569
T H E
K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
September 1924
This incident is a striking example of the truth uttered by Jesus: “No prophet is accepted in his own country,” “Those most familiar with great men usually are least able to appreciate their greatness; ‘Familiarity breeds con tempt,’ because men are so apt to judge one another by false standards and by that which is accidental and external and because so frequently men do not know those whom they think they know the best. This same stupid lack of appreciation shadows human lives today, and makes us fail to realize the worth of our friends and the value of our opportunities, until it is too late. It even has its tragic bearing upon the present ministry of Christ; some reject Him for reasons altogether superficial and foolish, thinking that they know Him perfectly because they long have been familiar with His name, while in reality they fail to understand the real beauty of His person and the trans forming power of His grace. It is still true that those who have enjoyed the best opportunities for knowing Christ often reject Him; but, where faith is present, broken hearts are healed as by Elijah of old and lepers are cleansed as was Naaman by the word of Elisha. Thus in this scene in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus indicated not only the grace of His min istry but its universal power. He came to relieve all the needs of mankind and in all the world” (Erdman). Jesus Visits His Home Town Luke 4:16-30 Memory Verse.— “ They that were his own received him not.” John 1:11. Approach.— Boys and girls, did you ever go back to visit in a place where you had lived before? We always enjoy visiting an old home town, seeing the house in which we once lived, and calling on the friends and neighbors who are still living there that remember us. ELEMENTARY Today our story is about Jesus visiting Mabel L. Merrill His home town. Let us bow our heads and thank the Lord for our home and friends and parents, and best of all for Jesus who loves us more than anybody else in the world. Lesson Story.—-We have been thanking the Lord for our parents, and our story last week showed us how much par ents love their children, and how much we owe our fathers and mothers for their loving care of us. Victoria you tell us the story about the sick boy. How quickly this home was changed from a sad one to a very happy one, when Jesus made the boy well again. Today we are to hear about a visit Jesus made to the town of Nazareth, his old home. * Nazareth is a beautiful little town situated in a great green bowl, the sides of the bowl, the surrounding fifteen hills. Was that not a fine place in which to live. Do you think Jesus climbed these hills when He was a boy? I think He knew them all like a book, and very likely knew the names of the flowers and the birds. And He would know just where the little birds had their nests. He would often watch the mother bird as she taught the little birdies to fly, and if one fell to the ground, what do you think the boy Jesus did? Yes, we know He would find some way to get it back into the nest again, so the cats or nothing could harm it. We know Jesus would never hurt the little birds that God, His Father, had placed here in the world to sing their sweet sings, and catch many worms and bugs that destroy and spoil the vegetables and fruit trees. Now on Sunday morning where do you think Jesus went? Yes, He went to the synagogue, or church, or temple. We
released. 2. All Hebrew servants were set free. 3. Each, resumed possession of his inheritance. This was a type of gospel times.— Tract. Com. A comparison with the passage quoted, (Isa. 6 1 :1 ,2 ) affords an instance of the exquisite accuracy of Scripture. Jesus stopped at “ the acceptable year of the Lord,” which is connected with the first advent and the dispensation of grace (Gen. 3 :1 5 ; Acts 1:11) “the day of vengeance of our God” belongs to the second advent (Deut. 3 0 :3 ; Acts 1:11) and judgment.— Scofield. V. 20. Probably Christ had never before preached in that synagogue, and now for the first time, by sitting down on the platform, indicated that He intended to speak.— Peloubet. V. 23 “heal thyself.” That is, they would ask why He did not perform miracles in Nazareth— at home, instead of at Capernaum. Jesus had, only a few months before, healed a nobleman’s son at Capernaum (John 4 :4 6 -54 ), and this was probably only one example of many.— Warner. V. 28. They could not give countenance to a preacher who even inferred that the Gentiles whom they hated so bitterly, could be blessed, and when He put the Gentiles ahead of them they could endure it no longer, but rose up an infur- ated mob, and by violence thrust Him out of the city and endeavored to kill Him.— Pract. Com. But chiefly because He had claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God, and they believed Him to be a mere man, the son of Joseph the car penter.— Selec. V. 29. Death by stoning was the punishment for blas phemy, and the execution must he outside city boundaries, or it would pollute the place.-—Peloubet. No doubt Nazareth was astir with expectancy, and per haps with some measure of curiosity, on the morning Jesus, who had lived among the people for thirty years, and whom they knew so well, was to preach at the synagogue. Kinsmen, friends, townsmen crowded into DEVOTIONAL the service, which had such a promising COMMENT beginning, but such a tragic ending. J. A. Hubbard The attitude of His listeners may be summed up in three words: wonder, unbe lief, hatred. They “wondered at the gracious words (or words of grace) which proceeded out of His mouth.” At this we are not surprised, for among them there were poor souls, “weary with life’s long struggle, full of pain,” and to such He had been sent to preach good tidings. There were those whose hearts were broken, and these He had come to heal. There were those who were in helpless captivity to sin, and these He had come to release from their thralldom. To the blind, both physically and, what is even worse, spiritually, He had come to give sight. He had come “ to preach the acceptable year of the Lord,” which had “ primary reference to the year of Jubilee, when land that had been mortgaged returned to its owner, and debts were forgiven, and Israelite slaves released (Lev. 25: 9, 1 0 ).” Words of grace, indeed, and spoken in such a gracious way! But the wonder which had been created soon gave place to unbelief, when it dawned upon them that this one Who was speaking, a carpenter who had lived among them for years, Whose mother, brothers, and sisters were still with them, was actually claiming to be their long looked for Messiah. Jesus quickly sensed their attitude of unbelief. And when, by reference to the ministry of Elijah and Elisha in behalf of Gentile sufferers in preference to heart-broken widows and leprous wrecks among the Israelites, He “ indi cated that his townsmen, who knew Him best, were less worthy of His saving ministry than even men of heathen nations,” their unbelief gave way to intense hatred, leading to an attempt to murder Him. His hour, however, had not come, and they were unable to carry out their purpose.
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