Culture Shocked

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:16-21 NKJV

Imagine all the ones going into the synagogue on that Sabbath because it was their usual custom. This was Jesus' old neighborhood. He had been raised here. Everyone knew Him. He stands to read, and everyone nods in agreement as He does. They are very familiar with the passage. They have been waiting YEARS for the Messiah to come to rescue them from their oppressors. Then Jesus declares“Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

Talk about shock! Jesus had just declared Himself the Messiah! Did they rejoice? Did they dance and shout, "Hallelujah!"?  No, they did not. Where was His army? How were they going to be freed from their oppression? No, they did not rejoice. They tried to mob Him and throw Him off a cliff!

That was the first time He came. The second time, He will have His army. He will be settling scores, and there will be judgment for everyone. Truly, culture shocked!

Prayer:

Father,

           Give us a deeper understanding of Your Word. We don't want to miss anything You have planned for us. Help us to rightly divide Your Words of Truth so we may help others on this journey. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen