Christ Church Daily Devotion July 3 2024

Jesus returns to Galilee and teaches in synagogues, receiving praise. In Nazareth, he reads from Isaiah, proclaiming his mission to bring good news to the poor, release to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. The people speak well of him until he compares himself to Elijah and Elisha, who helped Gentiles. This angers the people, and they try to throw him off a cliff. Jesus escapes and continues his mission. The passage highlights Jesus' purpose and challenges listeners to join in his mission. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for July 3rd, 2024. Today we will be reading from Luke, chapter 4, verses 14 through 30. Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. He began to teach in their synagogues, and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. As was his custom, he stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, Is this not Joseph's son? He said to them, Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, Doctor, cure yourself, and you will say, Do you hear also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum? And he said, Truly, I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah. When the heavens was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land. Yet, Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many with a skin disease in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha. And none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. When they heard this, all the synagogues were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. This has been one of my favorite scripture passages through the years. Every time I read it, I gain new insights. I have most often described verses 16-20 as the divine purpose of Jesus' mission and ministry during his time on earth. Within these verses, Jesus is reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. He is declaring who he is and who he came to be. I believe he is also calling on listeners of his day and for us today to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. In this dramatic scene, Jesus goes from being praised to being threatened in Luke 2.34. Simeon foretells of the people's rejection of Jesus. Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, in his commentary of the Gospel of Luke, writes, The provocation is given by the comparison of Jesus' ministry to that of Elijah and Elisha. The stories are bound together only by the fact that in both the prophetic visitation was extended to Gentiles, outside the boundaries of the people of Israel. Jesus knew that he was sent to bring salvation and healing to the people of all nations. In here, he was announcing that. This is believed to be the cause for such strong reaction and fury of the people. I believe Jesus was calling the people inside the temple back to their purpose too. It will later, in Luke 19.41-46, when Jesus weeps over Jerusalem and drives the merchants from the temple. Jesus quotes the Old Testament book of Isaiah again and says, It is written, Yes, Jesus is the Messiah for all the people. He was sent by God unto the people who felt they had been outcast, forgotten and abandoned by the people on the inside of the temple. Jesus calls us to follow in his mission and ministry too. Your personal worship option today? Read the verses of Luke 4, 16-20 again. Perhaps you need to hear that God understands everything you are going through during this season of your life and offers hope through Jesus Christ. Perhaps these verses speak to you as a calling for a renewal of God's mission and ministry for you in Christ's name.