You Can Really Anger People By Doing This.

Luke 4:24-27 - And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.  "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."  NASU 

• Jesus Told Them The Truth 

If you want to make people really mad tell them the truth. This seems to be Jesus' plan.
 
He goes back to His home town of Nazareth and enters the synagogue. There He reads from the book of Isaiah. When He is finished reading, He informs them this prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled in their hearing it.
 
He is truthfully telling them He is the Messiah, the Christ or the Anointed One.
 
We know they didn't believe Him because He quotes their response, "…Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well."
 
They have heard about His miracles in Capernaum, but they want to see some personally before they are going to believe in Him.
 
It is going to take more than Jesus reading scripture and saying, "This is now fulfilled…" for them to become believers that He is the Messiah. 

• Jesus References 2 Old Testament Truths 

The first reference is I Kings 17 where the Prophet of God, Elijah, helps a Gentile widow.
 
His second reference is II Kings 5 where the Prophet of God, Elisha, heals a Gentile Captain of the hated Syrian Army from his leprosy.
 
What enrages the people of Nazareth is Jesus' comparison and conclusion. He informs them that there were many widows in Israel during the 3 1/2 years of famine, but God never sent any of His prophets to help them.
 
Then Jesus steps it up a notch when He said, "There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."  
 
This had to anger them severely. You want to talk about being stabbed in the heart with the truth. God helped the Captain of the Hated Syrian Army, but He never healed one Israelite who had leprosy.
 
Yes, that would have to sting. I have had people tell me they don't believe Jesus would ever hurt anyone's feelings. I always think they can't be talking about the same Jesus I know.
 
Because the One I know who was and is the Son of God, would hurt your feelings if you were living the wrong way. 
​

• How The People From Nazareth Felt 

Luke 4:28-29 - And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.  NASU
 
They were so enraged by His comments they literally want to kill Him.
 
I guess you could say, "Jesus really angered those people."
 
If you want to anger people tell them the truth.
 
Think On These:
 
The man who follows the crowd will never be followed by the crowd.
 
Truth often hurts, but it's the lie that leaves the scars.

Stay Pumped, 

Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page, Twitter or Forwarding to a friend.