Scripture to Read: Luke 4:23–30
No doubt, what Jesus had taught never took root. God had Luke record this in Luke 4:23–30, “And He said to them, ‘No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ 24 And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’ 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.” Jesus pointed out that their rejection of Him revealed their hardened hearts. Jesus used the illustrations of Elijah and Elisha to show them that God works according to His sovereign will. People we might consider undeserving of God’s grace and mercy are often recipients of His miraculous power.
Challenge & Application
Challenge & Application
What do we learn about the actual condition of the people’s hearts according to how they responded to Jesus?
Why do people have a problem with God showing His mercy and grace to everyone, even to those others might think are unworthy?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!