Who Does He Think He Is?

I was once asked to conduct a funeral in the village in which I was brought up in my early years. When I went into the room where the people were gathered I heard someone say, "Who is that?" A person answered, saying, "He is (my father's) son".

Jesus went back to the village where he had been brought up. People did know who he was; he had lived and worked there in Nazareth and he had obviously faithfully attended the synagogue services on the Sabbath days. It was obvious that Jesus had been educated to read the Scriptures, and he had probably taught the people as well. They were used to him in Nazareth, although he may have been away for some time. How strange then that when Jesus began to teach the people their reaction went from being pleased to being really hostile to him — so much so that they chased him out of town and even tried to kill him. Why was that?

It is a strange fact that people are often very happy to hear good Gospel preaching until they realise that if they were to really believe the claims of the Gospel their lives would be changed. Then they turn away from it as if to say to God (and the preacher), "Who do you think you are telling me to come and confess my sin?" There is too often an angry reaction to the Gospel. How sad the heart of Jesus must have been when he had to escape for his life from his own home village!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may I never try to turn my back on the Gospel. Amen