In contrast to most people, the inhabitants of Jesus' hometown did not praise Him. When Jesus began to speak of God extending salvation to the Gentiles, a particular interest of Luke's, the Jews there opposed Him violently. Perhaps Luke meant this incident to represent a classic case of rejection in which Nazareth symbolizes all Israel.154He may also have intended that it become a paradigm of the church's ministry as well as Jesus' ministry.155
Many students of the Synoptics take this pericope as parallel to Matthew 13:53-58 and Mark 6:1-6. However, the differences between Luke's account and that of Matthew and Mark seem to indicate two separate incidents. Luke's incident probably occurred early in Jesus' Galilean ministry whereas the one that Matthew and Mark recorded happened later.
4:16-17 Luke reminded his readers that Jesus had grown up in Nazareth where this incident transpired. He also drew attention to Jesus' piety by noting His regular habit of attending synagogue services, probably to teach. The synagogue ruler may have asked Him to read the Scriptures since Jesus was a popular teacher. Customarily teachers stood to read the Scriptures and then sat down to expound them.156No one knows for sure if someone asked Him to read this particular passage or if He chose to do so, but the context favors the second alternative by stressing Jesus' initiative.
4:18-19 The passage Jesus read was Isaiah 61:1-2a (cf. Isa. 58:6). This passage prophesied the mission of Messiah. It is appropriate that Jesus should have read it at the beginning of His ministry and that Luke should have recorded it here. As the Servant of the Lord, which the context of the Isaiah passage contributes, Messiah would possess the Spirit. He would also be the bearer of good news (1:19; cf. Deut. 18:18; Isa. 40:9; 41:27; 52:7). Luke highlighted Jesus' prophetic ministry of proclamation (v. 24; 7:16, 39; 9:8, 19; 13:33; 24:19). Moreover Messiah would bring release to the oppressed (cf. 7:22).
The reference to the favorable year of the Lord is an allusion to the year of jubilee when all the enslaved in Israel received their freedom (Lev. 25). It points to the messianic kingdom but is more general and includes God's favor on individual Gentiles as well as on Israel nationally.
Jesus stopped reading before He read the words "and the day of vengeance of our God"in Isaiah 61:2b. This is a reference to the Tribulation among other judgments. The omission highlights the gracious nature of Messiah's ministry then compared with its judgmental character in the future.157
4:20 Probably Luke narrated these events step by step because his Gentile readers would have been unfamiliar with synagogue worship. His description also heightens the sense of anticipation in the story. The people present were alert and expectant waiting to hear Jesus' comments on the passage.
4:21 When He announced the fulfillment of this passage, Jesus revealed that He was the predicted Messiah and that the time for God's gracious deliverance had arrived.158This is one of only two instances in which Luke recorded the fulfillment of Scripture by Messiah, the other being in 24:44. These occurred at the beginning and at the end of Jesus' ministry. They constitute an inclusiosuggesting that the whole of Jesus' ministry was a fulfillment of messianic prophecy. Jesus began preaching the gospel that enriches the poor, releases bound people, enlightens the spiritually blind, and gives the downtrodden freedom. He also announced that the kingdom was at hand (cf. Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15).
4:22 These words about God's grace (cf. Acts 14:3; 20:24) evoked a positive response from Jesus' hearers and amazed them (Gr. ethaumazon). They were glad to hear these things. However they balked at Jesus' claim to be the Messiah. They did not understand how He could be the Messiah since He had grown up with them and seemed so similar to them.
4:23 Evidently Jesus had been ministering in Capernaum before this incident (cf. vv. 14-15).159His decision to refrain from doing miracles in Nazareth apparently led some of the Nazarenes to question His ability to do them at all. This cast further doubt on His messiahship in their minds. They thought that if He was the Messiah He should bring blessing to Nazareth and do signs there too.
4:24 Luke recorded Jesus saying, "Truly I say to you,"or, "I tell you the truth,"six times (4:24; 12:37; 18:17, 29; 21:32; 23:43).160The phrase always introduces a significant and authoritative comment, as in the other Gospels. The Greek word dektos, translated "welcome"or "accepted,"is the same one that occurs in verse 19. Perhaps Jesus used this word in verse 24 to indicate that even though God wanted to accept people they would not accept the prophet whom He had sent to tell them of His grace.161Prophets were not welcome in their hometowns because home folks hardly ever fully trust one of their own who becomes famous and then returns home. In saying what He did Jesus was again claiming to be a prophet.
4:25-27 Jesus did not say that Elijah and Elisha went to Gentiles because the Jews rejected them but because God sent them there. God sent them there even though there were many needy people in Israel. Nevertheless Israel then was in an apostate condition. The three and one-half years was a period of divine judgment on Israel (cf. Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). The implication of these two illustrations was that God had sent Jesus to Gentiles as well as to Jews. The Nazarenes, therefore, should not expect preferential treatment. Jesus ministered to Jews first, but He also ministered to Gentiles. These examples would have encouraged Luke's original Gentile readers since they had a similar mission.
"This remark [of Jesus'] is strong for two reasons: (a) It compares the current era to one of the least spiritual periods in Israel's history, and (b) it suggests that Gentiles, who were intensely disliked among the Jews, were more worthy of ministry than they were."162
4:28-30 Jesus allowed the crowd to drive Him out of town and to the brow of the hillside on which Nazareth stood. Later He allowed another crowd to drive Him out of Jerusalem and nail Him to a cross. However this was not the time for Him to die. Luke did not give the details whereby He escaped His neighbors' wrath. We need not suppose that His deliverance came through some supernatural act or intervention. The description of His escape does picture Jesus in sovereign control of the situation, however.
This pattern of violent Jewish rejection continued and mounted through Jesus' ministry. It is significant that it began at the start of His ministry because of a revelation of God's desire to bless His people.
"Thus in the first scene in the narrative of Jesus' mission, Jesus announces words of grace' but encounters the violent rejection which prophets can expect in their homeland. The good news which Jesus preaches is already shadowed by a conflict that will persist to the end of Acts."163
"It is important to appreciate how central good teaching is to ministry. In an era when feelings and interpersonal relationships are high on the agenda, it is wise to reflect on why Jesus spent so much time instructing people."164
