Hometown Boy

Last night, my wife and I watched The Chosen, Episode 3, Season 3. Powerful episode. Jesus spoke in the synagogue, and read from the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 61. The people rebelled when he asserted that he fulfilled the prophecy and when pressed, he asserted that he was the law of God. Why did the people rebel? Why did they want to toss him off a cliff? The people knew him. He grew up in the area. Jesus himself knew and acknowledged that a prophet was not accepted in his hometown.

I wonder about the current religious/spiritual state of our nation. I wonder why so many do not believe Jesus is the Messiah… Lord of lords, King of kings. Is it because they think they grew up with the Gospel – America’s hometown boy? Is it because they saw the one depicted in many of our churches and families become a lesser god – even less than we saw ourselves – as our belief and faith waned? Like the men and women in that synagogue that day in Nazareth, I suppose that is possible.

Of course, times have changed, but we still have that portion of Isaiah 61 hanging out there. In Nazareth he read, “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…” Today, tomorrow? He will soon proclaim: “the day of vengeance of our God.” For those who have ears, let them hear.