JANUARY 24, 2010  SERMON ARCHIVE

Last Sunday we heard the first sermon of Jesus that Luke recorded and it was in His hometown of Nazareth. On that occasion the Incarnate Son of God announced that He was the Messiah the prophets had promised. He was the Christ of God -the Anointed One sent "to preach Good News to the poor, ... to proclaim release to the captives ... to set at liberty those who are oppressed ... to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Today, we read in Luke 4, Jesus "closed the Book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." The announcement was proclaimed in this synagogue sermon in Nazareth of Galilee. The ears of all heard the Word. So what was going on in the minds of those kinsmen? The eyes of all were watching the Word as He remained seated and they remained in His Presence. What were they waiting for?

"And He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to Me this proverb, "Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard You did at Capernaum, do here also in Your own country."' And He said, ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.'"

That’s when the chatter began among the members in the congregation who were listening to the sermon, chattering that might have sounded very much like this: "Uhh, say, those were wonderful words that the Prophet Isaiah wrote centuries ago and we have longed for their accomplishment."

"Such gracious words came to our ears. Jesus certainly knows how to read well and His voice has a certain authoritative aspect to it. He spoke of the Scripture being fulfilled in our hearing and His words made it sound as if He were saying that He is the Messiah."

"In fact, this whole business is a bit confusing for it is as if He wanted us to believe that He is the Christ. But isn't this Joseph's son -one of us? Where is Jesus coming from?"

"Is not this Joseph's son?" The question rolled off the tongue so easily. Is not this a simple man only? Is not this Joseph's son?"

"Well, just look at Him. Isn't He a normal looking human being just like any one of us? Oh, sure, there certainly are those various reports of His activities in Capernaum where He is purported to have said marvelous words and done wonderful deeds."

"But here and now, He has spoken and I want to see what He will do. I am bewildered. I will wait and see what Joseph's son is going to do. I know what I heard; but after all, seeing is believing."

Dear friends in Christ. You know that seeing is not believing, right? You know that seeing is only seeing. Indeed, as Scripture declares: "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). "Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ" (Romans 10:17).

The people had just heard the teaching, but they wanted a miracle done in their midst. Jesus came to announce that the promised salvation was at hand, but the people waited for a miracle because, for them, the spoken Word was not enough.

John records in John 1:10-11, "Jesus was in the world, and the world was made by Him, yet the world knew Him not. He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not"

The people waited. His own people waited to see what He would do. Would Jesus perform a miracle in their midst? In worldly expectation, all eyes were trained on the miracle man

Instead, Jesus "said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to Me this proverb, "Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard You did at Capernaum, do here also in Your own country."'"

What a disappointment this Jesus was for those who were seeking a spectacular display that would dazzle the eyes. But those people were like King Herod, as Luke records, "who had heard about (Jesus) Him, and was hoping to see some sign done by Him" (Luke 23:8). His own people of Nazareth waited to see what Jesus would do. Would He perform a miracle in their midst?

"And He said, ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.'"

This was a scathing declaration of the truth. The prophets of God had been sent to God's people and the prophets had been rejected by the very people who should have received them and for whom the Good News had been intended.

Oh to be sure, there were plenty of lepers and widows in the Promised Land at the time, but the manifest unbelief of the wretched people of God and their rejection of the prophetic Word resulted in a blanket consequence ... none of the Hebrew widows were helped and none of the Israelite lepers were cleansed.

"When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down headlong."

Those who, a moment earlier, had spoken "well of Him and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth" now shouted words of anger at the Law that showed them their sin and that always accuses the Old Adam.

Wonder gave way to indignation; marvel was supplanted by rage; And filled with the wrath of man "they rose up and put Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down headlong."

But think for a moment. What was Jesus guilty of and what had He done wrong?

He neither spoken nor taught any false doctrine for which they might evict Him from His home, put moving boxes in the front yard and send Him packing.

He engaged in no manifest sin that would disqualify Him from serving as the Shepherd of His people.

There was no dereliction of duty and no physical or mental injury, illness or condition that prevented Him from doing what He had been sent to do.

So, what had He done?

He told them the truth in order that they might repent of their sin and be forgiven. But those people of that congregation would have none of this and they rose up to kill Him.

This little synagogue of Satan became a courageous little church that would first throw Jesus out of the congregation and secondly, toss him over the city cliff. There in that place rose up both empowered laymen who chafed at said preaching and ecclesiastical officials who acted contrary to the inerrant Word.

But dear people, listen carefully and in the proper fear of God: that which sinful man and rebellious men seek most earnestly, they often receive. They removed Jesus from the building and indeed, Jesus was no longer in the building. Think about that. Think about that long and hard.

They wanted Jesus out and away from them. As a result "passing through the midst of them He went away." They were offended at His Presence among them and so, in an awful judgment against unbelief and wrathful hands raised against God, the LORD was no longer Present in the place where they congregate and no longer among them.

When Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away, those in Nazareth could no longer say "‘Emmanuel' that is, ‘God with us'."

Where was Jesus? Yes, Jesus, the One as John records in Revelation 2:1, "Who holds the seven stars in His right hand, Who walks among the seven golden lampstands". He removed Himself from among them and "passing through the midst of them He went away."

He left them and He walked away.

Dear friends, it is written in Luke chapter 13 that Jesus said, "I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem"

It would be in Jerusalem, not Nazareth, where the crowd would again raise up their voices in anger and wrath, "demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified" And it was in Jerusalem, not Nazareth where Jesus would permit it to take place. The mob would once again lead Jesus outside the city, not up Nazareth's hill to throw Him off the cliff, but rather, to Golgotha's cursed ground in order to crucify and kill "the Author of Life."

There did Jesus the Christ -the Son of God and the Son of Mary -offer Himself as the atoning Sacrifice "for the sins of the whole world." There outside Jerusalem Jesus paid the price for every sin of every one ...

for you children and you parents, for Jews and Gentiles, for Nazarenes and Lutherans, for slaves and masters, for synodical officials and missionaries, for male and female, for pastors and parishioners, for congregational bullies and pharisees, for those near and those far away ... and He rose again from the dead in victory of your sin, your death and the devil. He ascended into heaven. The LORD did all of this in order...

That you might repent of your sins, that you might hear this Good News of Christ's death on your behalf, that you might trust in Jesus and be in the Presence of the LORD God Almighty in eternal Paradise when you are called from this vale of tears, that right here and now you might believe "Immanuel" and hear Him say:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Once again, dearly beloved, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Christ is Risen.