Former Blackout Artist

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. – Luke 4:14-15

Jesus is back in his hometown and it’s the Sabbath. So He heads to the synagogue, like always. And we can imagine the warm reception. People are smiling and nodding as He walks by. “This is so neat!” one of them says to another. “Jesus is going to be doing the reading today!”

Someone hands Him a scroll and He carefully opens it. The people in attendance have given Him their undivided attention.

Who knows what they were expecting? I think it would be reasonable to think that they were really looking forward to having ‘one of their own’ teaching them. But by the time Jesus finished saying what He came there to say, the smiles vanished and the admiration had turned to outrage.

This is one of the striking realities of our Lord’s ministry… that He could be welcomed with such warmth and enthusiasm in one town and completely rejected in the next. One crowd wanted to hear more, another wanted Him to leave. Some marveled at His words, while others searched for a way to silence Him. Before long, the people of Nazareth would be ready to throw Him off a cliff, literally.

So rejection was there from the beginning, following Him through every stage of His ministry. He was misunderstood by His own family, opposed by the religious leaders, abandoned by many who once followed Him, betrayed by a disciple, denied by a friend, and finally nailed to a cross by those He came to save.

Why was this so? Because Jesus did not come merely to be admired. He came to confront sinners with the truth. Isn’t it true that people are often happy to celebrate Jesus, as long as He remains a source of inspiration or comfort. But when He speaks with authority and exposes peoples’ hearts? When He calls for repentance and demands allegiance? The response quickly changes! The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay.

But there is much comfort here for every believer! If the perfect Son of God was rejected, we shouldn’t be surprised when faithfulness to Him is sometimes met with bitter resistance. Jesus even reminds us in His own words, “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).

Yet there is also enormous encouragement, loved ones. Jesus never once altered His message to gain approval or softened the truth to win a crowd. He remained faithful to His Father’s mission, even when it led Him to the cross.

May we follow His example. Let us seek not the praise of people but the approval of God. Crowds are fickle, opinions change, and popularity fades. But the smile of Christ is worth infinitely more than the applause of the world.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” -Luke 9:23