Read Luke 4
Have you ever been rejected? It’s not a lot of fun is it? Most of us who have been around the block a few times can recall a time when we’ve been rejected. Maybe it was the rejection of someone you loved but he or she in the end did not reciprocate. Or maybe it’s been a job situation, and you’ve had a boss tell you it’s just not working out. While we may look back on such circumstances, and say we grew from them, and we may even see how God was working all things out for good, it doesn’t make it any less difficult when we go through them. When we look at our text today, we realize that we have a Savior who can identify with us. It depicts just one of many rejections Jesus would incur throughout His ministry. As is often the case Jesus pretty much lays it on the line with the home town folk of Nazareth. When He read from Isaiah and then said “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”, He was claiming His divinity and role as the Messiah. The people may not have fully understood this, but whatever they understood, at this point they were still pretty impressed with Jesus. I can easily see a family member or old friend on hand saying something like “Jesus sure has matured into a fine young man. He is so eloquent and speaks with such authority.”
Have you ever been rejected? It’s not a lot of fun is it? Most of us who have been around the block a few times can recall a time when we’ve been rejected. Maybe it was the rejection of someone you loved but he or she in the end did not reciprocate. Or maybe it’s been a job situation, and you’ve had a boss tell you it’s just not working out. While we may look back on such circumstances, and say we grew from them, and we may even see how God was working all things out for good, it doesn’t make it any less difficult when we go through them. When we look at our text today, we realize that we have a Savior who can identify with us. It depicts just one of many rejections Jesus would incur throughout His ministry. As is often the case Jesus pretty much lays it on the line with the home town folk of Nazareth. When He read from Isaiah and then said “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”, He was claiming His divinity and role as the Messiah. The people may not have fully understood this, but whatever they understood, at this point they were still pretty impressed with Jesus. I can easily see a family member or old friend on hand saying something like “Jesus sure has matured into a fine young man. He is so eloquent and speaks with such authority.”
But then Jesus couldn’t
leave well enough alone. Here’s what
Jesus essentially tells them next. He’s
pretty much says, “I know your praise is shallow. You’re going to want signs from me. I know you’ve heard about what I’ve been up
to outside of this town, but you’re not going to fully appreciate me for who I
am and what I’ve come to do.” And then
he uses the example of Elijah and Elisha, and He tells them that they were not
accepted by the Jewish people either. So
what did they do? They went to Gentiles;
and specifically speaking a woman widow and a leper. Jesus was placing these Gentile people at the
bottom of the social scale above unbelieving Jews. And it’s safe to say the home town folk
didn’t take that too well. When you
consider that they tried to drive Him off a cliff and kill Him, “rejected” may
be an understatement. What about
you? From that point to this day, we all
are given a choice. We can humbly accept
that we are in need of God’s love and grace, or we can reject His message like
those who rejected Jesus that day. I
would challenge you today to be accepters and not rejecters. Don’t drive Jesus out of your life and to
that metaphorical cliff. Accept His good
news message as Savior and Messiah.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, help me
to fully accept You, in every corner and crevice of my life. Thank you Lord Jesus that you didn’t reject
me, that you haven’t condemned me, and that you love me. Amen.
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