And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away. (Luke 4:22-30)
The difference between the people of Nazareth who wouldn’t even ask Jesus questions because they were already convinced they were right and he was wrong, and the Bereans who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11), helps me with something simple but not easy: Jesus’ disciples must keep “speaking the truth in love” because people need to hear “the good news of great joy”. How people respond to the good news is not up to us.
From childhood, I have had to think through what I believed in a home filled with conflict about everything. For some divine reason, God kept calling me to notice what he said. I came to love what is written in the Scriptures and to be in awe of the fact that the Creator has made certain that we could have his breathed-out words available in every language under the sun.
Today’s ministry to me was the reminder that it is no surprise when people want to kill someone (literally or relationally) for telling them the truth about Jesus. And this issue of self-justifying “unteachable” pride is such a theme in history that the fact it happened even with Jesus himself encourages me to keep looking for lost sheep no matter how many goats are offended by the good news.
As I write this, I am suddenly reminded of God’s grace towards me, that for decades of reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word in the Bible, whenever I have come to something “familiar” in the Scriptures, I have always learned something new simply because I ask God to teach me. It really makes me wonder what would have happened in Jesus’ hometown if someone had asked him some honest questions.
While we can only imagine that outcome, we do have a say in what we do with Jesus. Are we stuck on ourselves that God couldn’t possibly teach us things about his Son we don’t already know? Or are we “more noble” like the Bereans so that we must search the word of God to know what is true?
What we do know for certain is that no one in Nazareth at the time of Jesus’ return visit believed in him and so no one received eternal life. On the other hand, in Berea, “Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men” (Acts 17:12). And there was great rejoicing in heaven over each of those sinners who repented and trusted in Jesus Christ (see Luke 15).
Don’t let anyone tell you what to believe about Jesus without checking it out for yourself. And when you do check Jesus out for yourself, take full responsibility for what you do with him. Each of us will give account to God for our response to his Son.
© 2025 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)
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