Luke 4:23-30

Have faith in the power of God to save you who believe in Jesus Christ. Faith in His birth, death and resurrection. That same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is able to raise you and save you from eternal damnation and into the light of His presence! God honors faith (spirit) over religion (law).

Praise the Holy Trinity…Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Luke 4:23–30

23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

The people of Nazareth want to experience Jesus’ healing power. To illustrate this remark, Jesus proceeds to cite two stories in which old testament prophets aided Gentiles (non-Jews) rather than Israelites. Jesus contrasts the faith of two Gentiles (the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian) with the unbelief of the Nazarenes. In response to the Gentiles’ faith, God sent His prophets to meet their needs. The people of Nazareth, however, will not receive such provision because of their unbelief. The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath appears in 1 Kings 17:8–24. Located northwest of Israel. Its residents were Gentiles (non-Jews) who worshiped Baal, the Canaanite storm-god. Commander of the army of Syria (Aram), an enemy of Israel. The account of Naaman’s healing appears in 2 Kings 5:1–14.

The people are angry because Jesus spoke of Gentiles (non-Jews) receiving God’s aid while Israel had to suffer. Faithlife Bible.

The request for more signs was for Jesus to prove His claim by repeating the type of miraculous work He had done in Capernaum. Such requests for signs often contained a mocking tone. Jesus made it clear that He is God’s messenger who declares God’s ways. However, Jesus also knew that a prophet is often rejected. This is a lesson of the Old Testament to which Jesus and other New Testament authors allude.

Jesus speaks of a period of widespread unfaithfulness to God. During this period, judgment came on the nation in the form of famine. The only people to receive healing were Gentiles. With such an allusion, Jesus warned His listeners not to be unfaithful like their ancestors by rejecting His message. NKJ Bible.

1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.

2 Kings 5:14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.