Luke 4:14-30
The beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus was met with complete rejection from his family and hometown.
After the temptations in the wilderness the Lord Jesus returned to the town where he grew up. In Nazareth he went to the synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah. He quoted a prophecy which was fulfilled that day in the Lord Jesus. He was and is the fulfillment of prophecy.
When he said that he was the fulfillment of bible prophecy they rebelled against him. They listened to the scriptures but they rejected the one who gave us the scriptures. This is still true today. Many people claim God's word and know scriptures but they do not know the Lord Jesus. They have religion but reject the living God standing before them.
What happened to the Lord Jesus happens to every man of God. Every man of God faces rejection and opposition. The rejection of the Lord Jesus was so violent they wanted to throw him off a cliff. The Lord Jesus walked through the midst of them and went his way.
What does this teach us? It is normal for the Christian to be rejected by unbelieving family, friends, relatives, and even entire churches. It is normal for Christians to be cast out and to be rejected by unbelievers. The most violent unbelievers are religious or intellectual unbelievers. Churches are filled with people who happily sit and listen to God's word read and to sermons but their hearts are filled with violence, murder, and unbelief. They worship self. They do not worship the living God. They reject the Lord Jesus Christ. If you stand for the Lord Jesus they will reject you and cast you out.
The Lord Jesus did not fight with them. He left them. He went his way. This is a lesson I am learning. Sometimes we just have to walk away. This is an important lesson for anyone who wants to follow the Lord Jesus with all of their heart. Sometimes we have to walk away from people. It is OK. Some people will never change. They will not listen to the word of God. They are filled with their own opinions and they worship themselves.
Jeremiah 15:19-21, "Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. 20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible."
Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he rose again on the third day. Everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus will be saved.
