Thursday, January 4

The greatest danger

Scripture: Genesis 7-8, Luke 4

Luke 4:25–29 “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, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 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.” 

28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 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.

Observation

Jesus visited Nazareth, His hometown where you would expect Him to receive a hero’s welcome. And indeed, at first “all spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words coming from His mouth” (v. 22). But the story ends with His neighbors “filled with wrath” and trying to kill Him by throwing him off a cliff. 

What changed? What triggered the angry rejection?

In v. 25-26, Jesus reminded them that God had chosen to feed a Gentile widow in Elijah’s day while many Jewish widows starved. And God had chosen in Elisha’s day to heal a Gentile leper while many Jewish lepers continued to suffer. In other words, God’s salvation was open to all, to Gentiles as well as Jews. Jesus rejected Jewish favoritism and exceptionalism and said that God’s grace and salvation are available to all. 

This is what infuriated His Jewish neighbors.

Dr. Jim Edwards offers this insight: “The unsettling truth of this story is that the greatest danger to the way of God in this world is posed by those who are closest to it. Jesus is rejected not in Sodom and Gomorrah, but in Nazareth. He is betrayed not by the devil, but by one of the Twelve whom he chose. He is crucified not in pagan Rome, but in the heart of Israel at Jerusalem.” (Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 142). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.)

Application

“The greatest danger to the way of God in this world is posed by those who are closest to it.” The greatest danger to the church in America is…the church in America. Not the government. Not a political party. Not a particular leader. It’s us.

I’m reading, The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an age of Extremism, by Tim Alberta who is a Christian and a pastor’s son. Tim describes how we got to the place where we are Americans first and Christians second. Like the Jews of Jesus’ day, we have tribalized and believe in American exceptionalism: Americans are God’s chosen and we need to fight for our earthly kingdom. Tim interviewed a pastor who was angrily confronted by an elder in his church for failing to “interpret the Bible in the light of the Constitution.” 

We have meant the enemy…and it is us.

If Jesus were coming to our village, to our tribe, His words to us would no doubt be the same. If we are white, He’d remind us that God came for black and brown people. If we are Republican, He’d remind us that God chooses Democrats too. If we are Israeli, He’d remind us that God loves Palestinians. God’s favorites are…everyone. “For God so loved the world…” 

Like the Jews of Nazareth in Jesus’ day, we need to let go of our small tribalism, and open our hearts to Jesus, the Savior of the world. We need to let Jesus set the agenda, not our nationalism, our political party or tribe. And we need to take the good news to everyone, even those we see as outsiders, enemies, or unlikely to respond. 

Prayer: Lord, I’m praying for the church in America—my tribe. Help us to be about the Kingdom of God and not another kingdom. Help us to have Your heart for the world, and get past our tribalism and nationalism. Save us from ourselves!