July 19, 2010
ARE WE LISTENING?
Luke 4:14-30
Ann Silva
Central Truth
God's Word is truth. Do we have open hearts and listening ears to receive His message?
Key Verse | Luke 4:28
"And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things." (Luke 4:28)
Luke 4:14-30
Jesus Begins His Ministry
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers 1 4:27 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.
Dive Deeper | Luke 4:14-30
As I read this passage, I am amazed at two things. First, it would have been awesome to have been in that synagogue when Jesus stood up and read Isaiah’s words. Those words had been written centuries earlier to announce the coming Messiah, the Savior of the world. Wow! This was all planned out ages before it happened. Way back, even before the garden of Eden, God knew we would need a Savior, and He had a plan! Was there anyone in the synagogue that day who understood who Jesus was?
The second thing that amazes me is how quickly the crowd turned on Jesus. One minute they are praising His gracious words, and the next they are trying to drive Him out of town and throw Him off a cliff. Why? Were they crazy? Maybe. But one thing I do know, their hearts were not open to His message, the truth.
How many times in a week, or even in a day, is my heart not open to God’s truth? I should be asking (praying) every morning that the Lord would give me a soft heart to hear His Word, whether it comes through reading the Bible, being quiet in prayer, or through other people. Many times, I see only what I want to see. I sometimes (okay, many times) desire my will above His, and, when His plan looks different than mine, I become angry and frustrated. Lord, please take off my blinders and give me a heart like Yours.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6). Had those in the synagogue understood that truth, their reaction would have been dramatically different. Let’s not make the same mistake. Ask the Lord to open your heart, eyes, and ears to what He wants to reveal to you today!
Discussion Questions
1. Are you praying each morning that you would be open to His truth?
2. Are you spending time in His Word to even know His truth?
3. Do you react with anger if you hear a word from God that pulls you from your preferred path?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Reread verses 17-21. Check the cross references in your Bible. They tell you where else this Scripture can be found.
2. Go read Isaiah 61:1-2. What does Luke 4:17 tell you? Isaiah was a prophet that would tell the people of things to come.
3. What does Jesus say in verse 21? Think about what it must have been like to have heard those words your whole life and then to hear Jesus say that those words are about Him!! Would you have believed Him? Do you believe Him now? If not, why not?