I hope you are not like the people you are going to hear about today!
These people knew the family Jesus belonged to. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. "All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips." 1*. What wonderful things He was claiming to do - preach good news, free prisoners, make the blind to see, release the oppressed, and make known God's kindness to men. 2*.
Jesus said to them: "Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: `Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your own hometown what we have heard you did in Capernaum' 3*.
But Jesus did no miracles among them! Instead He told them two short stories from the Bible which they did not like because they believed that it was their religion guaranteed God's favour upon them.
Jesus first reminded them, "Elijah was not sent to any of (their religion)" at the time when God miraculously provided for some during a terrible famine. Instead God chose to bless a widow from Zaraphath, a "foreigner", who showed she had simple faith in God.
Jesus next short made them even more angry!
"There were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet none of them was cleansed - only Naaman the Syrian." 4*.
"All the people in the Synagogue were furious when they heard this." 5*.
They really believed that because of their religion, their sacraments, and their good works that they could be sure of God's acceptance and favour. Not so! These true stories told by Jesus prove that God looks for those who will personally trust in Him. So, today God is looking for those who will trust Jesus as their only Lord and Saviour. 6*. But this truth is not accepted by most people!
What about YOU? Are you hoping that your religion will save you in the end? It won't be able to because it can't! Jesus is the only Saviour, and only those who put their whole trust in Him will be saved. 7*.
These religious people in Nazareth rejected Jesus and the things He taught from Bible! They "got up and drove Him out of the town, and took Him to the brow of a hill on which the town was built in order to throw Him down the cliff." 8*.
Instead of destroying Him, they were destroying themselves by rejecting their only hope of being saved from God's wrath! 9*. "Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on His way." 10*.
How terrible it is when God gives up on those who refuse to believe the truth of His Word. He leaves them to go on thinking their own way is right instead of what God has said in His Word, the Holy Bible. 11*. All those who continue to reject Jesus and His Word leave God with no choice but to put them away from Him forever on the judgement day - away into Hell!12*.
Don't YOU reject Jesus as your only Priest and Saviour. By faith put your trust in Him NOW!
You can read about this unrepentant crowd in Luke's Gospel chapter 4, verses 22-30.
Bye for now, John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Luke 4:16,22.
2 Luke 4:16-21.
3 Luke 4:23.
4 Luke 4:27.
5 Luke 4:28.
6 Titus 3:4-7.
7 Acts 4:12.
8 Luke 4:29.
9 John 3:36.
10 Luke 4:30.
11 Proverbs 14:12. Romans 1:24,26,28.
12Matthew 25:41.