Luke 4:16–30

Introduction

Luke 4:16–30: Jesus goes to his hometown of Nazareth. In the synagogue there, he reads from the book of the prophet Isaiah and tells the congregation that the prophecy has come true. The people are at first amazed but then become angry at his concluding words. They drag Jesus out of town, intending to kill him by throwing him over a cliff.

Today’s Key Verse: Luke 4:18a

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.”

Reading

¹⁶ Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures ¹⁷ and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written,

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed
¹⁹     and announce that the time has come
when the Lord will save his people.”

²⁰ Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, ²¹ as he said to them, “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”

²² They were all well impressed with him and marveled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, “Isn’t he the son of Joseph?”

²³ He said to them, “I am sure that you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You will also tell me to do here in my hometown the same things you heard were done in Capernaum. ²⁴ I tell you this,” Jesus added, “prophets are never welcomed in their hometown. ²⁵ Listen to me: it is true that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when there was no rain for three and a half years and a severe famine spread throughout the whole land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to anyone in Israel, but only to a widow living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many people suffering from a dreaded skin disease who lived in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha; yet not one of them was healed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with anger. ²⁹ They rose up, dragged Jesus out of town, and took him to the top of the hill on which their town was built. They meant to throw him over the cliff, ³⁰ but he walked through the middle of the crowd and went his way.

Reflect

Today’s reading is sometimes described as Jesus’s inaugural sermon. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 58:6 and 61:1–2 to frame his messianic mission. His references to the widow of Zarephath (verse 26, referring to 1 Kings 17:8–24) and to Naaman the Syrian (verse 27, referring to 2 Kings 5:1–14) show that his ministry will embrace marginalized persons and Gentiles. What does Jesus announce? How does the congregation react to his words? What angers them? Why? What do Jesus’s words in verses 18–19 mean to you?

Pray

Lord Jesus, you came announcing good news to the poor and that the time had come when you would save your people. Thank you for your liberating word and for your message of hope and salvation. Amen.

And now, join us in praying for unreached people in the Middle East whose lives are being transformed through Scripture. Sovereign God, we thank and praise you that your Word is bringing peace and comfort to people in the Middle East in dark times. Thanks to the faithful commitment of Bible-A-Month Partners, life-changing Bibles are being shared with unreached people in the Middle East, like those in prisons who have now become followers of Jesus Christ. We praise you, Lord God, that the light of your Word is reaching into the hearts of people and drawing them close to you. Amen.

Tomorrow’s Reading

Luke 4:31–44: Jesus goes to Capernaum and heals and preaches.