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Luke 4:16-30, records an earlier rejection at Nazareth. It was early in His ministry, after His baptism and temptation by the Devil. He had to flee Jerusalem in fear of His life, He returned to Galilee by way of Samaria where He met the woman at the well, He then continued on through Samaria to Galilee to His home town of Nazareth where He was not accept by those who knew Him best.
This lesson, recorded in Matthew and Mark, we call His second rejection at Nazareth. Some believe that it is the same event, but most scholars believe that this is a second attempt on the part of Christ to bring salvation to His own people and that it occurred about a year after the first. Read all three and notice the similarity.
It is comforting to know that the Holy Spirit does continue to try to save us even after we have rejected Him, but certainly He will not always strive with us but we do have hope of a second chance in this lesson today.
After reading the account, we see that they treated Him very much the same this time as they did the last. This is hard to believe in light of all the wonders that He had done over the past year. It may have been excusable the first time for He, at that time, was relatively unknown, but by this time His identity was well established in Galilee and elsewhere as the Son of God. But they still could not get over the fact that He was a "home town boy".
Notice He did exactly as He had done before, He went to the Synagogue and taught. Now they were astonished at His wisdom but because they could not establish the origin of it, they could not accept it.
The people of Nazareth knew that He had little or no academic training, therefore, He certainly could not be considered a Teacher. "Where did this man get this wisdom", they asked? "Isn't this Joseph, the carpenter's, son?" "And isn't His mother a very common woman named Mary?" Matthew Henry believes that they said this in a very reproachful way as though it were a disgrace, as though men are measured by their parents social standing, a very poor measure indeed.
"Is He not the brother of James and Simon and Judas?" "And are not His sisters with us also?" What sin had possessed these people? Perhaps jealousy or pride. This "home town boy" who, in a few months, had achieved a great following, great acceptance, knowledge, wisdom and did so much good everywhere that He went, should they not have loved Him, perhaps even treated Him as a returning hero? No, they were offended at Him. But He understood this, "It is usually so," He said, "A Prophet is without honor in his own country." As the result of their ignorance and pride, they were the losers. His mission there was handicapped by their unbelief. Verse 58 says, "He did not do many works there."
So the lesson here for us is, if mighty works are not done in us, it is not for want of power or grace but rather for want of faith in us.
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