I was struck by something that I hadn’t noticed before when reading the Gospel of Luke in Chapter 4, specifically, verses 25 through 30. Upon my first reading of this, I assumed the Jews in the synagogue were upset due to Christ’s reading of the passage from Isaiah. We know from other parts of the bible that Jesus read the text like no one else. He read it not as a teacher or someone reciting something from knowledge, but as one who spoke with authority. In verses 18 and 19 of the same chapter in Luke we see Christ insinuating that he was the one the scripture was referring to. In fact, just 2 verses later in verse 21 He comes out and states “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” He’s essentially stating, that verse … it’s talking about me, as in Jesus.
At first, this was fine. They were gracious and those in the synagogue with him were marveling at what He had shared. Some began to ask, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” To paraphrase, I feel that Jesus knew where this was going and knew that he was going to be asked to perform miracles as he had done earlier in Capernaum. He also knew that even had he performed a miracle in front of them that they still would not have believed. “No prophet is acceptable in his hometown” verse 24 states. Then He does something beautiful. He speaks of specific instances where Gentiles (non-Jewish folk) were blessed by God. This enraged those in attendance so much so that they drove Jesus out of the synagogue and up to the brow of a hill in order to throw him off.
Why so mad? To the point of killing someone? But not just anyone … one who they were marveling at only moments before. One that they knew had performed miracles in Capernaum. One who spoke not as a teacher but as one with authority. I feel they were mad because for hundreds of years God had been silent but they knew that they were God’s chosen people, the apple of His eye. The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were theirs. The messiah was coming and would overthrow the Romans and set up an Earthly kingdom and only the most pious and religious of the followers would be allowed to serve. So they plot and scheme for power and position, to get ahead in what they think God’s Kingdom is going to look like. Here an upstart, one of their own from Nazareth comes and points out times where God has blessed a widow from Sidon, a gentile; and healed a warrior, no THE warrior of King Aram’s armies, a Syrian who had long oppressed the Jewish people. Reminding them that times of their own recorded history that God healed those that were not a part of the Jewish nation.
This is where National pride become dangerous. We, as Americans, can easily be guilty of it as well. When we start to think that America is some special project of God’s. That in God’s economy we must rate higher on the scale of importance because of our perceived freedoms, our Christian heritage, our continuing fight for equality, our push to rid the world of tyranny. After all, those seem like, and in some cases are, very noble causes. To be sure we are a country founded on freedom and Judeo-Christian principles; but where are we today? Today we export “entertainment” filled with questionable content, full of violence, nudity, promiscuous behavior, and dialogue that would make pirates of old blush. We cry out about how same-sex unions will destroy the sanctity of marriage as we sit at a divorce rate north of 50%. Pornography flows like a waterfall into our homes hooking both young boys and girls into its addictive gaze. The cries of over 3,500 children cry out every day as their mothers AND fathers decide that it “isn’t the right time” for them to live. We have an epidemic of obesity yet families in our own country wonder when their next meal will be. Politicians elected to represent & serve the people but line their own pockets with special interest “donations”. Wall Street’s greed allows for an embarrassing acclamation of wealth while the schools of Main Street are trying to figure out which program to cut next. I’m not advocating Socialism or even a Theocracy, but a nation of Christian’s we are not.
Don’t get me wrong, if the enemy is at the gates I’m grabbing my rifle and hitting the door. This is my home, I love America and the state of Tennessee. We have our flaws, but I can’t think of a better place to raise my family and live our life. What we cannot do is think that we’re somehow God’s “chosen” nation. God is not just the God of the American nation … He’s the God of every nation. God is not just the God of Western Civilization, He’s the God of all Civilization. God is not white, He’s not black, He’s not Asian, or Italian, or Indian … He is all of them. He is none of them. He’s … well … someone else has already said it better. If you’ve never heard Dr. Lockridge’s “That’s my King” then you’re missing out. Here’s a short version
Or if you have the time & desire, the long version
In essence, this passage shows us that a shift was coming. That it was time for all of the prophecies to be fulfilled and that indeed the whole world would be blessed through the nation of Israel. Jesus was a Jew, and through His sinless life and perfect sacrifice, a relationship with God became possible for all people. His ministry was focused on helping the widows and orphans, it would be open to everyone, including Gentiles. His own people would be amazed but would not believe and they would eventually put Him on a cross. Our King is the King who died, was buried and rose again. “That’s my King”
I’m taking the risk of oversimplifying this whole thing, but this passage also tells us that God doesn’t care if you’re Jewish or not. He doesn’t care what country you live in. He doesn’t care the amount of money you have or don’t have. He doesn’t care if you have tons of fame or if you sit at home alone on a Friday night. He doesn’t care what color your skin is, how healthy you are, how old you are, or how young you are. God doesn’t care about how well you follow the rules or how often you break them. Believe it or not, God doesn’t care what political party you belong to. God cares about one thing and one thing only, your heart. Not just American hearts but all hearts.