Luke 4:14-30 – Jesus: Full of grace if we recognize our need

Introduction

Recently I have noticed that after I eat most things my stomach doesn’t feel good. I think I have been complaining about it to my wife for years. Finally, she said to me, why don’t you ask your primary care physician. When I went in to see my primary care physician, I was asked how long this has been going on. I tried to recall when it started. But do you know what, I couldn’t remember. My stomach not feeling great has just been a thing. It’s not painful, it’s just uncomfortable. I don’t know why I never noticed it.

Ironically, my primary care physician ordered up for me to have an appointment with a GI. For whatever reason they didn’t call, I tried calling once, and months and months have gone by. Finally this week I was able to make an appointment.

Here is a question to think about: Will people go to see a doctor to get treatment or change their lifestyle if they don’t think something is wrong? The answer to this question is no.

Today, in Luke 4:14-30, we are going to see that Jesus is full of grace for those who recognize their need.

Background

As we continue on in the history of the life of Christ as found in Luke, it is important to remember what has happened so far. To do this, let’s just jump into the text. Verses 14-15 say, ”And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” There is a lot said in these two short verses.

From Luke and the other Gospels we know that after Jesus was tempted three times by the devil, he returned to Galilee. When Luke says “a report about him went out through all the surrounding country,” we should ask, what would cause a report? This is our background.

Right after Jesus’ baptism Andrew and Peter who had both been disciples of John the Baptist and had heard that Jesus was the lamb of God, started following Jesus. Jesus talked to them and told them to come with him. Jesus then decided to go to Galilee, and probably on his way called James, John, and then Philip, who told Nathanael to come along and follow the Messiah with him. These disciples were sort of tagging along, but not permanently his disciples yet.

After this, in Cana of Galilee, Jesus did his first miracle, turning water into wine. The knowledge of this miracle had spread, certainly the 4.3 short miles southwest to Nazareth. 

From there Jesus went to Jerusalem for Passover and cleansed the temple of the people trying to make a profit selling things there. Already people were starting to believe he was the Messiah, but Jesus wouldn’t let himself be made into their version of what that looked like. His works and popularity continued to spread.

Around this time Nicodemus secretly talked with Jesus about what it means to be saved by being born again by the Spirit. Jesus tells him that the Father has sent him to save the world, and he did not come to judge the world, but save it, because it was already under judgment.

John the Baptist continued his ministry and was fine with his ministry diminishing as Christ was getting more and more fame. At some point during this time, John the Baptist was put in prison, and Jesus spent some time at Capernaum.

Jesus then went to Samaria and shared the gospel there. After seeing a harvest of Samaritans trust in him, Jesus went back into Galilee.

These are some of the things that transpired after his baptism, which Luke hints at in verse 14. Jesus was going all around Galilee preaching the message that Israel should repent, for God’s kingdom had come. In verse 15, we see that he was teaching all throughout his travels in the synagogues on the Sabbath probably the message of the kingdom of God.

Everyone is excited about all that Jesus is preaching and doing. Eventually, he goes to his hometown, Nazareth, and visits the synagogue on the Sabbath. Notice in verse 16 that Jesus goes to worship every week; it is his custom or tradition. He was a faithful Israelite, a faithful Son of God.

And here is where we begin to look at our text in 3 main points, (1) the power of Jesus; (2) the message of Jesus; (3) our response.

Exposition

Let me give a summary of today’s sermon. “Jesus is the anointed One of God who has come to bring freedom to the spiritually poor, imprisoned, blind, and oppressed. If you see your need, you will accept the evidence God has given and recognize him for who he is and find the freedom that you are looking for. But if you don’t know your need, you will reject the evidence and subsequently remain in your spiritual poverty: imprisoned, blind, and oppressed.”

During this particular worship service on this particular Sabbath in Jesus’ hometown in Nazareth, Jesus, because of his blossoming fame, was probably tapped beforehand to be the one to give the sermon. More than likely Jesus told the head of the synagogue that he would like to read from the scroll of Isaiah.

And so, after the various parts of the worship service, Jesus is handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus unrolls the scroll and intentionally finds Isaiah 61:1-2. At this place on the scroll he could probably also see Isaiah 58:6. It is these two passages that he quotes, combining them together. When he reads it, he leaves out part of verse 1, adds Isaiah 58:6 in, finishes verse 1, starts verse 2, then stops reading before it speaks of the day of vengeance of God. Instead of speaking of the judgment that is to come, he is speaking of freedom, recovery, and release to the poor, captives, blind, and oppressed. This isn’t because there is no judgment, but as Jesus told Nicodemus, the world is already under judgment.

We aren’t really sure if there was more read or not. All we know is that this is what Luke decided to record. And quire frankly, I don’t think there is any reason to doubt that this is what he read.

Our first point can be seen in verse 14 and 18, which is the power of Jesus. Jesus is now ministering in Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. At his baptism the Spirit rested upon him. His entire ministry is now being done in reliance upon God’s power and gift of the Holy Spirit to him. The Spirit was given to him to permanently accompany his ministry because he is the anointed One, the prophet of God.

What we see a little later in verses 21 and 23 is that he claims to be the anointed one, a prophet, the one who fulfills this prophecy, and this prophecy is literally being fulfilled in this moment.

So, our first point is simple. Jesus’ power comes from the Holy Spirit. He is ministering in and through the Spirit’s empowering presence.

Our second point can be seen in verses 18 and 19, the message of Jesus. Jesus’ message is that he has come to reverse the fortunes of God’s oppressed people and free them from their spiritual poverty, imprisonment, blindness, and oppression.

How do we know this? Quite simply by the context of Isaiah 61 and the broader context of Isaiah 40-55 which speaks of the mission and work of the one, the servant, who was specially anointed by the Spirit.

In Isaiah 42:7, we see that the servant of the Lord, who has the Spirit of God upon him (42:1) would open the eyes of the blind and bring out the prisoners from the dungeon who were caught in darkness. Not only this but in 49:8, we see a parallel to the year of the Lord’s favor. So, you see, as Beuken says, Isaiah 61 is an “interpretation” of Isaiah 40-55. And the whole summary of Isaiah 40-55 prophesies of the servant of the Lord who would bring about a reversal of the fortunes of God’s people who were oppressed.

The message of Jesus, then, is that he has come to reverse the fortunes of God’s people who are oppressed and blinded by sin and Satan. Later in Luke 7:18-23, we see how significant this initial sermon of Jesus is to give us a framework of his entire mission. His message is his mission. Listen to how Luke frames the story and gives Jesus’ answer to a question from John the Baptist about whether he is the Messiah since Jesus was not bringing about the kingdom of God in the way most expected. “In that hour he (Jesus) healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’”’

Jesus’ response to John the Baptist’s disciples was that he is doing what was prophesied of the servant of the Lord from Isaiah 40-55. Jesus was bringing about the second Exodus of his people.

So, what do these things mean? The proclamation of good news to the poor, the proclamation of liberty to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, and liberty for the oppressed.

Did Jesus come to simply give a message of hope to the poor, captives, blind, and oppressed? Or to give the poor riches, release captives, give the blind their sight, and set the captives free? Was this simply a physical thing?

Well, it is clear from Jesus’ ministry that he did physically go to the poor and give them a message of Good News. I’m not sure whether we see instances of him proclaiming to captives freedom. And he certainly did give physical sight to many who were blind. And I don’t think we see any examples of how Jesus physically released people who were oppressed.

And so, these things, though some have physical realities behind them point to something different. They point to a spiritual reality. And this is why the people’s reaction was what it was, which we will see later.

So, let’s briefly look at each of these.

Jesus’ message was first, that he came to bring good news, the Gospel, to those who were morally and spiritual poor. Of course, this does include those who are physically poor, and quite honestly, those people who know their need are the most receptive to his message. In fact, Jesus in Matthew 5:3, says that those who are poor in Spirit will be a part of the kingdom of heaven. And so, Jesus preached that those who see their need will be a part of his kingdom. This is good news! His message was that he, the King of all, would bring the poor into the glory of riches found in him.

Jesus’ message was second, that he came to proclaim freedom to those who were spiritually imprisoned, bound by money, Satan, guilt, sensuality, and hatred. They could be released from these things that held them captive to a life of slavery. To the never-ending rate race of seeking fame and fortune. To the slavery to self-centeredness, sin, and hatred. His message was that he, the Way, would lead those that were spiritually imprisoned to true freedom by taking away their sin and freeing them from its power and one day its presence.

Jesus’ message was third, that he came to open the eyes of those who are blinded by Satan. In John 1:4-5, 9-13, we read about Jesus that, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. … The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Jesus came, as the light of the world, to open the eyes of those who have been blinded by Satan. His message was that he, the light of the world, came to give us spiritual sight.

Jesus’ message was fourth, that he came to help those who are crushed by life and can’t find a way out. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls all who are burdened down to come to him and he will give them rest for their souls. Those who are crushed and weighed down by a load of guilt, shame, fear, and a need to perform can be set free to a life of rest in Christ. His message was that he, the One who bids us come to him, would give us the freedom we need from our oppression.

You see, Jesus quotes two passages in Isaiah 58 and 61, describing the servant of the Lord who came to reverse the fortunes of God’s oppressed people. Then, in verse 20, Jesus simply, in mic drop fashion, rolls up the scroll, sets it down, and then sits down, ready to give the sermon or interpretation of this passage, which was what was expected of him in synagogue.

So, after the people heard this, they were waiting with bated breath to hear his interpretation. All their eyes were fixed upon him. Maybe it was the way he ready, maybe it was the way he annunciated the word “me.” It is hard to say, but, here they are.

Jesus then simply says “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” What did he mean by this? Quite simply, that he is the one who has the Spirit of the Lord upon him. That he is the one who brings freedom to those who are spiritually poor, imprisoned, blinded, and oppressed. Jesus quite simply says that he is the one who gives the message and he is the one who provides what the message says. Jesus is the One who has brought the favorable year of the Lord.

And so, we come to our third point in verses 22-30, the response of the people. Quite frankly, in a nutshell, they thought he said nice things, but they rejected the implication that they were the ones who needed anything from Jesus. To them, Jesus didn’t have anything to offer them. They were the ones who were well. They did not need a physician. Israel needed a warrior who would save all the other oppressed people. They did not see themselves as sick and in need. And they certainly didn't believe that he, the perceived son of Joseph, could be the fulfillment of these things.

Their response to Jesus’ claims, which had already been substantiated in Galilee and the news of them had been heard by them already, was more like this. “That was a great speech. But you think that you are the Messiah! You grew up here. You can’t be him! If you are, you are going to have to prove it by doing great works in our town too.” In other words, the people's response was unbelief, though they had all the proof they needed.

Jesus, in his response, gets to the heart of their unbelief. He preemptively speaks, knowing what they were thinking. He knows that they wanted him to do miracles there to prove he was the Messiah. He quotes them, essentially saying. “Hey Jesus, wouldn't a doctor ensure he and his family are healthy? Why won’t you do what you did in Capernaum here? Prove yourself!”

Jesus then responds by saying that the people prophets grew up around won’t listen to them. Jesus claims himself to be a prophet and puts himself on part with two of the greatest prophets, Elijah and Elisha.

Jesus then tells two stories and does this in a very striking manner. These stories were directly spoken against the people at Nazareth. This would cut to the heart of their unbelief.

The first story was about a widow in a pagan nation. During a famine, in the heart of enemy territory, a widow (1 Kings 17:13-14) who was on her last bit of oil and flour was about to make her last meal for her and her son and then simply wait to die of starvation, interacted with Elijah’s request to feed him first, acted in faith without any evidence. Listen, to what it says, “And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” She exercised faith without evidence, simply at the word of the prophet. Why? She was poor and had no resources, she had no hope in herself…she was poor in spirit. Essentially, Jesus was saying that there were a bunch of widows in Israel who were starving too. Why didn’t he help them? Because they, like the people at Nazareth, would demand evidence before they exercised faith. This was a stinging indictment. A pagan widow in enemy territory trusted the prophet Elijah without evidence. But the people of Nazareth who had evidence which was reported from Capernaum refused to believe the evidence and trust in Jesus. Why? They did not see themselves as poor and needy. They were not poor in spirit, so theirs was not to have the kingdom of God. This widow was much more spiritual than those found in Nazareth.

Next, Jesus tells the story of a foreign, pagan, enemy commander found in 2 Kings 5:11-12. He had made a raid against Israel and had taken a little girl as his prize to be a servant for his wife. This commander of the Syrian army had leprosy. The Israelite girl told him about Elisha the prophet, that perhaps he could be healed through the prophet. And so, this commander, Namaan, went to Israel and was told to wash in the river Jordan in Israel. He didn’t want to do this, because he could wash in their own rivers, and he was expecting Elisha to do something spectacular to heal him. But, upon hearing his refusal to go, some of his servants asked him why he wouldn’t just do it, what was the difference between a great act and a little act. He humbled himself because he saw his need to be healed and went and was healed. This pagan army commander, Namaan, exercised both faith and wisdom by going and was healed. This was another stinging indictment. A pagan army commanded trusted the prophet Elisha without evidence. But the people of Nazareth who had evidence which was reported from Capernaum refused to exercise wisdom and trust Jesus for their rescue. Why? They did not see themselves as needy. They were wise for themselves, but not to God. The Israelites were worse than the pagans.

So, what was Jesus’ conclusion? The people of Nazareth were less spiritual and less wise then the Gentiles. No matter what evidence they were presented, they refused to believe Jesus until they saw him do something miraculous with their own eyes. Probably until they experienced his miracles and saw benefit from them. The pagans trusted in God’s prophets who were just men, but God’s own people wouldn’t trust in the greatest prophet of all and the Son of God, Jesus.

Jesus had cut through their façade. Jesus had called them out. Jesus essentially told them that they had evidence already, but they refused to believe because they did not see themselves in spiritual need. Others might be in need, but not them. Their greatest need was for Jesus to conquer the bad guys, not to rescue them from their spiritual blindness and imprisonment.

At this, those in the synagogue were furious and drove him out of town, taking him to a hill to throw him off the cliff and kill him. The rage of these people who wanted to put Jesus to death over his indictment against their unbelief was astounding.

But it was not Jesus’ time to be put to death yet, and this was not the way required by the law, so Jesus simply passes through the middle of them and left Nazareth.

Application

And so, what is the application for those who do not trust in Jesus today? Jesus has provided ample evidence for you to believe. He has lived, done mighty works and miracles, died, and in the greatest of all miracles roses again from the dead. It really isn’t about whether or not you have enough evidence to believe in Jesus, it is whether or not you see your need of him. My challenge to you who are in this boat is this…you are needy, like all of us, can you recognize your need and look to the only one who can provide the cure, Jesus.

Let me close with a story told by Kent R. Hughes in relation to this very text that will give you who believe already an application.

A large prestigious British church had three mission churches under its care. On the first Sunday of each new year all the members of the mission churches would come to the parent church for a combined Communion service. In those mission churches, located in the slums of a major city, were some outstanding cases of conversions—thieves, burglars, and others. But all knelt as brothers and sisters side by side at the Communion rail. 

On one such occasion the pastor saw a former burglar kneeling beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England—the very judge who had sent him to jail where he had served seven years. After his release this burglar had been converted and became a Christian worker.

After the service, the judge was walking out with the pastor and said to him, “Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail this morning?” The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge said, “What a miracle of grace.” The pastor nodded in agreement. “A marvelous miracle of grace indeed.” The judge then inquired, “But to whom do you refer?” “The former convict,” the pastor answered. The judge said, “ I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself.” The minister, surprised, replied, “You were thinking of yourself? I don’t understand.”

“You see,” the judge went on, “it is not surprising that the burglar received God’s grace when he left jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he understood Jesus could be his Savior, he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help. But look at me—I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman, that my word was to be my bond, that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take Communion and so on. I went through Oxford, obtained my degrees, was called to the bar, and eventually became a judge. I was sure I was all I needed to be, though in fact I too was a sinner. Pastor, it was God’s grace that drew me. It was God’s grace that opened my heart to receive Christ. I’m the greater miracle.”