There is a story about Dr. C. I. Scofield, the man who was responsible for The Scofield Reference Bible. No prophet is welcome in his hometown, no prophet is dektos, accepted in his hometown. Clean! There were many widows. The Golden Age of Israel under King Solomon, Solomon builds a palace and furnishes the Temple, The Ark of the Covenant is installed in the Temple, Solomon builds a network of chariot cities, 32. Though still young, he has the favor of God and men. Accordingly, early in October, 4 B.C., they departed from Bethlehem for Nazareth, going by way of Lydda and Scythopolis. 13:7.) Oh boy, you're sitting in the synagogue, you're saying, "This is not going well. It is during their visit that a priest named Simeon prophesied about Jesus' mission in life and blessed his parents (Luke 2:22 - 35). He says the same thing as recorded in Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4. how many times did jesus celebrate passover. Why couldn't they return to Bethlehem. They never questioned that. The people in the synagogue responded as some might today. How could God ignore the Jews of Israel? They were speaking well of Him. Back in John 2 when He was in Judea it says that the people came to Him but He didn't commit Himself to them, John 2:24, because He knew what was in them. While a seminary education can be helpful, it is not essential. They don't even like the fact that He's telling these stories. So the accumulated information about the miracles was growing and growing and nobody ever questioned that. Its Hebrew name Zippori, meaning a bird reflected its lofty position looking out across Cana, Nazareth and the Bet Netofa Valley. In John 1:46, Nathanael reveals that the city was unimportant when he said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? He returned because He was concerned about the people. That was just how He started. Widows are dying, the special care of God are these widows, not enough food to feed your own children let alone to give it away to some widow. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, As Jesus was probably taught the same trade as Joseph, it is highly likely that he served at least part of his apprenticeship in the highly Romanised atmosphere of Sepphoris. . Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." (Matthew 28:8-10) Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus The whole of Israel became idolatrous, started worshiping Baal. The Gospel of Matthew describes how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went to Egypt to escape from Herod the Great's slaughter of the baby boys in Bethlehem. And you remember the story? God, the God of the fatherless and the widow, God, the God who cares about the widows, there was a famine in the land for three and a half years and the people were dying and the widows were dying and God never cared for any of the widows. notwithstanding the many instances in old times of sons illustrious sprung from ignoble fathers; as David was the son of a husbandman, Jesse . They never did. Because it was a rainy night, about twenty-five people came to the meeting. They would come across the border and they would fight and they would terrorize and raid Israel and they would take prisoners and haul the prisoners back to Syria. Together, the two events provide an instructive microcosm of the Galilean ministry as a whole. They continued to reject the apostles even after Jesus left. The family's return journey from Egypt has frequently been a subject of artistic representation. We've had months and months and months, well over a year in Luke already and everything has been so positive. I met this week with a very famous rabbi, a very gracious man, very intelligent, a historian, very serious-minded man who asked to meet with me because we shared something in common, and that is a belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. It's more of that "familiarity breeds contempt." So here's Elijah, he's in the midst of this. 2 Timothy 2:3(NASB), Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. He spoke in the synagogue, but the townspeople did not like what he said. Then they'll know that I'm the Messiah, right?". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The city is part of Galilee, which is ruled by a another son of Herod the Great named Herod Antipas. So, too, was Joseph. The Journeys of Isaac, Jacob & Joseph, Jacob cheats Esau and flees to Mesopotamia, 25. A later Roman mansion dating from c.400AD has a beautiful mosaic floor depicting the luxuriant landscape of the Nile Valley. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him and He began to say to them, 'Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'". They understand exactly what He said and, believe me, they understand what He meant by what He said because He spoke so perfectly clear. He was there for salvation for anyone and everyone who recognized that they were poor, prisoners, blind and oppressed. The Golden Age of Israel under King Solomon, Solomon builds a palace and furnishes the Temple, The Ark of the Covenant is installed in the Temple, Solomon builds a network of chariot cities, 32. Go over there in this dirty river and just duck yourself seven times. About 18,000 of these residents were clergy, priests and Levites. He didn't, because that was future. She figured that out, by the way. We also know in John 1 He was there to call some of His disciples. . Capernaum was only twenty miles away. 4:31-37 Following this rejection in his home town, Jesus goes down to Capernaum, by the lakeside (see 5 on Map 5). They knew that this was speech like there had never been. Zephaniah & Habakkuk foretell Judah's fall, Zephaniah warns of the punishment of Judah, Habakkuk asks why the cruel Babylonians succeed, 44. There are some Christians, however, who are warriors. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. Malachi & Joel await the Day of the LORD, 48. Just as some today show disrespect for those without formal seminary training, the people in this small Nazareth synagogue showed disrespect for Jesus lack of formal education. He goes on progressing in wisdom and in physical growth. Remember that? It's not going to convince you. Matthew 8-15 . I'm in poverty. They were so entrenched in their self-righteousness, so unwilling to see their sin that when Jesus, the Messiah they had waited for for so long, the Savior of the world came, they tried to kill Him because He threatened their self-righteousness. Around 100 BC, one clan from the line of David returned to Israel and established the town of Nazareth. Their journey from Bethlehem to what is Egyptian-controlled territory (which was outside the jurisdiction of Herod) was at least 65 kilometers (40 miles). She knew that she was the poor, the prisoner, blind, and the oppressed. That's what He did. Herod's cruel actions fulfill a prophecy regarding the slaughter of innocent children (Jeremiah 31:15). In fact, John himself was greatly perplexed because John the Baptist, soon after the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, was taken prisoner. How many journeys did Mary and Joseph take before and after Jesus' birth? There is a similar event in the synagogue at Nazareth that happened at the end of Jesus' life. The people were still worshiping Baal, they were still turning their backs on the true and living God and along came leprosies everywhere and in verse 27, "There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet and none of them was cleansed but only Naaman the Syrian." It doesn't prove that. His reputation was gathering by the time He came to this synagogue in Nazareth where He launches His year and a half Galilean ministry. Gray.) We pray in His name. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. The people who are at the bottom of the food chain are the widows because they're charity cases. She did. It doesn't. They never question them. Paul's Journey to Cyprus, Pamphylia & Galatia, Paul & Barnabas return to Antioch in Syria, Paul & Barnabas attend the Council of Jerusalem, Paul & Barnabas take the decision to Antioch, 10. And you could have paraded before me an infinite number of miracles. Early in Jesus ministry He relocated His family (apparently after His father had died), from Nazareth to Capernaum (John 2:12-13). Registered User Jezebel was a Gentile Baal worshiper. Remember him? And we both take God very seriously and take His Word seriously. You know what his name was? Then the people added another insult and rejection. "And I say to you in truth," very much like the prior statement in verse 24, "Truly I say to you." All eyes in the synagogue are fixed on him as he says, While you heard these words just now, they were coming true! (Luke 4:21). I'm going to die anyway, what have I got to lose?" They denied the light because they preferred darkness. It rivets you to the page to understand how could this have happened. Jesus did not send an angel to testify of myths, but of facts, prophecies that will soon take place. So God cared for widows. Some discredit those whom they know in favor of those they do not know. So the word is beginning to grow about Him. The power of the Holy Spirit - for everyone? When asked to read from the scriptures (in line with Jewish tradition), he picks up the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, unrolls it, and begins to read, The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. Israel becomes a kingdom under Saul and David, Jonathan demolishes the Philistine pillar at Geba, Saul is killed by the Philistines at Mt Gilboa, The Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem, David's victories over Israel's neighbours, Absalom's flight & his rebellion against David, 31. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, one of the two major cities of Galilee, says Encyclopedia Britannica. Where did He get His wisdom? It identifies various ancient skin diseases, everything from superficial diseases to serious diseases. He loved the people. Joseph, on the eighth day after Mary gives birth, takes the family to Jerusalem so that the Lord can be circumcised according to the law of God (Luke 2:21). The Romano-Jewish world of the New Testament, 22. This is the most wretched thing imaginable. Father, this is such a powerful, powerful statement of the mission of the Messiah to save sinners. Sometimes we think that trouble is a sign of Gods judgment or that we did something wrong. Haggai & Zechariah encourage re-building, Haggai urges the exiles to re-build the Temple, Prophesies about the coming of the Messiah, 47. The answer is that people who don't believe when they know the facts don't believe for one reason. Is God really truly God? Sepphoris was an important trading centre, situated on the main route inland from the Mediterranean port of Ptolemais (Akko / Acre) to Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Never does the Jewish population or the Jewish leaders question Jesus' miracles, never. They're not questioning that He did them, they know He did them. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: He will be called a Nazarene. Let's go back to verse 16 in Luke 4 and pick up the scene where it really begins. There's just one little negative statement in all these chapters up to here, and that was in chapter 2 verse 34 and those searching words by Simeon, that old man in the temple, who said to Mary, "This child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed, and a sword will pierce even your own soul." 4:14-30 One Sabbath day, according to his usual custom, Jesus goes to the local synagogue in Nazareth where he was brought up (see 4 on Map 5). Forty days after Jesus is born, fulfilling the purification requirement of Leviticus 12, Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem's temple to present him before God. He also used it as recorded in John 4:44. You're saying, "We don't have any proof. Food supply was low. Let's pray. Isaiah offers comfort to those in exile, Words of comfort after the fall of Jerusalem, Those returning are encouraged to follow the LORD, The LORD's blessing will rest on Jerusalem, 41. Wherefore the religious, under the old law, who separated themselves from wine and from the world, and consecrated themselves to God, were called Nazarites. There is a raging war between good and evil in our homes, churches, and nations. Elijah comes on the scene in 1 Kings 17. What went wrong? The Philosopher, the Lover & the Mourner, Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, Amos denounces social injustice in Israel, Hosea laments the unfaithfulness of Israel, Micah decries social injustice in Israel and Judah, 39. . Paul's Letters to Ephesus, Colossae & Philippi, 17. The Letter to the Jewish believers in Antioch, The General Letters: James, Jude, Peter & John, The Letter of James to the Jewish believers, The Letter of Jude to the Jewish believers, The 1st Letter of Peter to the Jewish believers, The 2nd Letter of Peter to the Jewish believers, 19. So, Matthew seems to place the birth of Jesus quite a few years before 4 BCE. John's Revelation to the 7 Churches of Asia, John's Letter to the 7 Churches of Asia Minor, The messages to the believers on the coastal plain, The messages to the believers living inland, 21. To them had come the Messiah of God, to them had come the Savior of the world with the message of salvation, a message of riches, a message of forgiveness, a message of eternal life, a message of release. It's actually the Greek word parabol, which means parable, but parabol has a broad meaning. How am I going to know that that's true unless I do what He says? So they fled to Egypt in order to save Jesus. Nazareth is the hometown of Mary and Joseph. It's a way of saying, prove your claims. It doesn't say that in 1 Kings, it does say that here and it says it in James 5:17, it refers to the same occasion, so we know it was a three and a half year drought. He even says, "We have clean rivers in my area, I'm not going in your dirty river.". Mary ceased to be a virgin after Jesus was born. Crossway Books. If Jesus did a miracle, does that prove that He could, listen carefully, save sinners? Aha, not on your life. Moody Press. Mary was well along in her pregnancy; the Bible describes her at this time with the expressive phrase "heavy wi. Paul's Journey to Phrygia, Macedonia & Archaia, 11. His wife led that. If they wanted proof, all they needed to do was ask Him to save them from their sins, but they had to admit their sins and they wouldn't. Using the website implies your agreement to the use of cookies. Isaiah predicts the fall of Israel & Judah, Prophecies written before the fall of Jerusalem, Isaiah reassures King Ahaz of God's support, Troubled times and a glorious future kingdom, 40. The Philosopher, the Lover & the Mourner, Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, Amos denounces social injustice in Israel, Hosea laments the unfaithfulness of Israel, Micah decries social injustice in Israel and Judah, 39. How to get right with God: Sacrifice or Faith? At first His words settled well. If I don't trust the God of Israel who lives, if I don't trust the man of God, I'm dead anyway, what's half a day longer? Today, visitors to Sepphoris can see extensive 1st century remains including a colonnaded street, the ruins of a large Roman amphitheatre, and a huge water cistern nearby that supplied the city. The Jesus Trail may be walked in a series of day walks for a total of four days due to the topography and distances involved . [1][2][3] The Gospel of Luke, on the other hand, does not record anything about the flight to Egypt, but says that Joseph had been previously living in Nazareth,[4] and returned there after the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. If they wanted salvation, they had to confess their spiritual destitution, their spiritual poverty, their spiritual blindness, their spiritual bondage, their spiritual oppression. Jewish religious rituals Wise men visit Jerusalem The holy family flee to Egypt The holy family return to Nazareth Jesus grows up 4. Isaiah predicts the fall of Israel & Judah, Prophecies written before the fall of Jerusalem, Isaiah reassures King Ahaz of God's support, Troubled times and a glorious future kingdom, 40. That is absolutely unthinkable, unthinkable. It's available to those of you who confess your spiritual poverty, who confess your spiritual bondage, who confess your spiritual darkness, who confess your spiritual defeat. Jesus parents had fled to Egypt after they had been warned by God that King Herod would attempt to murder Him and every child under two years of age (Matthew 2:13-14). And He said, 'Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown, 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, 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; 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.' Was Jesus an outspoken rabbi or was he God? John 15:20(NASB), Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And thenand the Lord did another amazing thing. Are you willing to suffer in your service for God? Matt. The Letter to the Jewish believers in Antioch, The General Letters: James, Jude, Peter & John, The Letter of James to the Jewish believers, The Letter of Jude to the Jewish believers, The 1st Letter of Peter to the Jewish believers, The 2nd Letter of Peter to the Jewish believers, 19. Jesus did not return because it was a large wonderful city. The only way she would ever know whether God would supply all she ever needed was to take the little that she had and trust it to him. They didn't question that. Thus says the LORD, Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me . Note that Matthew 13:55 provides the same list of Marys children. Yeah, and they tried to kill Him. Many people did reject Jesus. He was the king of Phoenicia, Tyre and Sidon, he was the king, he was a Baal-worshiping king, he was also a priest in the temple of Melqart and Astarte, two of the deities in the pantheon of Baal worship. He was the greatest preacher who ever opened His mouth. 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Familiarity breeds its normal contempt. God sends a judgment on Ahab, a judgment on Israel and it's a three and a half year drought. [5], Sometime after Herod had died, the holy family returns from Egypt. As we have already discovered, Jesus was rejected early in His ministry. She gives testimony. He had no intention of kicking open the prison doors, of wreaking havoc and divine vengeance on the ungodly. God offers nothing to people who are content with their own condition, except judgment. Did you come to destroy us? (Luke 4:34) Jesus commands the evil spirit to leave the man, and after throwing him to the ground, it leaves him without harming him. Answer (1 of 5): That was the Bethlehem to which Joseph was summoned, for it was the ancestral home of the family of King David the family to which both Joseph and his bride belonged. From the Kingdom of Israel to the Exile, 5. There's all kinds of instruction in the Old Testament to take care of widows. They made the victim unclean, cut off from all fellowship, all social activity, cut off from the families and isolated because of the contagion that was believed to be a part of these diseases, and Israel had many, many such people with these diseases, many of them. The return of the family of Jesus to Nazareth, also known as the return from Egypt, appears in the reports of the early life of Jesus given in the canonical gospels. Those who never suffer are probably not in the battle. 2. Mark 6:1(NASB). He was the long-awaited Anointed One. And he starts to think about it and he had second thoughts. It could include a proverb or an axiom. Malachi & Joel await the Day of the LORD, 48. Before we're going to believe on You, before we're going to believe that You're the Messiah, You better do some miracles here like You did down there in Capernaum. The Divided Kingdom & Journey into Exile, Jezebel kills the prophets & Elijah escapes, Elijah organises the opposition to King Ahab, Jehu races to Jezreel to depose King Joram, King Joash repairs the Temple in Jerusalem, Jeroboam II restores the boundaries of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria invades Israel, Israel falls & the exiles are led to Assyria, King Hezekiah of Judah rebels against Assyria, Isaiah prophesies the destruction of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah, Jerusalem falls and the exile in Babylon begins, Biblical sources relating to Judah in exile, The later years of exile & the return to Judah, The completion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, A third group of exiles returns with Ezra, A fourth group of exiles returns with Nehemiah, Mordecai uncovers a plot to kill the king, The origin of the Jewish festival of Purim, 37. "Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in Your home town as well." To take heed how we reject Jesus. His words captured the moment in a way that was shocking and they still grip us with their power and their force. Could you do some magic somewhere? They aren't the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. Ethbaal, he was so devoted to Baal He named himself after Baal. They did not realize that schools can educate only the mind. They weren't about to do that. The World of the New Testament Journeys, English Translations of the New Testament, Jesus teaches how to receive the Holy Spirit, Jesus is changed on the slopes of Mount Hermon, Jesus heralds the end of the sacrificial system, The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen is killed & the believers are scattered, 9. They found a place, a brow of a hill in which the city had been built in order to throw Him down the cliff. You know, words of salvation were offered to them, forgiveness, good news, release, light, sight, but they had to be willing to admit they were the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed.