Luke 4:23 “He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me,`Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'”

   Jesus knew what they would throw at Him. He understands how people think. Like the rest of the Jews, these folks in His hometown would ask for a sign. But, they would not want to be behind on His list. They wanted front row seats rather than being able to believe any of the reports about Him.
   But, therein lies the difficulty. If they could not believe the reports, they would not all believe if He did wondrous works right there before them. We are not asked to believe the gospel firsthand, but secondhand. The Lord has called us to listen to the report of those who have gone on before.

Heavenly Father, we realize You are at work even if we don’t always seem to see the front lines. You have not chosen to show us everything all the time. But, we know You are moving and blessing among humanity all over this globe, and we want to be an active part of that. Thank You for using us as You do. We will bring all of the praise to You as we work in our little corner of Your great fields of harvest. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:22 “So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

   They could not understand how a man like Jesus could have the knowledge and wisdom He had. They didn’t know Him, they just thought they did. Ah, and that mistake is made all the time. We as humans think we know each other too, but are often mistaken. We want to feel that we have the inside track on our peers, and yet we often don’t even understand the basic motives of their hearts. They asked this question because they had thought that they knew this man, but they hadn’t.

Heavenly Father, give us Your mercy. We will live to rely on Your wisdom and not ours, for we are so limited. We will look to you for answers rather than our human judgement which is so faulty. We will give You all the praise for how You lead us. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:21 “And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

   There are those times in history where you happen to be in just the right place at just the right time to see something amazing. You are present in a front row seat to see it all happen. History is upon you and you are a part of it in a special way. There were many alive at this time who would come to realize they lived in a special era. Jesus was making everything special just by His very presence. Every action they took would be the making of history, and the writing of the history books.

Heavenly Father, thank You for putting each of us in our own special time. We would normally never think of that, but You have indeed chosen the time for us to live. That is a part of Your creative task when You make each one of us. You select our era. You know our time. We praise You for Your wisdom! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:20 “Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.”

   They were doubtless familiar with the passage and knew where He had stopped. They had surely heard of His teaching in other places and were waiting to hear what He had to say.
   Sitting down did not prevent Him from teaching. Nowadays the speaker always stands while others sit. But then the teacher often sat while others might stand.

Heavenly Father, we give You praise today and every day. Your faithfulness is always fresh and active. You don’t sour on us and turn against us even when we have doubts and fears. Give us opportunities to serve Your great Name. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:19 “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

   Notice where Jesus stops. He is quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2, but He stops in the middle of 2. Why? Because this prophecy He quotes is to be fulfilled in two parts. The first occurs at His first coming, and the second at His second coming.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ! We look so much forward to the day in which You will make all of His enemies His footstool. We cannot wait for that glorious return in power. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:18 “”The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;”

   It is amazing to think about what is included here. This is not a record of grandiose self-aggrandizement. These are humbling tasks, caring for the deepest needs of a broken humanity. Yet, these are the works of our Messiah.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus! You have given us so much in Him. We will praise You forever for Your plan. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:17 “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:”

   So, did the attendant choose the scroll to hand Jesus, or did Jesus choose it? By the wording here it seems the attendant just happened to hand the Isaiah scroll to Him, or at least that was the chosen reading of the day. But, no doubt, Jesus in His great power orchestrated this to His purpose. In any case, Jesus went right to the Scripture He wanted to read for them.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your orchestration of all things. You have done all things well. All of Your acts from the beginning to the end have been only the best. You always are glorious, good, and gracious. We will praise You forever for Your great love for us! We will proclaim Christ and His church to all the world. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:16 “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.”

   It was not at all surprising to those in attendance on this day that Jesus read. It had been His practice in the past, it seems. But, there was more to expect from Him now. They knew that His ministry had begun and they were looking to hear something from Him. He now had the opportunity to teach them, and they would listen, at least for a time.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your truth in Christ. We can never thank You enough for His teaching. We will spread the truth from Him all over this globe. He is the answer for all of us. Give us grace as we seek to serve. We praise You Father! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:15 “And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.”

   And why was He glorified? His teaching. It was different from what the people had heard. The whole tone, motive, goal, and content were different from what they had heard from the Rabbis. The truth has a way of getting people’s attention.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth in Christ. It is what we live by and we glorify You for it. Give to us the opportunities to praise Your Name in the congregation. You are our joy and desire. We love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 4:14 “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”

   Jesus was very widely known in the beginning of His ministry. Towards the end, and afterwards, though still well known, His ministry was not spoken of as much. Galilee and the surrounding region heard much from Him. It was His HQ, so to speak.

Heavenly Father, Jesus is the One we will sing of for all eternity. We live here and now to see His Name spread to all this world. We want to proclaim Him clearly to Your creation. We love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.