IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Jesus Rejected in His Hometown

Date: Mar. 11, 2023

Passage

Luke 4:14-30 (ESV)

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18   “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 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 in your hometown as well.’” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 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.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 4:18

  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Jesus visited his hometown Nazareth. In the synagogue, he read Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah’s mission: He would proclaim the good news to the poor, freedom for the captives and sight to the blind; His coming would be the year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy. He is the Messiah. He frees us from sin and opens our spiritual eyes. He brings us God’s great favor.

The initial response of people in Nazareth was positive. But because of their familiarity with him, the poor carpenter’s son, they became hard- hearted to him. They could not believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus taught them that the Prophets Elijah and Elisha could not help the unbelieving Israelites but blessed only Gentiles who had faith in God. As the Israelites had tried to put their prophets to death, so did Jesus’ hometown people. Like the saying “Familiarity breeds contempt,” they saw Jesus humanly and rejected their Messiah. We are to live by faith in God like the widow of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian, not by human thinking.

Prayer: Prayer: Lord, renew my heart and spirit and help me to proclaim the good news in the power of the Spirit.

One Word: One Word: The Lord’s favor comes through faith

Daily Bread

Isaac Obeys God and Stays in the Land

Genesis 26:1-35

Key Verse: 26:6

Isaac and Abimelech

So Isaac settled in Gerar.

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