“He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.’
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, ‘Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, ‘Isn’t this the son of Joseph?’ He said to them, ‘Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’ And he said, ‘Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’ When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. (Lk. 4:16-30 NABRE)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus professed that He is the one Who fulfills the Scripture passages regarding the Messiah and in saying this, He thus professed His Divinity in the hearing of the people of His hometown. Yet, though these were the people who knew Jesus best, they refused to accept His words and believed Him to be blasphemous. As such, they sought to kill Him, and they were miraculously unsuccessful.
How often do we fail to recognize the presence of God in our own lives?
The people of Jesus’ hometown failed to see that God was right in their presence. Though they heard His words, they failed to truly listen or to be receptive of His message. Though they knew Jesus was with them, they did not accept Him.
May we always recognize the presence of God in our lives and never turn away from Him. When we hear His call in our hearts, may we listen and accept His call in faith. May we remember that Jesus is always with us and present to us, accepting Him always as our Lord and Savior.
Unlike the people of Jesus’ hometown, may we embrace Him wholeheartedly and seek to live for Him in all that we do. And may we trust that when persecution comes our way, just as Jesus faced, He will be there for us, leading us away from “the brow of the hill.”
“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20)
Praise God words I needed! Thank you!