“All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked.”
– Luke 4:22
 As I continue to share highlights from my trip to Israel, I’d like to focus on Jesus’ activities in the synagogue. As I shared yesterday, Jesus read the Scripture proclaiming his call from Isaiah at his appointed time. He read “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He revealed that He was the fulfillment of those words.
If you’ve heard this scripture preached, I’m certain you probably heard that once Jesus said He’s the Messiah, everyone got upset and wanted to stone him or kill Him. However, that’s not true. The next verse says, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips…” They were excited to realize that prophecy was being fulfilled right there in Nazareth! Luke wrote that the Nazarenes asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Can you hear them proudly saying, our Joseph, the direct descendant of Jesse, father of King David! Most likely, many of the people in the synagogue were distant cousins, uncles, and relatives. Yet, there are still some lingering thoughts despite their excitement and hometown pride, because something happened to the faith of the people in Nazareth. Jesus wasn’t able to perform as many miracles there as He did in other towns, leading us to surmise it was due to their lack of faith. Friend, you have every reason to have faith. Jesus has shown himself continually to be your friend, provider, and confidant. Today, it is an honor to continue to have full faith in Jesus! |
Prayer
Father, help me to fully trust Jesus as my friend and provider.
Reflection
What is the strength of your faith in Jesus?
If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.
