Responding to Rejection

Jesus is essentially saying to his people in Nazareth they don't have faith of a Gentile widow living in Jezebel's hometown. She believed the prophet of God, and they will not now just imagine not, and that was going through this synagogue fine as long as you give them a force they like as long as you give them a person's to their rebellious partners will I don't think I like it, was probably excited to see people he knew from his childhood and revealed himself to his family and friends.

But the reaction to Jesus sermon was not positive. His hometown friends rejected. Have you ever experienced rejection from someone that you know and consider a friend stay with us today.

Stephen explores this account from the life of Jesus and teaches you some practical implications from it.

This is wisdom for the heart, and Stephen David has a message for you today call responding to rejection. I read about a young man been away from his hometown for some time after entering the ministry. When he returned home he was invited to preach and everybody just repack the house to hear what he decided to preach was so upsetting to them and and and frankly so convicting that when he finished his sermon, the entire congregation agreed they never wanted to hear him again and they never did let me show you where it happened. Luke's gospel chapter 4 the preacher is Jesus and he's about to preach his first sermon in his hometown, and it will be his last.

He will never return to preach again.

Keep in mind is returning begin at verse 14 that Jesus is now a household name. He's had a few months of ministries become rather famous actually that the Bible tells us here in chapter 4 in verse 14 and Jesus returned in the power of the spirit of the Galilean report about him without true all the surrounding country and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all get that being glorified. This is heady stuff, the verb being glorified means you're receiving a claim and in the 10,000 visits constant.

He's constantly being delivered with a claim and and applause. He if he were living in this day be in all the newspapers would be on the Billboard invited all the talk shows. Everybody is literally singing his praises. You gotta go here. You gotta go see M.amino we know by the way from other gospel accounts that Jesus is just finished the rather remarkable miraculous season of ministry in Capernaum at 20 miles away, and word has spread like wildfire back to Nazareth that he's heading there way you can. You get to sort of imagine. Now all 400 people in this little synagogue standing around the doorway windows to hear Jesus preach for 60 came to Nazareth where he been brought up, and as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read in the scrawl of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. When I told her that was the text for the day of this is what he asked for. I think he probably asked for this tax.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor that he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down in the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

Imagine no one is breathing now in typical fashion, the reader stand and read no more than three verses from the Hebrew scroll text, the verses would then be translated into Greek or Aramaic reps both depending on the audio following the reading, someone would be invited to speak it in a professional clergy as it were, perhaps, a rabbi from the village taught the children school. Obviously, because Jesus is being seated that indicates he's taking the seat of the teacher and in that day they stood to read and they set the prediction we often reverse number actually never given his sermon only.

This text I just read it and we are given.

His main point and then a couple of illustrations were told here in verse 21, he began to say to them today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. He positive it wasn't given an amazing exposition on this prophecy from from Isaiah and everybody loved it and and and and they were.

This is one of their favorite texts of Scripture.

This is one of their favorite prophecies from Isaiah. Notice here that they all spoke well of him there line.man this guy with a sermon that they're nudging each other.

Is there listening or whispering to each other you believe it is everybody's taking notes there on the edge of their seats, nobody's sleeping during the sermon that you got understand the Jewish people are loving this prophecy, and for good reason.

We look at all the things the Messiah is going to do when it comes in poverty is free everybody from oppression. He's going to give sight to the blind.

When the anointed one arrives at the messianic expression anointed Chris Doss Christ likes to get better. I this is utopia. It's it's going to arrive in Jesus.

Now makes this stunning announcement here that he is the one Isaiah is referring to the verse 21 again today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing you could translate this rather wooden leader read this Scripture is being fulfilled all while you are hearing me read it.

Wow, I am the anointed one.

I am the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah. I now know their thinking is all point out later this is great news because he's going to do all the stuff were his hometown.

He's going to start with us were at the front of the line, but this is going to be great. The problem is, this prophecy is his spiritual long before it becomes physical. When he arrives he arrives first to save sinners and then you are that glorious kingdom which he promised with by the way hasn't arrived yet for 2000 years and still in the future but right now Jesus says he is proclaiming good news to the poor word for poor health costs is the word he uses later in the sermon on the mountainside Reese's. Blessed are or is referring to those who are spiritually impoverished, those who recognize they are spiritually destitute. They are bankrupt. They have nothing to offer God blessed are they wife because they didn't receive the treasure of the gospel.

Jesus is on proclaiming liberty to the captives. This is more than releasing people from bondage or jail and that we don't know of any time he ever did that. He's he's essentially saying I'm here to release those enslaved to sin in the kingdom of darkness. He says I'm getting psyched of the blind perform those miracles but it's deeper than that Jesus will refer to religious leaders who were blind leading the blind. Matthew 1514 the blind are those who are spiritually dead or lost.

They need to be redeemed. Their eyes did you be open to the glorious gospel of Christ significance for four with back to the main point Jesus is the Messiah somebody pipes up in verse 22. Hold on a minute, you're Joseph's you're Joseph's little help to understand this. Mark adds to this event. The information that Mary's mother's in the audience and so are his four half-brothers and half-sisters born to Mary and Joseph after Jesus's virgin birth. Yet all family there. No doubt the extended family.

And remember, in addition that there there are friends he grew up with their their our client seek survey they knew his parents Joseph is imagined in Mark's gospel. He evidently is already passed away.

They remember Joseph they they were never Jesus tagged along and Ozzie comes along with this tools to repair a stone wall built in addition they remember Jesus read their minds and he and he does it because he is the Messiah and he says in verse 23 he said to them, doubtless you will quote to me this proverb you know they're already thinking physician heal yourself. Physician heal yourself. That's an expression was common to the Greek and Jewish writer. That means prove your worth as a as a physician I hear the Messiah do some about in fact embedded in this scholars believe business implication where Jesus is exposing their pride.

This could be expanded to mean physician heal your people all rather than those people in Capernaum.

What did you wait so long to get here notice. Further, verse 23 what we argued in Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well and he said truly I say to you know profit is acceptable in his hometown.

In other words, you won't take my word for it, you won't believe what I'm telling you is the truth you just want to show see these villagers want Jesus to prove his stuff.

They want some fireworks show us some amazing miracles were were your hometown through me were the people that you want to be dazzled you're from here start with office show us what you got. Mark's gospel account by the way we mentioned Jesus did no mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief.

He knew their heart is not about to put on a sideshow to impress his hometown audience and said he changes gears and he addresses their underlying rebellion against God's word.

Their unwillingness to listen to the prophet of God and he's is going to essentially say you're just like Israelites throughout history verse 25. What in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut out three years and six months in a great famine came over all the land and Elijah was sent to. None of them, but only to zeros in the land of Sidon dual woman who was a widow know what Jesus is going to do here is going to dip into Israel's history to a very dark time of a bond believe anything to get to illustration is read the Scripture is given his main point he illustrates it and this verse illustration takes us back out to summarize for the second time first Kings chapter 17 where you get this wicked king and queen name they had and his wife member her name tell me do you, Jezebel, most know of her. They were cruel. They were corrupt, they led the Israelites into idolatry in the worship of bail. In fact, Jezebel was the patron saint of bail is she's supported out of their own treasury 450 prophets of bail since bail was supposedly in control of the weather, God stopped it raining and will seize and control the weather and it didn't rain for over three years, God sent a prophet by the name of Elijah to confront Ahab, Jezebel, and the idolatrous nation of Israel, not during this drought when there were many needy people, widows, especially were destitute. God sends Elijah to help a Gentile widow living in 05. That happens to be the hometown of Jezebel.

So you have the prophet of God being sent to the worst place on the planet Mars got concern with the prophet God would be inserted into the most unlikely person to ever believe a prophet of God and misses the point. When Elijah encounters her you members. She's about to use her last remaining little bit of flour Crisco oil. She's got she's gonna make a little over bread to go if universal energies is going to die these as well is what I want to do believe my word I want you to give me that bread and if you will believe me, then you'll never run out of Crisco or flour until this drought so believe my word and then a miracle will occur.

Jesus is doing and this Gentile widow believes his word, she trusts his word and gives him the food and suddenly she's got plenty of flour. The last throughout this family. Jesus is essentially saying to these people in Nazareth tapped into the synagogue, they don't have faith of a Gentile, a pagan widow living in Jezebel's hometown that they can't even they can't get close to her faith. She believe the prophet of God, and they will not now just imagine the nudging and the whispering going through this synagogue. This is insulting. He's telling us we are sinners he he's telling us that that that we need a message where were told were not believing the word of God, how the world could he ever be so judgmental. This is the heart of unbelieving mankind whether there the first century or the 21st century there fine as long as you give them a first they like but as long as you give them a verse that cuts to their rebellious apartments will I don't think I like this guy anymore. Jesus is finished by the illustration number two verse 27 but there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian. Not getting what he does here is a fast-forward to take the second Kings chapter 5 this is the scene where you have this Gentile warrior okay that that's about as bad as it gets.

Because he probably killed Israelite he's from Syria. Avowed enemies of Israel despise Gentile enemy and a Syrian commander has the audacity to drive his chariot along with some other social builders into the land of promise in into Israel's land and approach the great prophet of Israel asking to be healed of leprosy. Doesn't he know that leprosy is a sign of sin doesn't he understand it's a sign of the judgment of God that he ought to be expecting from God is an enemy of God who does he think he is.

He has no right to the miraculous power of the prophet of God instead of turning away.

What happens the license as well since it was serving a message of the Jordan River. You immerse yourself in there seven times annual, clean while he he recoils against this why he doesn't want to do an humiliating he expects Elisha to come out and get away his hand in the air say something magical and sometimes spectacular show the power of the great general is healed. No, go, go into that muddy water and go under 7 Times Did Good Way and Naaman listen get Elisha wants him to trust his word before he sees anything miraculous. And if you will trust the word of the prophet of God. He's off to the right start.

In fact, notice the key word here. Verse 27 it's the word clean. Jesus doesn't say he was cured sure it is merely physical.

He uses the word plan is that word is in reference to the cleansing of sin and being made right with God's here area of Jesus saying in verse 27 none of the lepers in Israel were cleansed, the lowest of the low were not right with God. Only this pagan enemy of Israel who was was willing to believe the word of the prophet of God and again here's the point that the people in Nazareth immediately understood. Jesus is the prophet he saying I'm delivering to you the word of God but your refusing to believe.

Which means you're worse off than apostate Gentile enemies of Israel. Jesus is telling the synagogue keeping Jews. They are clean. While Gentiles who are willing to believe the prophet of God can be plans that even more specifically, he's daring to suggest that Gentiles are more worthy of his teaching and healing ministry than they are in Nazareth and that is like a nuclear bomb dropped in that synagogue. I mean editing wait for the final benediction. You know the closing song the erotic blessing to him is only a man's that exploded with self-righteous fury.

Verse 29 and they rose up and drove them out of town and brought him to the brow veil on which their town was built so that they could throw him down the cliff. Achille never mind the trial.

You need a trial court is little on Deuteronomy 13 in their hypocrisy to follow me don't need a child to kill a false prophet. Jesus is not a false prophet. All he did was preach a sermon from their favorite passage and apply it to their rebellious hearts rush forward and arrange to take his life was Jesus do now were told in the next verse, verse 30 passing through their mitts. He went his way. By the way, when you ridiculed for your faith.

When you rejected because you follow Christ suffering some way some injustice some ridicule, some the motion. Here's how to respond like Christ.

He gives us a model here worthy of imitation. We break it down into three thoughts first. Don't lose control. He passed through their midst were not. When I told if this was miraculous. There isn't any evidence that he disappeared. He could've, he will.

This verb here simply means he walked through more than likely at some point, is there rushing him up that hill. It's his bearing disposition more than likely he simply reveal dignity and control that they didn't have it silenced them.

Perhaps even shame just walked through. Secondly, don't lose heart. No, don't ignore this response by saying yellow that's Jesus.

That's how Jesus responds. That's what expect Jesus to through to still forget he's fully God and fully man is hurt. These are his friends. These are colleagues's families. These are the people he served. He never mistreated anybody never enraged and they want nothing more than to kill. How's that for your first sermon back home. It occurred to me if you'd asked Jesus later on our depletion, your hometown synagogue was packed. Did anybody respond, yet they all responded. They all came forward and ran down the it's possible to be hurt and not lose heart. We know that because Jesus is going to continue moving forward and that leads me to my final response to rejection. Third, don't lose sight don't lose sight notice again but passing through their midst, he wins, literally translated his way. The verb he went away means he pursued the journey which he had gone to Ted the test of the verb means he continually took that journey which means you could say he continued. From that moment. Continue on his way. The way he had all ready chosen to go that Jesus will announce a little later on the same chapter verse 43 I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well.

For I was sent for this purpose. He didn't lose sight and aren't we glad the most important thing we had offered our world is the gospel of Jesus Christ the truth that he really is the Messiah who can forgive and client's say the message you just heard here on wisdom for the hearts is called responding to rejection in a series called the ministry begins. If you'd like to hear this message again. Share it with a friend or listen to the full-length version we have it available on our website. Wisdom online.org. I encourage you to install our app to your phone so that you can quickly and easily access all of our Bible-based resources. Our desire is to equip you to know God's word and understand the implications for your life. Our app can help do that. That app contains the audio in the transcript of each of these daily Bible messages. We also make available the archive of Stephen's Bible teaching ministry with the full-length sermons arranged by book of the Bible you can follow along in our daily Bible reading plan and it's free to install and use and it's a great companion for your personal Bible study will thanks again for joining us today for so glad you were with us and I hope you will be with us for our next Bible lesson tomorrow right here on wisdom