The Rejection at Nazareth

Today's Reflections

The Rejection at Nazareth

http://graceandspace.org

Lk 4:16-30

¹⁶[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read ¹⁷and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:/ ¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,/ because he has anointed me/ to bring glad tidings to the poor./ He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives/ and recovery of sight to the blind,/ to let the oppressed go free,/ ¹⁹and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”/ ²⁰Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. ²¹He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” ²³He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’ ” ²⁴And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. ²⁵Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. ²⁶It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. ²⁷Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. ²⁹They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. ³⁰But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Reflection:

Isn’t this the son of Joseph? There are two reactions in the Gospel. The first is admiration. Jesus has proclaimed his mission statement. He comes to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. Initially, the people of Nazareth speak highly of Jesus and are amazed.

However, the second reaction is rejection. Some question Jesus’ background. Since Jesus is too familiar to them, they pressure him to do in his native place the things that they have heard he did in Capernaum. Jesus declares he will favor only the people whom he intends to.

How do we relate to important figures

if we know their background?