And all spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from His mouth … [but it wasn’t long before] all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove Him out of town and brought Him to the brow of the hill … so that they could throw Him down the cliff.                                         Luke 4:22 & 28b-29 ESV¹

Read Luke 4: 16-30, Matthew 13:53-58 & Mark 6:1-6

People are fickle. They like it when you encourage them and tell them what they want to hear. But when you confront them on some issue, they are usually not so friendly. Though it likely didn’t surprise Jesus, because “He knew what was in a man” (John 2:25), and He had seen Israel “kill the prophets and stone those sent to” her (Matthew 23:37), Jesus Himself experienced this truth, you might say, a little too close to home in Nazareth, from his own relatives, friends, and neighbors.

When Jesus got up at one of the Sabbath meetings at His home synagogue and read from Isaiah, “’The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’” (Luke 4:18-19), and concluded His reading with, “’Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:21), the crowd was ecstatic. They liked the idea that someone they knew would bring them prosperity, liberation, and healing. The congregation was all abuzz. “They were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s Son? Is not His mother called Mary? Are not His brothers … [and] all His sisters with us? Where did this Man get all these things?’” (Matthew 13:54b-56).

To think that a Boy from their hometown would turn out to be a Great Healer! They had heard about all the amazing things He had done in Capernaum (see Luke 4:23). (Skim over chapters of 5 through 12 of Matthew and chapters 1 through 5 of Mark to see for yourself all He had done). Now, He was home. Certainly, they must have thought, He would do something incredible in their midst.

But the speaking well of Him didn’t last long. When Jesus confronted them with the truth of their unbelief (see Matthew 13:58, Mark 6:6), their lack of acceptance of Him and His call (see Luke 4:24), and the way their forefathers had missed out on the blessings of some previous prophets (see Luke 4:25-27), they ganged up on Him and attempted to murder Him (see Luke 4:29). It was a short-lived Homecoming Parade.

Paul warned Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). What was true in Timothy’s day, was true in Jesus’ day, and is true in our day, as well.

I would rather have five friends with whom I can give and receive encouragement and correction than five-hundred fans who clap and cheer when I enter a room, but when I don’t work for them anymore, drop me like a hot potato, or worse, like here, try to kill me.

This wasn’t the only time the Jews tried to arrest or kill Jesus, because He offended them. Check out Matthew 12:14 and 21:46; John 7:44, 8:20, 8:59, and 10:39. “But no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come” (John 7:30).

Jesus knew His purpose. He knew why He had come. He knew He wouldn’t be able to be harmed until His job was done. It was only then that “He said, ‘It is finished,’… and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).

If you are one of God’s children, a “fellow heir with Christ” (Romans 8:17), you too have a purpose, “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that [you] would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). You cannot die until you have completed the purpose which God has specifically prepared for you! The Sovereign God will make sure of that. “All the days ordained for [you] were written in [His] book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16 NIV²). What would be the point of Him giving you a job and then leaving it undone? All fear is gone. “[You] can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6).

When it comes time for you to leave this Earth, none of your awards or accolades, nor any of your popularity or the possessions you have accumulated, will make any difference anyway. Along with the Apostle Paul, you will “count them as rubbish, in order that [you] may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8b). The only thing you are going to want to hear is, “‘Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful … enter into the joy of your Master’” (Matthew 25:21, 23). So, live your life now like God is the only One watching.

¹Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

²Scripture quotations marked with NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.