Fourth Sunday Ordinary Gospel C

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
· We pick up where we left off with Last Sunday’s Gospel.
· Luke presents Jesus as the One who fulfills the Old Testament prophesy of Isaiah, which points to the            future Messiah.

And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. 
· Though they speak highly of Jesus, their mood will change very quickly. They are amazed that one of            their own would be so learned in the Word of God.

They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” 
· Notice they identify Jesus as the son of Joseph. They do not refer to his mother Mary. Is Joseph still              alive at this point? We do not know. But we can imagine that Mary was in the synagogue that day.

He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
· They were curious to see some of the same signs and wonders Jesus had done in Capernaum and                  elsewhere. Jesus indicates that just as there was a lack of faith on the part of the people during Elijah’s          time so that same lack of faith in him will block him from working the signs of God’ love in their midst.
· Notice Jesus identified himself as a prophet and put himself on the same par as Elijah and Elisha, two            of the great prophets of Israel. That was safe. It would not be safe for him to identify himself as the                promised Messiah.

When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.
· Jesus touched a sensitive nerve in the core of their being when he identified their lack of openness and            faith.
· What is God trying to do in our lives at this time, but because of our resistance or lack of openness he            is not able to accomplish it?
· This was not the time or place for Jesus to die. His hour had not come.
· Have we experienced rejection or resistance from our family or friends as we seek to follow the way            of  the Lord?  How have we handled it?
· What do we take from this passage and apply to our life?