Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. 16 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17 and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” 20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” 23 He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26 It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, began his public ministry in Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and gaining widespread acclaim. Returning to Nazareth, his hometown, Jesus adheres to Jewish custom by attending the Sabbath synagogue service. During this visit, he is handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus deliberately chose the passage that outlines the Messianic mission to bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, grant sight to the blind, free the oppressed, and announce a year of favor from the Lord. (Is. 61;1-2). By reading this passage, Jesus is declaring that he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, and is inaugurating the era of salvation and the kingdom of God.
Initially, the people of Nazareth responded positively to Jesus’ reading and interpretation of Isaiah 61 because of his eloquence and the authority with which he spoke. Then their admiration turned to skepticism as they recognized Jesus as the son of Joseph, a local carpenter, so how can they believe his Messianic claim or teachings? Could someone they had known all his life be the anticipated Messiah? Jesus anticipates they will ask him to perform miracles in his hometown, similar to those he performed in Capernaum, as proof of his authenticity and authority, reflecting the common expectation in Jewish culture that prophets should demonstrate their power in their hometown. Prophets were often rejected by those who knew them best (Mt. 13:57; Mark 6:4)
Jesus cited examples from Israel's history where God's blessings extended beyond Israelites to Gentiles who showed faith, highlighting God's sovereignty in choosing whom to bless. The people’s admiration turned to anger when Jesus implied that Gentiles could receive God's blessings. Jesus told the story about Elijah being sent by God to minister to a non-Jewish woman in pagan Zarephath (1 Kgs. 17:7-16), and Elisha healing the pagan leper from Syria, Naaman (2 Kgs. 5:1-19). This implication leads to anger among the Nazarenes, who drive Jesus out of town and attempt to kill him, but he miraculously escapes.
Heavenly Father, you gave all power and all authority in heaven and earth to Jesus Christ your only begotten Son, the fulfillment of your promises to mankind. Grant us the grace to trust in his authority and respond to his call with faith and humility. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible. Collier Books, 1965.
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