Luke 4:22

Luke 4:22 says, And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?  The people bore witness to the glorious teaching of Jesus, but then asked if He were not Joseph's son.  They only saw Jesus in His earthly status, and that is still all some people see today.  Verse twenty-three adds, And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.  Jesus said the people of His home area would certainly ask why He was not healing people there as He did in Capernaum.  Jesus did not come as a physical Physician, but as a spiritual one.  Those that Jesus healed physically still died at some point, but those that He heals spiritually will live forever with Him.  Verse twenty-four declares, And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.  In there own country, prophets were often without honor, because the people could only see the person that they thought they knew.  We profess to be a Christian nation, but too often people here fail to see Jesus for Who He really is.  Verse twenty-five adds, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;  Jesus gave a Biblical example of the widows during the famine in Elijah's day.  When we teach or preach about God, it must be based on what the Bible says. There were many widows in Isreal at that time.  Verse twenty-six continues, But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.  Jesus reminded the people of Nazareth that Elijah was not sent to any of the widows of Israel, but to Sarepta, a widow of Sidon.  We do not need to feel jealous nor neglected if God works through those that we might not choose.  Verse twenty-seven states, And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.  Likewise, in the days of Elisha there were many lepers in Israel, but Elisha healed Naaman, a leper from Syria.  Jesus did not come to offer salvation to just a select few, but to everyone.  Verse twenty-eight says, And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,  People in the synagogue in Nazareth were filled with wrath when they heard what Jesus said, even though it was based on Scripture.  Sometimes today people get angry, even those the closest to us, if we share God's word with them, especially if they see us only in earthly terms.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.  The people who were supposed to be God's people were so angry at what Jesus was teaching in the synagogue that they took Him outside the city and were going to throw Him headfirst off a high hill.  Many people today are upset by the truth of God ans wish to destroy it and those who profess it.  Verse thirty states, But he passing through the midst of them went his way,  While the people were trying to kill Him, Jesus simply walked away.  We better pray that there never comes a day when Jesus walks away from us as sinners because we refuse to believe Who He is.  Verse thirty-one adds, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.  Jesus went to Capernaum and taught in the synagogues there.  Verse thirty-two continues, And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.  The people of Capernaum were astonished at the teaching of Jesus.  When we are gathered in God's name today as followers of Christ, we should be no less astonished at His teachings.