Familiarity Breeds Contempt (Luke 4)

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT (LUKE 4:14-30)

One cold night, as a sheik lay in his tent, a camel thrust the flap aside and looked in. “I pray thee, Master,” he said, “let me put my nose within the tent, for it is cold outside.” “By all means,” yawned the sheik, who was bored and listless from having reposed on his pillows all day. “Do so if you wish.”

The camel poked his nose into the tent. “If I might but warm my neck also,” he said presently. “It's all the same to me,” answered the sheik. So the beast stuck his neck inside, and contented itself a little while by looking about.

Soon the camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, spoke up again. “It will take but little more room if I put my forelegs within the tent when he said: “Master, I'm keeping the flap open by standing here like this, I think I ought to come all the way inside.” “Whatever you like,” the sheik nodded, moving over some more so the beast might enter.

So the camel came forward and crowded into the tent. No sooner was he inside then he looked hard at the sheik. “I think,” he said, “that there is not enough room for both of us here. It will be best for you to stay outside, as you are the smaller. Then there will be room enough for me.” And with that he pushed the sheik out into the cold and darkness (William J. Bennett, The Moral Compass 237-38, NY/Simon and Schuster/95)

It’s been said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Jesus said, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” The Chinese say, “Local ginger is not spicy.”

Jesus grew up in Nazareth (Luke 2:39, Matt 2:23) but he left Nazareth to live in Capernaum (Matt 4:13), supposedly the Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt 4:15), when he was harshly and soundly by his hometown. What can we learn from Jesus’ rejection? Why did Jesus even bother to preach in Nazareth?

Be Single-minded When Others are Superficial
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn't this Joseph's son?” they asked. (Luke 4:14-22)

A few days ago (March 31, 2011), we were watching TV together where a man asked his wife, “If I and your brother were to fall into the ocean together, who would you save first?” “Of course my brother. He’s my only relative.” The man was disappointed, but the wife explained, “You know how to swim. You don’t need me to rescue you.”

So my wife added, “Who would you save in a sinking boat: your mother or me? Not wanting to get into trouble, I said, “Of course you.” My wife said, “Wrong. You should save your mother because I am bound for heaven but your mother has not accepted the Lord.”

Have you ever wondered by Jesus bothered to return to a hostile crowd and environment? The bookends to this episode of Jesus hostile reception in Nazareth is His powerful ministry “throughout out the whole countryside” (v 14) and his ministry in Capernaum (vv 31-34). Previously, everyone through the whole countryside praised him (v 15). Later the people were amazed at his teaching in Capernaum (v 32), where he cast out an evil spirit from a demon-possessed man. The phrase “power of the Spirit” is exclusive to Jesus, not applicable to anyone else in the Scriptures. The response to Him was tremendous. Not one person had anything unflattering, unfavorable or unfriendly to say to Him.

The power of the Spirit, internal strength, is compounded by external witness. Word of mouth was at an optimum. Jesus debuted as a teacher in Galilee, teaching in their synagogues - plural, and everyone praised him (v 15). He was never short of admirers in all places except for one place - Nazareth. He “taught” everywhere but his hometown, the synagogue where he attended, where he got as far as to “read” but never got to “teach” the people, like he did through the whole countryside (v 14).

Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah by referring to Isa 61:1, where the verb “anointed” (v 18) or “mashach” is the root word for “Messiah” in Hebrew. The word “anoint” occurs merely five times in the New Testament, all exclusive to Jesus (v 18, Acts 4:27, 10:38, 2 Cor 1:21, Heb 1:9)

So Jesus came with grand introduction, much pomp and great fanfare, but all fell flat in his hometown. There was no better place or prouder moment for Jesus to trumpet His claim or credentials, no greater homecoming. It was a hometown proudest moment, no bigger way to pay back homefolks and to make his parents proud. “All” is repeated three times -- everyone praised him (v 15), the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him (v 20) and all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips (v 22). Why? They were unimpressed because they were all too familiar with his father, mother and siblings (Matt 13:55-57).

Be Straight-forward When Others are Self-righteous
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'“ 24 “I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed — only Naaman the Syrian.” (Luke 4:23-27)

A man went back to the pet shop where he had purchased a parakeet several weeks before and said, “You have a hell of a nerve selling me that talking parakeet.” The owner was rather surprised, since he remembered this particular customer because he had been so insistent about buying a talking parakeet.

“What’s the matter?” asked the owner. “Won’t the bird talk?”

“Oh, he talks all right,” replied the bird’s owner, “but how would you like to live with a sarcastic parakeet?”

“I don’t think I quite understand,” replied the owner of the pet store.

“Well,” said the man, “when I took the bird home, every morning for a solid week I would stand outside his cage and say, ‘Can you talk?’ and for a solid week I got no answer. So one morning I was relay disgusted, and I said, ‘What’s the matter stupid? Can’t you talk?’ And that parakeet looked at me and said, ‘I can talk , all right, but can you fly?’” (Toastmaster General’s Favorite Jokes 173, George Jessel, Castle Books)

Verse 23 is unique because Jesus used two imperatives to highlight the locals’ sarcastic remarks in their heart and their scornful demand from him: heal, do. This is one of four listed derisive challenges made to Jesus with the use of “yourself” in the imperative mood in the gospels, including “throw yourself down” (Matt 4:6), “save yourself” (Matt 27:40, Mark 15:30, Luke 23:37) and “shew thyself to the world” (John 7:4) – the last one from his brothers. Jesus did his fair share of miracles in Capernaum. The notable ones include healing the centurion servant (Matt 8:5-6, Mark 1:21-23), driving out an evil spirit, and healing the paralytic man (Mark 2:1-5), healing many of various diseases (Mark 1:34), including Simon's mother-in-law (Mark 1:30) and even a man of leprosy (Luke 5:12). He was called Jesus of Nazareth (Matt 26:71, Mark 1:24, 10:47, 14:67, 16:6, Luke 4:34, 18:37, 24:19, John 1:45, 18:5, 18:7, 19:19, Acts 2:22, 6:14, 10:38, 22:8, 26:9) but, sadly, he never did any miracle in Nazareth.

Jesus pointed to a prophet’s rejection and used popular ones such as Elijah and Elisha to emphasize his point. Elijah and Elisha were the prophets with the most miracles in Israel. No prophet rivals either of this tandem. Most are superior with with words, nut inferior in miracles. Elijah stayed with a widow in Zarephath for three years (1 Kings 18:1), which was a long time receiving support from an outsider. Living off a wealthy woman’s support is not an easy thing for a man to do, let alone a widow’s support, but God rather him live off a Gentile, a woman, and a widow than with his own people, how shameful and shocking is that. The widow represents the neediest of needy financially in society. The last person God wanted Elijah to live with is a fellow countryman, knowing the locals’ small-mindedness, selfishness, and stinginess. God preferred him to live with a single parent of the opposite sex than a fellow countryman of the same country.

Elijah’s case was no worse. The target of Elijah’s opposition was the king of Israel, and Elisha against the Syrians. Elisha never dealt with the Syrian army, but the Syrians were most active during Elisha’ ministry, almost the only enemies. To the end Elisha, after healing Namaan, never pocketed a cent from the general’s gratitude. Namaan represented the powerful, picky, proud, the type Elisha had the most problems with, but still he healed him. Not only was Naaman the first leper to be healed in the Old Testament, he was the only person. The righteous king Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died (2 Chron 26:21).

Be Self-controlled When Others are Stiff-necked
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. (Luke 4:28-30)

Husband to wife: When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger?

Wife: I clean the toilet bowl.

Husband: How does that help?

Wife: I use your toothbrush.

“Furious” means “filled with wrath” in Hebrew and KJV, not mere “wrath.” “Wrath” itself occurs for the only time in the gospels, in this incident, to emphasize how explosive, extreme and exaggerated the response was. This word is not lightly used, so that it appears once also in seven other books ranging from Acts to Hebrews (Acts 19:28, Rom 2:8, 2 Cor 12:20, Gal 5:20, Eph 4:31, Col 3:8) but finds and fulfills its potential most in Revelation, an outburst not normal and encouraging, leaving the bulk of its use to Revelation, where it occurs as many as 10 times (Rev 12:12, 14:8, 14:10, 14:19, 15:1, 15:7, 16:1, 16:19, 18:3, 19:15). The locals were not only angry but were “filled with wrath,” which is its only instance in the Bible. There is no anger like mob anger. There is no way to coral, control, contain, counter their anger.

In Hebrews 11:27, it refers to Moses, who forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. Out of the ten times in Revelation half of them refers to the “wrath of God” (Rev 14:10, 19, 15:1, 15:7, 16:1) that is poured upon the earth.

Even then, this is the only instance of an individual is nowhere except here is “filled with wrath” used. The Jews did not invite him to the hill, but followed that up with taking him to the brow of the hill to throw him down the cliff (v 29). A brow (eye-” brow” or forehead) is the brink of a precipice. They were so angry they could not think straight. All they wanted was to exact blood. They were ready to kill and murder. Nobody said “stop,” “wait” or “think.” Instead of driving him out of town, they went further by taking him to a hill. “Throw him down the cliff” (kata-kremnizo) is “down-cliff,” the latter (kremnizo) is translated as “steep bank” (Matt 8:32, Mark 5:13, Luke 8:33). How steep? Both Mark and Luke explain Jesus was on a mountain (Mark 5:11, Luke 8:32) when he cast a herd of swine out of a demon-possessed man.

Conclusion: Popularity is overrated. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)