“In his home town”

Read Luke 4:22-30

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This visit to Nazareth took place later in Jesus’s ministry (Mt.13:53-58; Mk.6:1-6) but Luke places it early as it tells the reason why Jesus came (4:18-21). His rejection in his home village is also an appropriate story to set near the beginning, for the life of Jesus can be summed up by saying that he came to his own people and was rejected by them (John 1:10-11).

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Initially they all spoke well of him (22) but their praise of the local-boy-made-good quickly turned to offence at him (Mk.6:3) when they realised that he wasn’t going to put on a show of miracles for them so that they’d believe in him (23; cf. Mt.12:38-39; 16:1,4). Yet it was their very unbelief and outright rejection which limited what he could do there (Mk.6:5-6).

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Such rejection was in line with the typical response to prophets, as seen in the lives of Elijah and Elisha (25-27; 1 Kg.17:1,8-9; 2 Kg.5:1-14). Stories of God’s grace to foreigners should have encouraged them to open their eyes to see Jesus as others elsewhere were beginning to see him – the Messiah whose gracious words speak of salvation. Instead, they rejected him and tried to kill him (29-30). But his “time had not yet come” (Jn.8:20; 13:1).