Jesus returns to his hometown
Have you ever heard the expression, "Physician, heal thyself?" It is an ancient saying, and it is one Jesus expected the people in his hometown to quote to him when he came back to teach in their religious meeting house.Today's reading is Luke 4:16-30.
Basically, "Physician, heal thyself" is a way of saying, "Whoa there Chief, before you go around telling everybody how to fix what's wrong with them, how about you work on your own problems?"
So when Jesus told his homeys from Nazareth that they would "surely" say that to him, he was predicting their eventual reaction: "Jesus, you're a local boy. You're a carpenter's son. You're a blue collar Joe, and there ain't no way you're a prophet--let alone the Messiah!"
Jesus followed up his prediction that they would say this with another oft-quoted aphorism: "Truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown." To them, Jesus would always be a local boy. They grew up with him. They knew him. They were familiar with him. They were too familiar, in fact, to ever recognize him as anything other than a local boy.
Taking Jesus for granted
As a result of the people's lack of faith, the Nazarene folks failed to see Jesus as he truly is: the Son of God and the savior of the world. Their familiarity with him blinded them to his true identity. Because they thought they knew him, they failed to ever really get to know him.So how much do you have in common with the Nazarenes? Perhaps more than you think.
Maybe you grew up in the Church, maybe not. Odds are, living in Plainfield, you were Catholic, but maybe not. Maybe you were Protestant or Orthodox. But even if you were none of the above, you probably have formed some idea about who Jesus is. In fact, every major religion has its own answer to the question, "Who was Jesus?" (Isn't it amazing what a central figure he is, no matter what faith? Even Hinduism has an answer.) Living in the United States, there is no avoiding the person of Jesus in some way, shape or form.
The problem with living in a culture so saturated with Christianity is that we start to grow immune to the person of Christ. A little exposure to Jesus can be like a vaccination. A vaccination introduces a little bit of (dead) disease into the blood stream, so one's white blood cells can identify it, destroy it, and adapt to prepare for a repeat infection. This results in immunity.
If you have been inoculated with a little bit of Jesus--old, dry religious rituals, boring family traditions, etc.--you might be "immune" to seeing Jesus for who he really is today.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus ultimately has nothing to do with dry, dead rituals. Jesus is the Creator's own Son. He became a human, bursting onto our little blue planet in the form of an infant. He grew up among us, in Nazareth. He had a job as a carpenter. When he was thirty, he began to preach about the Kingdom of God. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. A few short years later, his friend betrayed him and his enemies tortured him to death.Jesus did all this because you and I have a fundamental problem. We do not just overlook Jesus, we overlook God in general. We are so busy trying to live life our own way that we rarely, if ever stop to think, "What is God's plan for me?"
Along the way, we become increasingly selfish, hurting others--even our loved ones--until our lives have gone completely off-track. The Bible says the end result of that kind of life, a sinful life, is hell. Hell is real. Hell is everlasting dying. It is the consequence of a life lived for yourself instead of according to the holy God's plan.
Why Jesus came
Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, God's Messiah, came to save you from hell. He is a skilled craftsman, and he can repair your life. He didn't come to improve your circumstances, he came to repair your broken life and make you right with God. He came to give you new and real life, that sustains you through life's hardships, extends beyond your death and lasts forever with God and all his people.Will you trust him, or will you keep on ignoring him, thinking you already know what he is all about, and you don't need him.
God loves you. Jesus loves you. He died for you and wants to give you life. If you want to know more about trusting him today, please shoot me an email at jsettecase@gracepointe.us.
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Joel Settecase is the Associate Pastor for Evangelism & Student Ministries at Grace Pointe Plainfield, located at 143rd St. & Route 30.
