Luke
4:14-30
Lesson 111
4:14-30
Lesson 111
Luke 4:14-30
Jesus is dragged to a cliff 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And 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 for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. 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 hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? 23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. 24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way, |
Margin notes:
"Returned... into Galilee." (4:14) - Jesus left Judea for Galilee after John the Baptist was arrested (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14). Glorified of all." (4:15) - "Praised by all." "As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day." (4:16) - It was Jesus' "custom" to attend services on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). "Stood up for to read." (4:16) - It was common practice to invite out of town visitors to read Scripture or teach in the synagogue. Later, Paul will take great advantage of this custom (Acts 13:5; 14:1). "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..." (4:18) - In verses 4:18-19, Jesus is quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, an amazing seven-hundred-year-old prophecy about the coming Messiah. Jesus is telling the synagogue that He is the fulfillment of that prophecy (4:21). "Preach deliverance to the captives." (4:18) - "Preach that captives will be freed." "Set at liberty them that are bruised." (4:18) - "Set free those who are oppressed." "Sat down." (4:20) - Priests stood while reading Scripture in the synagogue (except the book of Esther at the feast of Purim) and sat while teaching it. "This day is this scripture fulfilled." (4:21) - See "Today's Question" below. "All bare him witness." (4:22) - "All spoke well of Jesus." "Do also here in thy country." (4:23) - "Do it also here in your hometown." "Verily." (4:24) - "Truly." "No prophet is accepted in his own country." (4:24) - Jesus will also teach other people (Gentiles). "Elias." (4:25) - Elias (Greek for Elijah) is perhaps the most famous of Israel's prophets, for no other is mentioned as often in the New Testament. Elijah came from Tishbeh in Gilead, was devoutly religious, and prepared Israel to accept God. After the breakup of King David's Israel in 931 BC, Elijah preached against the growing paganism and idol worship under King Ahab and his gentile wife, Jezebel. As Jews turned away from God, Elijah called on Israel to repent of its sins. Followers of the pagan god Baal and his wife Ashtoreth sacrificed infants and placed their remains in jars. Elias brought these murderers to justice (I Kings 18:40). He was given the power to perform miracles (2 Kings 1:9-14; 2:8) and caused the rain to stop for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17). Elias ascended into heaven without dying in "a chariot of fire" (2 Kings 2:11) and stood with Moses at Jesus' side during the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-8). Over four hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Old Testament promised that Elias would return just before "the day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5-6). To learn more about Elias, see 1 Kings 17:1-20, 1 Kings 18:1-46 and 2 Kings 1-2. "Save." (4:26) - Means, "except." "A woman that was a widow." (4:26) - Refers to the widow of 1 Kings 17:9-15, a Gentile, not a Jew. "Eliseus." (4:27) - The Greek name for Elisha, a prophet recruited by Elijah (1 Kings 19:19-21). After witnessing Elijah's ascension into heaven, Elisha became his successor (2 Kings 2:14-15). He performed many miracles including resurrecting the young son of one his followers (2 Kings 4:32), and healing Naaman's, the captain of the Syrian army, leprosy (2 Kings 5:14). Even after death, contact with his bones revived the dead (2 Kings 13:20-21). "Naaman." (4:27) - The chief captain of Benhadad, the king of Syria. Naaman was "a great man," "and honourable," "but he was a leper" ( 2 Kings 5:1-14). Although many Jews were infected with leprosy, it was only Naaman (a Gentile) who was cured by God via the prophet Elisha. Elisha instructed Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times to rid himself of leprosy. Reluctant at first, Naaman finally followed Elisha's instructions and was healed. Jesus took this "as predictive that He himself would also be sent to other nations {Gentiles}" (Luke 4:25-27). ("Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 203). "Heaven was shut up." (4:27) - The Israelites began worshipping the pagan god Baal and were punished with a three and a half year drought. "Filled with wrath." (4:28) - The Nazarenes were angry at Jesus' for saying that God's favor might be given to Gentiles and not Jews. "That they might cast him down headlong." (4:30) - The people of Nazareth wanted to throw the Messiah from a cliff. |