hometown happy and proud. Strangely, they became angry and demanded Jesus do some of the spectacular miracles He had done in other places. Jesus reminded them that God was free to do His work how, where, and among whom it pleased Him.
In response, the people of Nazareth were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city. This was quite a response to a sermon. They were angry to be told that there was something wrong with them, that their request for a miracle was denied, and that Jesus reminded that God was also free to show His love to Gentiles.
They did more than kick Jesus out of town, they also tried to throw Him down over the cliff. Pushing someone off a small cliff was often the first step in the practice of stoning. Once the victim fell, they were showered with rocks until dead.
How did Jesus get out of this? Jesus simply went His way and did so passing through the midst of them. They wanted a miracle, and Jesus did an unexpected one right in front of them, escaping miraculously. In this situation, Jesus could have backed off the cliff and been rescued by angels – as Satan suggested in the third temptation (Luke 4:9-13). Instead, Jesus chose a more normal miracle, if there is such a thing.
In all this, we see that Jesus didn’t primarily seek to please His audience, and He didn’t use their approval as the measure of His success. Luke here set the tone for the whole story of Jesus’ life. Jesus came, sinless, speaking the truth, and doing nothing but good for everyone – and they wanted to kill Him.
Don’t reject Jesus just because He tells you things you would rather not hear.
Click here for David’s commentary on Luke 4
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