No prophet is accepted in his own country

The details of this section are sandwiched between two statements regarding the Lord teaching and preaching in the synagogues of Galilee, vv. 15, 44. Within that general framework, Luke mentions four specific places to which He went. We will consider the differing responses to His presence in each place.

Firstly, v. 16, ‘he came to Nazareth’, where He read in the synagogue from Isaiah chapter 61 verses 1 and 2, telling of the great works that the Messiah would do, and of the words He would declare. He read what Isaiah wrote of Him preaching ‘the acceptable year of the Lord’, v. 19 - a time of blessing - but not the following phrase, ‘the day of vengeance of our God’ - a time of judgement. His comment, ‘this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears’, v. 21, shows that His first coming was to bless; His second will be to judge. Nevertheless, the people violently refused both His words and His blessings.

Those who met Him in the other three places happily contrast with those who were angry with Him in Nazareth. In the synagogue at Capernaum, v. 33, the response to His releasing of the demon-possessed man is one of acknowledgment of Him, vv. 36, 37 - so different from ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’, v. 22, by which the inhabitants of Nazareth belittled Him.

Then He went to Simon Peter’s home, v. 38, and He healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and many others. Her appreciation of Him is seen in the willingness with which ‘she arose and ministered unto them’, v. 39. How unlike the people of Nazareth, who felt He was not doing enough to minister unto them! v. 23.

Finally, we see him going into the desert, v. 42, where the people went after Him and appealed to Him to return to them - in marked contrast to the citizens of Nazareth, who ‘thrust Him out of the city’, and would have killed Him, vv. 28-30.

Thus, while the residents of Nazareth fulfilled the Lord’s words to them, ‘No prophet is accepted in his own country’, v. 24, happily, there were those elsewhere who welcomed Him gladly. As the Lord indicated in the references to the times of Elijah and Elisha, vv. 25-27, the great blessings of His ministry have extended even to us, who have received Him.