Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Scripture

Luke 4:14-30

Commentary

At the start of Jesus' ministry, Jesus' teaching is similar to that of Paul.  He stood in the synagogue and explained the Old Testament scripture concerning Him.  Paul used this method virtually everywhere that He taught Jews.

Jesus gives us some insight into the way that prophecy needs to be understood and interpreted.  Not all prophecy is fulfilled at one time, which of course makes it more difficult to understand.  The passage that Jesus quotes from speaks of the year of the Lord's favor.  Jesus proclaims that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy and that it was fulfilled in their presence.

Jesus did not quote the entire passage of Isaiah 61 however.  He stopped short of reading about the judgments because they were not fulfilled yet. 

When the people of Galilee do not like what Jesus teaches, He reminds them that previous prophets were rejected by their hometowns as well and instead were sent to outsiders who would accept them.  This does not help Him become better accepted but instead incites a riot and the people prepare to stone Him.