Luke 4:24 – March 8, 2021

And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Luke 4:24 NABRE           

Jesus returns to his hometown, announces a year of the Lord and the prophecy of the Anointed One is fulfilled in His presence. The locals are thinking this is Jesus the carpenter’s son, what heresy is He speaking. Jesus recognizes they think He is a false prophet. In a jubilee year the focus is on being acceptable to the Lord, forgiving, helping and caring for others; by law. Now Jesus is discovering He has become the unacceptable one by the people. In later verses we read that the people consider Him a false prophet who must die. So they seek to hurt Him by throwing Him down the brow of a hill. How appropriate, the Son of God coming to die for humanity is killed by His own community, the people who saw Him grow up. But, Jesus is not supposed to die here or in this manner and so He passed through their midst untouched. Luke uses this passage as Jesus mission statement, who He has come for, the blind, the poor, the oppressed, the imprisoned, even reaching out to the Gentiles and for His trouble He becomes oppressed and persecuted Himself. This is the beginning of His ministry, He will tell us near the end of His ministry that if we do for the least we are doing for Him. Following Him means we have to be among those least seen by society.

For me personally the moments I feel closest to Jesus are those moments when I am the one oppressed or persecuted, even thought of as unacceptable. Jesus could have been someone of great power demanding all prostrate themselves to Him, but in reality He is like those He desires most to help. We should be like Him. 

When are you closest to Jesus? When have you been oppressed or persecuted?

Jesus could have been someone of great power demanding all prostrate themselves to Him, but in reality He is like those He desires most to help. We should be like Him. Click To Tweet

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