Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently defied the expectations of others and instead acted on His own terms. We see this already at numerous points in Luke 4:
The Temptations
Would it really have been so wrong for Jesus to yield to the "temptations" offered by Satan? Wasn't the devil really just posing suggestions?
I mean, if I was hungry and had the power to transform rocks into bread...why not? Not really a sin, is it? But whether it was because it came as advice from Satan or because Jesus rejected the idea of altering nature for His own personal benefit, Jesus said, "No, that's not my way."
And imagine all the good that Jesus could do if He were given all the glory and authority in the world! Couldn't we convince ourselves that the ends (the world under the lordship of Christ) justify the means (a simple bit of worship for ol' Lucifer)? Jesus, however, was having none of it. He stuck to the narrow viewpoint that worship is for God alone.
Well, how about doing a showy miracle at the Temple to "wow" the crowds and ingratiate Himself to them? Satan even has scripture to back up the idea of putting on a little demonstration of power! But, again, Jesus has something different in mind, and He is not veering from His course.
The Proclamation
After His sojourn in the wilderness, Jesus is ready to get to work. He goes to the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth and reads a prophecy of Isaiah that sounds awfully messianic - then proclaims that it is fulfilled in the hearing of the congregation!
At first, "all spoke well of Him and were amazed at his gracious words"...but 5 verses later they are "filled with rage" and about to drive Him off a cliff! What changed? What did He say? To me, it appears that Jesus offended the crowd by challenging their identity as "God's chosen people" and referencing moments from the Old Testament when God's grace was shed not on the Jews but on non-Jews!
This nod to the Gentiles being included in God's plan was enough to turn the congregation away from Him right quick. Did Jesus really have to "go there" on the first day of His public ministry?
The Healings
Certainly Jesus could not be controversial when it comes to healings, right? Yet consider what He does. He is driving out demons who are giving testimony to His power and identity: "I know who you are, the Holy One of God!" and "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus would not let them speak. Why? "Because they knew that he was the Messiah."
I'm sorry, but don't we all take favorable testimonies wherever we can get them? Why not use the demons' acknowledgements to His own benefit? Again, however, Jesus frustratingly doesn't think like I do. He would rather not have the words of a demon entered in on His behalf. He is not ready for the world to know Who He is.
Well, at least Jesus is healing and the crowds are happy about that and everything is fine, right? Wrong again. After attracting large crowds who didn't want Him to leave them, Jesus heads out of town - not to do more healings, but to instead proclaim His message of the Kingdom. In fact, He identifies that as His primary mission, instead of doctoring people physical and mental illnesses!
At this point in the Gospel story, one thing is already clear: Jesus' ministry will be on His own terms!
I mean, if I was hungry and had the power to transform rocks into bread...why not? Not really a sin, is it? But whether it was because it came as advice from Satan or because Jesus rejected the idea of altering nature for His own personal benefit, Jesus said, "No, that's not my way."
And imagine all the good that Jesus could do if He were given all the glory and authority in the world! Couldn't we convince ourselves that the ends (the world under the lordship of Christ) justify the means (a simple bit of worship for ol' Lucifer)? Jesus, however, was having none of it. He stuck to the narrow viewpoint that worship is for God alone.
Well, how about doing a showy miracle at the Temple to "wow" the crowds and ingratiate Himself to them? Satan even has scripture to back up the idea of putting on a little demonstration of power! But, again, Jesus has something different in mind, and He is not veering from His course.
The Proclamation
After His sojourn in the wilderness, Jesus is ready to get to work. He goes to the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth and reads a prophecy of Isaiah that sounds awfully messianic - then proclaims that it is fulfilled in the hearing of the congregation!
At first, "all spoke well of Him and were amazed at his gracious words"...but 5 verses later they are "filled with rage" and about to drive Him off a cliff! What changed? What did He say? To me, it appears that Jesus offended the crowd by challenging their identity as "God's chosen people" and referencing moments from the Old Testament when God's grace was shed not on the Jews but on non-Jews!
This nod to the Gentiles being included in God's plan was enough to turn the congregation away from Him right quick. Did Jesus really have to "go there" on the first day of His public ministry?
The Healings
Certainly Jesus could not be controversial when it comes to healings, right? Yet consider what He does. He is driving out demons who are giving testimony to His power and identity: "I know who you are, the Holy One of God!" and "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus would not let them speak. Why? "Because they knew that he was the Messiah."
I'm sorry, but don't we all take favorable testimonies wherever we can get them? Why not use the demons' acknowledgements to His own benefit? Again, however, Jesus frustratingly doesn't think like I do. He would rather not have the words of a demon entered in on His behalf. He is not ready for the world to know Who He is.
Well, at least Jesus is healing and the crowds are happy about that and everything is fine, right? Wrong again. After attracting large crowds who didn't want Him to leave them, Jesus heads out of town - not to do more healings, but to instead proclaim His message of the Kingdom. In fact, He identifies that as His primary mission, instead of doctoring people physical and mental illnesses!
At this point in the Gospel story, one thing is already clear: Jesus' ministry will be on His own terms!
This is one of my favorite chapters in Luke. I love the proclamation segment and way more often than not I feel the presence of God when it is read.
ReplyDeleteI'm also struck by Satan's boldness to go so far as to try and use Scripture in his argument. Is there nothing he won't use. It really makes you think about how important interpretation is.
Very true!
Delete