Luke 4:16, commentary and pictures

Jesus came back to Nazareth where he had been brought up and spent his youth, early in his ministry after the temptation in the wilderness, while interest was high because the people had heard of him. As his custom was he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and took part in its service, and when the book of Isaiah was delivered to him he stood up to read before watchful familiar faces. The prophecy he read was understood to speak of the Messiah and his work, and by reading it he announced himself as the Anointed One and declared the Scripture fulfilled that day in their hearing. His announced mission was to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim deliverance to captives, give sight to the blind, set the bruised free and preach the acceptable year of the Lord, a work of restoring and uplifting humanity as a humble servant rather than a temporal ruler. At first his gracious words moved the people, but they stumbled over his familiar family as Joseph's son, demanded signs like those at Capernaum, and in wrath thrust him out to cast him from the hill, yet he passed through their midst to seek hearts that would receive.

Nazareth Visit and Custom

Jesus came to Nazareth, the town where he had been brought up and had grown up and spent his youth and early manhood. He had worshiped in its synagogue during childhood and youth. His coming there was at the beginning of his public ministry and among his own people.

After the temptation in the wilderness he had been teaching in the synagogues in Galilee, and then he returned to Nazareth. He had been absent since his ministry began, but reports of what had happened to him had reached Nazareth. Interest and expectation were therefore at the highest pitch, and familiar faces were present, including his mother and his brothers and sisters.

As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and took part in its regular service among the worshipers. That regular attendance was also the pattern seen in his disciples. The Sabbath service there became the setting in which he announced his mission and work for the world.

The service included reading from the prophets and urging the people to hope for the Coming One, with exhortation concerning the coming Messiah. Any Israelite could take part in the reading, and when asked Jesus stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was delivered to him. Those who knew him as an unpretending mechanic watched with curiosity, and all eyes were turned upon him.

Reading and Declared Mission

The reading handed to Him from Isaiah concerned the Messiah and was understood to refer to the Messiah and His work, and by reading it He announced Himself as the Anointed One, announced His mission, His life-work, and His work for the world, and declared the Scripture fulfilled that day in their hearing. He had begun His public ministry among His own people, and following His custom He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath to take part in its regular service, where reading from the prophets urged hope for the Coming One. He stood up to read and the book of Isaiah was delivered to Him, that He might explain the prophecy about Himself. That Sabbath service thus became the occasion to declare His work of preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted and delivering captives, which remains the work of His followers in reaching the common people.

The mission announced is that the Spirit anointed Him to preach the gospel and good news to the poor and meek, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, give sight to the blind, set at liberty the bruised, proclaim liberty and opening of prison to the bound, comfort all that mourn, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord. He explained the reading as describing His own work to free and relieve the oppressed, captives, and afflicted, heal the broken-hearted, restore sight to the blind, and reveal the light of truth. This act announced His life work in perfect harmony with the lesson He gave His disciples, revealing a life of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, fulfilling the law in continual obedience to God's commands in oneness with the Father, tender toward humanity. All who fully follow Him understand this and share the honor of being co-laborers with Him to do the very same work He did in restoring the moral image of God in man, using the knowledge, capabilities and powers God has given them for others instead of hoarding them.

His work is to give encouragement, comfort, and help where most needed, to bring the gospel to people in need, to rescue those bowed down by Satan's yoke of bondage, break the spell of infatuation by bringing eternity into view, and to restore and uplift humanity and bring peace and happiness. He repeated the mission He had given to Isaiah, and His entire life in carrying it out was self-denial and self-sacrifice, giving Himself as the propitiation for a lost world. He came as a humble servant and not a temporal ruler, fulfilling what Israel left undone. His work stands in direct contrast to the Pharisees and Sadducees and the learned and rich who despised and neglected the poor as though riches and learning made them of more value, and in direct contrast to Satan, whose work is to condemn and destroy, to take away liberty, and to destroy life. It is both a source of consolation and a work of restoration and reproof, announcing good news to the poor and rebuking the importance attached to color and caste, for the same price was paid for the salvation of people of every color, so those who slight people because of their color misrepresent Him and reveal selfishness, tradition, and prejudice rather than sanctification through the truth, and to slight a person He has purchased is to slight Him.

The prophecy He read was fulfilled as He healed the sick, restored those afflicted by demons, leprosy, and paralysis, opened deaf ears, gave speech to the dumb, restored sight to the blind, raised the dead, fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, walked on the waves, stilled the storm by a word, cast out devils, held thousands by words of wisdom, and preached the gospel to the poor. These miracles showed His true character, though some rejected the evidence. His work of restoring the body prepared the way for restoring the soul, for He saves the body as well as the soul. He came to represent the Father and revealed divine power by giving life to the dead and by restoring the sick and suffering to soundness and health, standing in the world as the tree of life and revealing the light of truth. His announcement at Nazareth that He was the Anointed One later came clearly to the rulers' minds as they considered His works and the Scriptures about Him.

Rejection at Nazareth

At first his gracious words convinced the people, drew a hearty response, and made them witness and wonder under the influence of the Spirit of God. The assembly responded to what proceeded from his lips, touched by the Spirit revealed in his speaking. When he then spoke words that cut across their ideas and exposed their true condition, the impression gave way to doubt and open unbelief.

They stumbled over him as Joseph's son and let his familiar family background turn them against him, questioning who he was. It is the natural reluctance to acknowledge wonderful development in one who has lived unostentatiously in their midst and been known intimately from childhood, while becoming excited over the pretensions of a stranger and an adventurer. Though he had not received instruction from the religious teachers, he showed perfect knowledge of the Jewish system as given in the Scriptures, yet they could not endure the plain truth that exposed Israel's unfaithfulness and their inability to be trusted. Doubt admitted grew until it drove the Spirit from their hearts and left them open to Satan's suggestions and possession, and those ready to accept him turned against him. Their pride, prejudice, blindness, and malice kept them from accepting the evidence, and his meekness and plain speech stirred their malice even after time to reflect and witnessing his miracles of healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, walking on the waves, stilling the storm by a word, casting out devils, raising the dead, and holding thousands by words of wisdom.

They demanded the works heard done in Capernaum and heard that no prophet is accepted in his own country. The proof was that in the three years and six months of famine in Elijah's days Elijah was sent to none of the widows in Israel but to the widow of Sarepta in Sidon, and in Elisha's time none of the lepers in Israel was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian. This warned that pride and unbelief could lead God to turn from his chosen people and reveal himself to people in heathen lands who lived up to the light they received, who were more righteous than backsliding Israelites who sacrificed principle for convenience and worldly honor. It showed why he confined his work to a small circumference among the Jews rather than devoting his time to the Gentile world, since the Gentiles were not prepared and labor for them would have closed the door to the Jews. The people rejected this reproof in pride and unbelief, repeating the spirit their forefathers had shown toward Elijah, and the discourse stirred strong Jewish prejudice because he taught that Gentiles were no less favored by heaven.

They were filled with wrath, tore him from his elevated position as speaker, thrust him out of the city, and drove him from the synagogue. The enraged mob pushed him hither and thither while quarreling how to stop his voice entirely, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built to cast him down headlong and throw him from a precipice. They would have killed him if they could, and became so hostile that those who thought they loved him dragged him out to destroy him. But divine power, divine agencies, and angels guarded and protected him, and he passed through their midst, disappeared from them to a place they did not know, and went his way. He made no stay there but went to seek more fruitful fields and ears and hearts that would listen and receive.

The episode shows that people must choose either for or against Jesus, who still comes through his Word and servants and may be rejected because his truth is plain. Rejecting a message God sends is rejecting Christ, and resistance to the light makes it a stumbling block rather than a blessing. Rejecting the light leaves people spiritually blinded, smitten with blindness, with closed eyes against seeing and ears against hearing and darkened understanding against conviction, under evil control and unable to be reached in heart. It is dangerous to call the work of the Spirit of God the work of Satan, to admit even the first doubt and unbelief, to value personal judgment above light through his messengers, or to resist truth even when given another opportunity, and teachers who neglect lessons of eternal consequence are left unfit to teach others.

Example for Followers

Coming to Nazareth where he had been brought up, going into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as his regular custom and standing up to read was an example of how every other person on earth should work and an example for his followers, introducing the announcement of his life-work. His reading was part of his work of opening the Scriptures to people, which he pursued without letting anything hinder him. His example of going among the people in the synagogue teaches that those who would reach others with divine truth should meet them where they are rather than withdraw from society. His example of seeking opportunities for personal ministry was to be ready to draw people into studying the Scriptures and to work patiently with those who lacked a clear understanding of the truth. His going to the synagogue on the Sabbath, as seen also in his disciples, supports families going to worship on the Sabbath even by a route through fields, along a lake, or through groves, and joining worship with attention to God's works in nature.

That Sabbath service at Nazareth was made the occasion to declare his work as the One anointed by the Spirit to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, give sight to the blind, set at liberty the bruised, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord, fulfilled that day in the hearing of those in the synagogue. His work so announced is to bring the gospel to people in need and to give encouragement and comfort and help where it is most needed, in contrast to the Pharisees and Sadducees and the learned and rich who despised and neglected the poor as though riches and learning and wealth and knowledge made them of more value. It remains the work of his followers in reaching the common people, and all who fully follow him understand this and share the honor of being co-laborers with him and laborers together with God to do the very same work he did. That same work is to relieve suffering and oppression, to restore the sick and suffering to soundness, to restore the moral image of God in man, and to use the knowledge, capabilities, and powers God has given for others instead of hoarding them. It reveals a life of seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, fulfilling the law in continual obedience to God's commands in oneness with the Father, tender toward humanity, given as an example that his followers must follow in his strength to render the obedience God requires and stand perfect before his throne, in perfect harmony with the lesson he gave his disciples.

Because he so took Isaiah's prophecy in the Nazareth synagogue on the Sabbath as testimony to his own work to preach good tidings to the meek, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives and opening of prison to the bound, proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and comfort all that mourn, the sick are encouraged to hope largely. They are to come in faith, take the Lord at his word, place themselves in the hands of the great Physician believing he will restore health, and receive abundantly of his rich grace. For Satan is the destroyer and the Lord is the Restorer who still battles disease as when he walked in humanity upon the earth.