Unmet Expectations
Our text this morning shows us something really fascinating, and somewhat confusing. It shows us that it’s possible for people who accept Jesus to also reject Jesus.
This morning, we’re going to go with Jesus, in Luke chapter 4, to his hometown of Nazareth. When we get there we’re going to meet people who love Jesus at first but then want to kill him.
Imagine showing up at your next family reunion and hugging everyone and eating and laughing and having a great time, and then they all start dragging you out back to throw you off a cliff. Assuming you made it out alive, you’d probably never go to anymore family reunions!
This is what happens to Jesus when he goes home. He’s accepted and then he’s rejected. Why is he rejected? Simply put, he’s rejected because he didn’t meet people’s expectations. They expected him to do one thing and when he didn’t they were so mad they wanted to murder him.
We all battle unmet expectations. What we do with them reveals what’s in our hearts. It’s easy to trust God when we’re getting what we want, but what do we do when God doesn’t meet our expectations? Some walk away from God. Some are angry with God. Some work hard to keep up their religious appearances in order to hide their walking away and anger.
The main point of our text this morning is that those who truly accept Jesus trust him even when he doesn’t give them what they want. Jesus’ followers are those who love him for who he is, not for what he can do for them.
In our text today, Luke 4:14-30, Jesus is accepted (vv. 14-22) and then Jesus is rejected (vv. 23-30). As we look at this text, consider your own heart. Being familiar with Jesus without trusting him is extremely dangerous. Jesus is accepted and then rejected by those close to him because he didn’t meet their expectations. Do you love Jesus or his gifts? Do you trust him even when he doesn’t do what you want?
Jesus is Accepted
In verses 14-22, Jesus is accepted. Notice in verse 14 that Jesus “returned (from the wilderness) in the power of the Spirit.” Luke tells us in Acts 1:8 that followers of Jesus “will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He’s showing us that there’s continuity between Jesus’ ministry and the church’s ministry. Both are empowered by the Holy Spirit, not by human ingenuity or cleverness. The Lord’s mission advances by his power, not ours.
But then notice what Jesus begins doing at the beginning of his ministry, teaching in the synagogues (v. 15). Many people think that Jesus’ primary ministry was one of compassion and presence. It certainly included those things, but at the core of Jesus’ ministry was teaching and preaching the word of God (cf. vv. 42-44). If gospel proclamation was Jesus’ priority, then shouldn’t it be the churches too? Word ministry should be prized and protected and funded by local churches because the Lord builds his church through his word, by his Spirit.
Jesus’ Visit Home
This section, by the way, is Luke’s way of transitioning us from Judea to Galilee, where Jesus will spend most of the next three years doing his public ministry, until he returns to Jerusalem (9:51). We learn in Matthew and Mark that Jesus made Capernaum his home base in Galilee. That was where he called Peter, James, and John and performed many of his miracles.
But here in Luke 4, it says that Jesus “came to Nazareth” (v. 16). Why does Luke seem to suggest that Jesus began his ministry in Nazareth when the other Gospel’s say he began in Capernaum?
The reason Luke shifts the Nazareth story forward is because he wants it to serve an interpretive purpose. He’s more interested in teaching than chronology. He wants us to view all of Jesus’ ministry through the lens of this story because in this story is the essence of Jesus’ whole ministry. Jesus’ acceptance and rejection at Nazareth is Jesus’ story in miniature form.
Preaching Isaiah 61
When Jesus visits home, he goes to his home church. And because he’s already known in the region as a rabbi and miracle worker, they ask him to preach. They hand him Isaiah and he turns to Isaiah 61 on purpose because it explains who he is and what he came to do (vv. 16-18).
To better understand why Jesus quotes these verses from Isaiah 61, we need to understand the context of that part of Isaiah. Isaiah 59 is about Israel’s sin. Things seemed hopeless so the Lord himself promised to intervene. Verse 20, “‘A Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the Lord.”
Then in verse 21, the Lord says his covenant is with those who turn away from their rebellion, that is, the repentant remnant of Israel. He says “My Spirit is upon you” (“you” is masculine singular). The Lord has already said that his Spirit will be upon a coming messianic king (11:1-2) and upon His (suffering) servant (42:1). Now in chapter 59, he says that he’ll put his words in this servant-king’s mouth (v. 21).
Then in Isaiah 60-62, it’s all about Israel’s future and glorious restoration. Right in the middle of this section is 61:1-3. The person speaking here is speaking in the first person (“me”) and the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to proclaim the Lord’s word. So 61:1-3 is about a messianic Servant-prophet who announces the glorious age of restoration.
Back to Luke 4. Jesus reads this text and then says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). Do you see what he’s saying? He’s saying that the One Isaiah talked about, the royal, servant-like, prophetic figure had arrived, that he was here to announce that the new age of the consummation of all things had arrived, and that it arrived in him.
Imagine hearing that in a small, country church with just a few dozen people coming from a young man who grew up there and used to build everyone’s furniture! Jesus is saying that the beginning of the fulfillment of all things has begun with him.
Understandably there was an excitement in the room that day. Verse 20 says that “all eyes…were fixed on him.” Verse 22 says that “all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.” Verse 15 already told us that he was being “praised by all” in the region. But now Jesus’ friends and neighbors, the people he grew up with, were hearing him teach and were amazed at what they heard.
Jesus said that he was the bringer of Israel’s glorious restoration, that the new age of God’s salvation was beginning with him. No wonder they “marveled”!
Jesus is Rejected
Unfortunately, their acceptance of Jesus would be short-lived. Before the pot luck lunch began, they tried to murder him (vv. 23-30).
Jesus was never fooled by people’s positive response to him. John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus knew when people who believed in him weren’t really believing in him (2:23-25). People saw signs and liked what they saw, but Jesus saw into their hearts. He knew that in their hearts they wanted his signs, not himself. This is similar to what’s happening in Nazareth in Luke 4.
People marveled at Jesus’ teaching but wondered how “Joseph’s son” could make such claims (v. 22). So in verse 23, Jesus begins to diagnose their hearts and expose their motivations.
The proverb (not from Proverbs) he quotes to them in verse 23 picks up on their comment that he’s “Joseph’s son.” Remember, Jesus deliberately moved to Capernaum at the beginning of his ministry in Galilee (Mt. 4:13). Jesus already has a reputation as a miracle worker in the region, which is why they let him preach (v. 23).
So the proverb Jesus says they’ll quote to him, “Physician, heal yourself,” means something like, “Hey Jesus, you belong to our village so you should do here what you did in Capernaum. We deserve to benefit like they did because you’re one of us.” They expect him to do things for them simply because he’s from there. “Physician, heal yourself” means, “Jesus, bless us because you’re from us.”
Do you see what Jesus is exposing in their hearts? They believe they deserve blessings from Jesus simply because they know Jesus. They think they deserve God’s blessing. Their hearts are full of entitlement.
And Jesus, being the Great Physician of the human heart that he is, takes his scalpel right to the core of their disease. In verse 24, he tells them that no prophet is acceptable on their home turf and then illustrates that in verses 25-27 using two stories from the days of Elijah and Elisha. Jesus points out that, though there were “many widows in Israel,” God sent Elijah outside of Israel to Zarephath, in Sidon (1 Kgs. 17). This was Pagansville, Gentile country. God sent his prophet to Gentile lands to bless a Gentile widow. Likewise, in Elisha’s day, “there were many lepers in Israel,” but the Lord brought Naaman the Syrian to Elisha for healing (2 Kgs. 5).
Do you see what Jesus is telling them? He’s saying that, just as God passed over the Israelite widows in Elijah’s day and the Israelite lepers in Elisha’s day in order to bless those “from other towns” so to speak, so also he’s passing over them.
Passed Over because of Unbelief
Jesus preaches a great sermon and the people marvel but he knows what’s in their hearts, he perceives their entitlement, their desire for preferential treatment, so he says that’s not how God works. Just as he did in Elijah and Elisha’s day, God passes over people who’re familiar with him because of their unbelief.
Matthew and Mark make it clear that the people of Nazareth weren’t greatly blessed by Jesus because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:57-58, “And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.’ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” And Mark 6:5-6, “And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.”
The people of Nazareth marveled at Jesus’ teaching. Jesus marveled at their unbelief. Mark even says “he could do no mighty work there…” because of their unbelief. God’s power flows through the channel of his people’s faith. Where there’s little faith, there’s little power.
The people of Nazareth loved Jesus’ words (v. 22), until they didn’t (v. 28). This teaches us that it’s possible to love some of what Jesus says but still be an unbeliever. We don’t get to pick and choose what we take from the Bible. If God never disagrees with you, then you may not be worshipping the true God. His word is like a sword and so sometimes it hurts when it opens our hearts and shows us what’s there. But those who truly know Christ embrace his heart surgeries because they know that he wounds only to heal.
Anger the Fruit of Entitlement
One way to discern whether you truly know Christ or if you just want things from him is how you respond when you don’t get what you want. In verses 28-30, after Jesus says that he’s not going to perform great signs there because of their unbelief, they’re filled with murderous rage.
They’re so angry at Jesus that they try to murder him, yet he somehow escapes from them and goes back to Capernaum (v. 31). As one commentator says, “The admiring congregation has become a lynch mob.”[1] Jesus’ friends and neighbors and extended family are so angry with him that they think throwing him off a cliff is a good idea.
Why? Because he exposed their hearts. He was speaking about the glorious kingdom he was bringing and they loved it. But as soon as Jesus turned the spotlight away from the glorious coming kingdom to their self-centered hearts, they reacted with rage.
It wasn’t just that they wanted signs and miracles like the folks of Capernaum. They felt they deserved them. “Physician, heal yourself” means, “Jesus, bless us because we know you.” Of all people, Jesus should’ve been “pro-Nazareth” and done what the citizens of Nazareth wanted. Because Jesus was from Nazareth, the people of Nazareth believed Jesus owed them healings and miracles and blessings. So when Jesus uses their own Bibles to show them that God doesn’t owe anyone anything, even those called by his name, that the Lord is free to bless and heal and restore and save anyone anywhere, they’re so angry they want to kill their friend.
This shouldn’t be surprising. We do the same thing in our hearts when we don’t get what we want. The absolute sure way to know if you’re struggling with entitlement is to watch how you react when you don’t get what you want. Envy, anger, frustration, and even rage are the effects of an entitled heart. If you’re controlled by these things, your heart is controlled by a sense that God owes you whatever you want.
Jesus Was Rejected So That We Can Be Accepted
How do we overcome entitlement? We need new hearts, hearts that understand that though God doesn’t owe us anything, in Jesus, he gave us everything. This episode in Nazareth is a preview of what’ll happen later in Jerusalem. When Pilate brings Jesus out to the crowd, “they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man” (Lk. 23:18). Pilate even tells them that he’s found no guilt in him, but they still demand that he be crucified. Unlike in Nazareth, that time there was no escape for Jesus, there was only a cross. This is why one writer says, “The crucifixion begins at Nazareth.”[2]
And Jesus willingly allowed himself to be taken away to the cross. Why? To die for the very people who’re killing him. He lived a perfectly righteous life and then was unjustly murdered like a common criminal because he had to make payment for our crimes. Our self-centered, entitled, unbelieving, hard hearts offend the God who made us and need cleansing.
When we see Jesus going to the cross, to be thrown off the cliff as it were, for us, we start to open our hearts to him, and when our hearts open, our hands follow. Jesus opened his arms on the cross for us so that we’ll open up our hands for him.
When we see that Jesus was rejected so that we can be accepted, our hearts start to come out of the cocoon of self-centeredness and start to become something beautiful and free and full of new desires to bless others rather than use others or demand our way from others.
The danger here, as I’ve said, is that we can become so familiar with these things that we don’t think they apply to us anymore. We prayed a prayer, go to church, look good and so no longer need to be broken by the rejection of Jesus. But remember, Jesus wasn’t rejected in Sodom and Gomorrah, but in Nazareth, in the place where everyone knew him.[3] Being familiar with Jesus isn’t the same as loving him and submitting to him.
Jesus only entrusts himself to those who fully entrust themselves to him. And when we see what he willingly did for us, that he was rejected so we can be accepted, we’ll want to entrust ourselves to him. And we’ll trust him even when he doesn’t give us what we want.
[1]R. T. France, Luke, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2013), 73.
[2]Dale Ralph Davis, Luke 1-13: The Year of the Lord’s Favor, Focus on the Bible (Fearn, Ross-shire, UK: Christian Focus, 2021), 82.
[3]James Edwards, quoted in ibid.