The Wednesday after the Third Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 29, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 4:22-30 (NKJV)
4:22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
Devotion
The people of Nazareth marveled at Jesus’ gracious words, but this was not a marveling of faith. They were merely impressed that Jesus taught so eloquently and with such authority. Since many of them had known Jesus when He was a child in Nazareth, they were proud that He had become a great teacher and miracle-worker. One of their own was famous! However, while they marveled at the gracious manner of His teaching, they did not receive the gracious content of His message. When they became bored with Jesus’ sermon, they demanded that He perform miracles in order to keep up their excitement.
This negative example of the Nazarenes teaches us about the treasure of God’s Word. The Nazarenes treated Jesus’ Word lightly. They were initially impressed by the grandeur of His speech, but they quickly cast it aside and asked for other signs. They abandoned the gracious Word of Christ in favor of rousing experiences.
We, who believe in Christ, do not need new experiences to stimulate our faith. We continue to faithfully marvel at the gracious words which proceed out of His mouth. We are captivated by the Good News of forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ suffering and death. We are not missing out on signs and wonders. Our Physician is daily healing our souls with His Word and absolving our sin with the medicine of His Sacraments.
Collect: Almighty and Everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities, stretch forth the right hand of Thy Majesty to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
