Luke 4:24-3024And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30But he passing through the midst of them went his way, (Luke 4:24‑30)
Jesus made it known to the people in the synogue that He was the One anointed by God to bring them all blessings, but they did not believe Him. These people were of the nation of Israel, and knew the history of their nation, and Jesus spoke to them of others like them, who had not believed God’s words told by His prophets:
He spoke of a time of famine when God sent His prophet to a poor woman of another land for food; her handful of meal and little oil were made to last until the famine was over, because she believed the words God told the prophet, and the people in Israel had not.
Then Jesus spoke also of Naaman, the captain of the army of Syria, who was a leper, and came to the prophet of God, and was cured, because he did as the prophet told him. Jesus said that there were many lepers in Israel at that time, but none of them were cured; they did not believe what God told the prophet, or ask to be healed.
The land of Syria is just north of Galilee, and the home of the poor woman in Sidon was also near, and the people of Nazareth who were listening to Jesus did not like to be reminded of the blessings to their neighbors, when their own people did not believe God. It was because they wanted to keep on in sinful ways that they did not believe, and the people of Nazareth did not want Jesus to save them.
They became so angry with Jesus that they took hold of Him and put Him out of the synagogue, and led Him to the top of the hill above the town, intending to push Him down the steep cliff. But Jesus passed through the angry crowd away from them, without their knowing, and went to another place.
How sad and awful for the people of His own town to so treat the One Who came to save them from their troubles l It is said the view of the mountains and country from the hill of Nazareth is very beautiful; but those people did not understand that they were refusing the Maker of all things about them, as also their Messiah.
We read that Jesus marvelled at their unbelief, and could do no mighty miracles there (Mark 6:7,67And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; (Mark 6:7)
6And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. (Mark 6:6)). There must have been many boys and girls in the synagogue, who that day heard the wonderful voice of Jesus, but the unbelief of the parents kept Him away from them. There are people now who do not believe Jesus was from God, and different from all others; they also do not believe God’s words, or that they need One to save them from their sins. Yet He will bless any who will let Him, as He did a few sick ones there, who must have been willing for Him to lay His hands in mercy upon them. So let us all listen to His words in the Bible and be certain for ourselves that He is our Saviour.
Notice that Elias is here used for Elijah and Eliseus for Elisha, as written in the Old Testament.
ML 12/17/1944