Luke 4:21-30 (NRSV)
Read Luke 4:21-30 on biblegateway.com
Verse 21Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Verse 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" Verse 23He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'" Verse 24And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. Verse 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; Verse 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. Verse 27There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." Verse 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. Verse 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. Verse 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
Devotion
Imagine it. Jesus—God’s own son, begotten not made, of one being with the Father—being run off a cliff in his hometown. Frankly, passages like this offer a certain comfort, when we see Jesus struggle with those who resist his proclamation, love, and healing. Living as God’s beloved in the world doesn’t guarantee an easy path. It never has. We still struggle with loss, grief, self-doubt, illnesses, resistance to the truth. How often have we heard the question: “Where was God when this terrible thing happened?” Where indeed? Leaving us in the ashes, in the muck and mire of life, in the darkness and desperation. Being run off a cliff because the truth of God’s world-upending love can’t possibly be told by mere mortals. Knowing Jesus suffered persecution for the message of the gospel reminds us of Jesus’ presence with us in our own proclamation, faith journeys, and everyday human life. Comforting words, indeed.
Prayer
God of the Incarnation, can we feel the life of Jesus deep in our own bodies? What a gift it is to know that you walked this earth and know us so intimately. Let trust bloom in our bellies and give strength to our spine as we strive to be your people of peace and justice. Amen.
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