Jesus Who Makes Us Angry

Text: Luke 4:14–30
Title: Jesus Who Makes Us Angry

The Bible shows many stories where people got angry. For example, in Genesis, Cain became angry because God didn’t accept his offering. His anger came from jealousy. God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. The reason wasn’t about God being unfair but about Cain’s actions and heart.

Today’s passage includes two parts. Luke contrasts the reactions of two groups: the people of Galilee versus Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. The Galileans praised Jesus, but the people of Nazareth got angry. Why did they react this way? Was Jesus wrong? Were the people wrong?

In Nazareth, you’d expect people to welcome Jesus warmly since it was His hometown, but they didn’t.

Jesus returned to Galilee by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galilee, He taught in synagogues, and people spoke well of Him. But in Nazareth, things were different. Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue. This was something He had done regularly, as it says it was His custom.

Jesus quoted a specific part of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1), which is remembered as His mission statement:

• To bring good news to the poor.
• To proclaim freedom to captives.
• To give sight to the blind.
• To set the oppressed free.

After reading, Jesus closed the scroll. Everyone was waiting to hear what He would say next. There was tension, like before a storm. People already knew the scripture well, and perhaps they were ready to compare their understanding with His teaching.

At first, they found His words gracious, but they were also surprised. They said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” They couldn’t reconcile the profound words with Jesus’ humble background. Instead of focusing on His message, they questioned His identity.

It’s like pointing at the moon but focusing on the finger instead. They ignored the truth and judged the messenger.

Jesus then addressed their attitude. He said, “Physician, heal yourself,” highlighting their skepticism. They didn’t respect Jesus because they remembered Him as a carpenter’s son, someone ordinary.

Jesus reminded them of two Old Testament stories.

1. In Elijah’s time, during a famine, God sent Elijah to help a widow in Zarephath, a foreign land.
2. In Elisha’s time, Naaman, a commander from another nation, was healed of leprosy, even though there were many lepers in Israel.

These examples showed that God’s grace isn’t limited by nationality or status. This angered the people because they believed they were God’s chosen ones. They couldn’t accept that God’s blessings extended to others, especially outsiders.

Jesus wasn’t there to please the crowd. He revealed uncomfortable truths to heal their souls, even if it made them angry.

We often get angry when we feel jealous or when others succeed. But Jesus’ message helps us face uncomfortable truths about ourselves. God cares about the state of our souls, not our outward success or comparisons with others. -amen-