Jeffrey C. Long

Hannah was spending the night with her grandparents. At bath-time Hannah asked her grandmother if they were going to church the next morning. When Grandma said yes, Hannah turned up her nose and said, “I don’t like Sunday school.”

“But Hannah,” Grandma replied, “we should learn all we can about God.”

“I learned all about that when we lived in Illinois.”

“Well, I’ve been going to church all my life and I haven’t learned everything about God,” Grandma said.

“Maybe you weren’t paying attention.”

Donna Blalock, Lubbock, Texas. Christian Reader, “Kids of the Kingdom.

Sometimes we think we have enough but God really has more for us.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry John the Baptist’s disciples noticed that Jesus was getting more attention then John was.

John 2:26 says

26 They came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”

27 John answered, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.

28 You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full.

30 [Jesus] must increase. I must decrease

As we study through the book of Luke, this is I believe the most important lesson that we can learn. More of Jesus. Less of me. It is tempting for us who have grown up in the church to be like the little girl who thought she’d already learned it all in Illinois. We may know the stories, but our lives still need renewal of our passion for God. The story of Jesus needs to impact us so that we say with John, “Lord, let there be more of you, and less of me.

Turn to Luke chapter four, verse 14 and we’ll read together through verse 30.

14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. 15 He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

Because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim release to the captives,

Recovering of sight to the blind,

To deliver those who are crushed,

19 And to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’” 24 He said, “Most assuredly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. 26 Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

28 They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things. 29 They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff. 30 But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.

It’s funny how in small towns there are small occassions when someone leaves and reaches some degree of public notoriety. You probably know of some stories in Filer, Buhl, or Twin.

But it can be a mixed bag when celebrities return to their hometown.

It was very exciting for everyone in Ephrata when one of our high school baseball player signed with a major league baseball team. But it was awkward when he came back because the story was that he squandered the opportunity.

Another guy was the second in line to be the actor playing Robin in a Batman movie. It was very thrilling for everyone even though it didn’t materialize. But then he came to town and did some standup comedy that wound up being rather filthy.

When Jesus came to Nazareth He was a returning celebrity

In John 1:19-4:45 we learn some of the things Jesus was busy doing before coming home to Nazareth.

Jesus called Andrew, John, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael to be his disciples, turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana, talked with Nicodemus and the woman at the well and healed a royal official’s son.

Then in verse 14 of Luke 4 we read:

14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area.

15 He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.



Jesus was a celebrity returning to His hometown

Jesus spoke often in Jewish synagogues. These were gathering places for worship that sprang up during the time when the Jews no longer had their temple. Synagogues were places of worship on the sabbath and schools for young boys during the week. They continued to exist even after the temple was rebuilt. Any town with at least ten Jewish families could have a synagogue. The synagogue was administered by one leader and an assistant. Often the leader would invite a visiting rabbi to read from the Scriptures and to teach. Thus Jesus, traveling from town to town, teaching, preaching and doing miracles would be a popular person to invite into a town’s synagogue. Life Application Bible Commentary for Luke, p. 92

When I read different books about the order of worship in the synagogues I was fascinated to discover that there were lots of differences in how they described it. I imagine it was like it is for us with little subtle changes happening all the time.

You’ll also notice that there were lots of similarities to what we do.

1. An opening prayer

2. They would recite a confession of faith or what was called the shema from deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 “Hear, Oh Israel The Lord your God the Lord is one.

5 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

6 These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart;

7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.

8 You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for symbols between your eyes.

9 You shall write them on the door-posts of your house, and on your gates.

3. Then there would be readings, A psalm

4. and then Readings from the law and prophets

5. Following the readings would be a Brief message or a sermon (given by a rabbi, traveling speaker or one of the men of the congregation based on the scripture read.)

6. Closing prayer and dismissal



So at the appropriate time, probably following the reading of the psalm, the leader of the synagogue handed the scroll to Jesus, the traveling rabbi who opened it to Isaiah 61 and read

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

Because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim release to the captives,

Recovering of sight to the blind,

To deliver those who are crushed,

19 And to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

This would have been a very familiar reading to everyone because He was reading about the Messiah that they were waiting for.

What they didn’t expect was when He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”



Job description.

Most of us have job descriptions, even if they aren’t written down. They describe what it is we are supposed to do so that if ever anyone needs to check and see if we’ve been doing our job, they can line up our work with the job description.

This was Jesus’ job description.

As we read through the rest of Luke we’ll see that these were the things Jesus was doing in His ministry.



Preach good news to the poor

Heal the Brokenhearted

Proclaim release to captives

Recovery of sight to the Blind

Deliver the Crushed

Both physical application and spiritual.



One of the things that we learn from Jesus about what we should be doing is the importance of prioritizing the needy. Doing so personally. It’s easy for us to feel like we’ve done our part when we make a donation to an organization that specializes in caring for the needy. Jesus didn’t make a donation to the leper colony. He was out in the midst of the needy so that He was able to help them personally. Our work is usually the place that this happens the most. We all are present with needs, but we need to also be available to minister to them. Deana comes home with lots of stories about the needs of both the students that ride her bus, and the drivers that she works with. She is not only present, but she also makes herself available to minister. One of the reasons that I frequent coffee shops is that it gives me an opportunity to meet the people that work there. People know that I am a pastor and so it gives me opportunity to talk about spiritual things. And when needs come up, I will be available.

Continuing with verse 22:

22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’”

24 He said, “Most assuredly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.



Jesus showed that it is often difficult for us to change among people who have known us for forever. He had grown up with them and they knew Him as the Joseph the carpenter’s son. Now He had become something different. You and I will never change to the degree that Jesus did, but we need to be careful that our familiarity with each other doesn’t keep us from taking radical growth steps in our relationship with Jesus and personal ministry. Jesus had to step away from the familiar when He returned to His home church and it cost Him, nearly fatally.

Inertia can be one of our greatest enemies as Christians. When I moved back to Ephrata to plant Columbia Basin Mennonite Community church, I was a wild eyed twenty-something with new ideas and new beliefs about living out the gospel. But as time passed on, and the church eventually closed, I began to settle into a safe faith. The funny thing, is that it probably didn’t look very safe to people around me because I was still a bit of a radical. But I had lost the edge that had defined me earlier. I took my place among the other Christians in the church and played it safe.

But when we imitate Jesus, it is often going to cost us, and sometimes with the very people that we have grown up with in the faith. This happened to Jesus, and it will likely happen to us if we are pursuing radical renewal in our lives.

25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. 26 Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

28 They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things. 29 They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff. 30 But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.

St. Augustine said “They love truth when it enlightens them, but hate truth when it accuses them.”

Jesus was pointing out that He had not come just for the Jews but the Gentiles, the very people who oppressed the Jews.

Jesus wasn’t saying that He came to the Gentiles and _not_ the Jews. He was saying that He came to both which upset the status quo.

We need to remember that just as Jesus came for the Gentiles as well as the Jews, He came for the sinners as well as the saints.

If our friends only include Christians, then we are not following Jesus’ example. If our church only ministers to ourself, we are not following Jesus’ example. This includes the sunday morning service.

Eugene peterson says of the church “The Sunday morning congregation is a hospital.” Eugene Peterson, Leadership, Vol. 2, no. 1.

I heard a story this week of a church that was reaching out to non-Christian troubled youth. It gradually made the parents of the churched youth uncomfortable because of the character of the troubled youth. Eventually the parents pulled their youth from the youth group.

I think what should have happened was that the church should have developed a discipleship group for the churched youth that would train them to be ministers to the nonChristian youth. Then you wouldn’t have had to choose between the churched youth and the nonchurched youth.

Jesus discussed this with the Pharisees in Mark 2:16, 17

16 The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

If push comes to shove, we need to always choose to minister to the sinners even if some of the churched won’t accept it.