Luke 4:14 - Meaning and Application

After Christ had defeated the evil spirit, he showed how fully he was under the power of the good Spirit. After he had defended himself against the devil’s attacks, he now begins to attack in return through his preaching and miracles, which the devil could not resist or turn back.

Here we are first told in general about his preaching and how people received it in Galilee, a distant part of the country, far from Jerusalem. It was part of Christ’s humiliation that he began his ministry there. Yet he came there in the power of the Spirit. The same Spirit that prepared him for his prophetic office also strongly moved him to begin it. He did not need to wait for a human call, because he had light and life in himself.

He taught in their synagogues, their public meeting places for worship. Unlike the temple, which was for ceremonial services, the synagogues were used for reading, explaining, and applying the word, for prayer and praise, and for church discipline. These gatherings became more common after the captivity, when the ceremonial worship was nearly ending. Through this work, he gained a great reputation. News about him spread through the whole region (Luke 4:14), and it was good news, for (Luke 4:15) he was praised by everyone. People admired him and spoke highly of him, because they had never heard preaching like this before. At first, he faced no contempt or argument. Everyone praised him, and no one yet spoke against him.

Next we come to his preaching at Nazareth, the town where he grew up, and the response it met there. There we are told both how he preached and how he was opposed. He came to Nazareth after gaining a good name in other places, hoping that some of the contempt and prejudice from his townspeople might be softened. There he preached in the synagogue, the right place for public worship, where he had attended as a private man before (Luke 4:16). We too should attend public worship whenever we can. Now that he had entered public ministry, he preached there. Where the fish were gathered, this wise Fisherman would cast his net.

He also preached there on the Sabbath day, the proper time for godly Jews, not just to rest from ordinary work, but to attend to God’s worship. Long before, they had gathered at the schools of the prophets on the new moons and Sabbaths. It is good to keep Sabbaths in solemn gatherings. He stood up to read, which shows reverence for reading and hearing God’s word. In their synagogues they had seven readers each Sabbath, the first a priest, the second a Levite, and the other five Israelites from that synagogue. We often find Christ preaching in other synagogues, but here alone, in Nazareth, where he had long been a member, we find him reading. He offered his service, as he likely had often done before, and read one of the lessons from the prophets (Acts 13:15). The reading of Scripture is very fitting in religious gatherings, and Christ did not think it beneath him to do it.

The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, either by the synagogue ruler or by the minister mentioned later (Luke 4:20), so he was not intruding, but properly authorized for this occasion. Since the second lesson for that day came from Isaiah, they gave him that scroll to read. He stood up to read, which teaches us to be reverent when reading and hearing God’s word. When Ezra opened the book of the law, all the people stood up (Nehemiah 8:5). Christ did the same here when he read from the prophets.

When the book was given to him, he opened it. The books of the Old Testament were, in a sense, shut until Christ opened them (Isaiah 29:11). The Lamb who was slain is worthy to take the book and open its seals, because he can open not only the book, but also the understanding. He found the place appointed for that day’s reading, without needing direction. He quickly found it, read it, and took it as his text. The text came from Isaiah 61:1, 2, and is quoted here at length (Luke 4:18, 19). It was no accident that this passage was read that day, because it speaks so clearly of the Messiah. That left them without excuse if they did not know him, even though they heard the prophets read every Sabbath, and those prophets bore witness about him (Acts 13:27).

This text gives a full account of Christ’s work and of what he came into the world to do. First, it shows how he was fitted for the work: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me.” All the gifts and graces of the Spirit were given to him without limit, unlike other prophets, who received them only in part (John 3:34). He now came in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14). Second, it shows how he was appointed: “Because he has anointed me and sent me.” His special gifts were themselves part of his commission. Being anointed means both that he was prepared for the task and called to it. Those whom God appoints for service, he also anoints for it. Because the Father sent him, he also sent his Spirit with him.

Third, it shows what his work was. He was fitted and sent to be a great prophet. He was anointed to preach, and that is said three times here, because this was the work he was now beginning. He was to preach to the poor, to people who were poor in this world and despised by the Jewish teachers, and also to those who were poor in spirit, the meek and humble, and those who truly mourn over sin. The gospel and its grace are welcome to them, and they will receive them (Matthew 11:5). In general, he must preach the gospel. The word means to bring good news, not only to speak it, but to make it effective, so that it reaches not just the ears, but the heart.

He was to preach deliverance to the captives. The gospel is a proclamation of freedom, like the announcements made to Israel in Egypt and Babylon. By Christ’s merit, sinners can be freed from guilt, and by his Spirit and grace they can be freed from the power of corruption. It is a rescue from the worst kind of slavery, and all who are willing to make Christ their head and ruler receive its benefit. He was also to preach recovery of sight to the blind. He came not only through the word of his gospel to bring light to those in darkness, but through the power of his grace to give sight to those who were blind. This includes not only the Gentile world, but every unconverted soul, which is both in bondage and in blindness, like Samson and Zedekiah.

Christ came to tell us that he has eye salve for us, and we can have it for asking. If our prayer is, “Lord, open our eyes,” his answer will be, “Receive your sight.”

He also came to bring “the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:19). He came to tell the world that the God they had offended was willing to be reconciled to them and receive them on new terms. There was still a way to make their service acceptable to him, and there was now a time of goodwill toward people. This points to the year of release, or the year of jubilee, which was an acceptable year for servants, who were then set free, for debtors, whose claims were dropped, and for those who had mortgaged their land, because they got it back. Christ came to sound the jubilee trumpet, and blessed were those who heard that joyful sound (Psalm 89:15). It was an acceptable time, because it was a day of salvation.

Christ also came as a great Physician. He was sent to heal the brokenhearted, to comfort and cure troubled consciences, and to give peace to those who are troubled and humbled by sin and by fear of God’s anger against it. He came to give rest to those who are weary and burdened under guilt and corruption, the inner decay of sin.

He came as a great Redeemer. He does more than proclaim liberty, as Cyrus did when he allowed the Jews in Babylon to return home, saying, “Whoever will, may go up.” He actually sets free those who are bruised. He does this by his Spirit, who inclines and enables them to make use of the liberty he grants, just as only those whose spirits God stirred up returned under Cyrus (Ezra 1:5). He came in God’s name to discharge poor sinners who were debtors and prisoners to divine justice. The prophets could only announce liberty, but Christ, with authority and power to forgive sins, came to set people free. That is why this line is added here. Dr. Lightfoot thinks Christ also drew it from Isaiah 58:6, where the acceptable year includes letting the oppressed go free, and where the Septuagint uses the same wording here.

Here is Christ’s own application of this text to himself (Luke 4:21). After reading it, he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the minister, or clerk, who served there, and sat down, as the Jewish teachers customarily did. He sat daily in the temple, teaching (Matthew 26:55). Then he began his message with these words: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, “What Isaiah wrote as prophecy, I have now read to you as history.”

It was beginning to be fulfilled in Christ’s public ministry, in the reports they heard of his preaching and miracles elsewhere, and in his preaching to them in their own synagogue. Most likely, Christ went on to show how this prophecy was fulfilled in his message about the kingdom of heaven being near. That message brought liberty, sight, healing, and all the blessings of the Lord’s acceptable year. Many other gracious words came from his mouth too, but these were only the beginning, because Christ often preached long sermons that we only know in summary. This was enough to open a great subject: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.”

We should note two things here. First, every Old Testament Scripture that was to be fulfilled in the Messiah was fully accomplished in the Lord Jesus. That strongly proves he was the one who was to come. Second, in God’s providence, we should watch for Scripture being fulfilled. God’s works complete not only his hidden word, but also his revealed word. It helps us understand both Scripture and providence when we compare them with each other.

The hearers showed attention and admiration. Their attention is seen in this, that the eyes of all who were in the synagogue, and likely a great many were there, were fixed on him, waiting eagerly to hear what he would say. It is good, when hearing the word, to keep our eyes fixed on the minister through whom God is speaking to us. The eye often shapes the heart, and the heart usually follows the eye, either wandering or staying fixed. Or better still, we should learn from this to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, speaking to us in and through the minister. What is my Lord saying to his servants?

Their admiration is seen in this, that they all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words that came from his mouth. Yet, as the rest of the story shows, they still did not believe in him. It is possible to admire good ministers and good preaching and still not be true Christians. What did they admire? The gracious words that came from his mouth, words full of grace, good words spoken in a winning, tender way. Christ’s words are words of grace, because grace was poured into his lips (Psalm 45:2), and words of grace flowed from them. We may well wonder that he would speak such gracious words to such ungracious people as we are.

What deepened their wonder was their thought about his background: “Is this not Joseph’s son?” His family seemed plain, and his upbringing seemed plain too. Some may have admired his gracious words all the more because of that, thinking he must have been taught by God, since they knew no one else had taught him. Others may have used the same thought to lessen their admiration, deciding that nothing truly great could come from someone so ordinary, whatever appearances suggested, because he was Joseph’s son. Can anything great, or worth our attention, come from one so humble?

Christ also answered an objection he knew many of his hearers were already forming in their minds. The objection was this: “Physician, heal yourself” (Luke 4:23).

Because they knew he was the son of Joseph, their neighbor, they expected Jesus to work miracles among them, just as he had done elsewhere. It was like expecting a doctor, if he is able, to heal not only himself, but also his own family and fellow workers. Most of Christ’s miracles were healings, so they were really saying, “Why should the sick in your own town not be healed too? If people have heard what you did in Capernaum, do the same here in your own country.”

They were pleased with his gracious words only because they hoped those words would lead to great miracles. They wanted their lame, blind, sick, and lepers healed, partly so the town would not have to bear the cost. In truth, that was the main thing they wanted. They thought Nazareth was just as worthy a place for miracles as any other town, and they felt his neighbors ought to benefit first from his preaching and power.

Jesus answers this objection in two ways. First, he gives a simple and clear reason why he would not make Nazareth his base, because it is generally true that no prophet is accepted in his own country, at least not as well, and not with the same chance of doing good, as in another place (Luke 4:24). Experience confirms this. When prophets are sent with messages and miracles of mercy, few people in their own country, who know their family and upbringing, are ready to receive them. Familiarity often breeds contempt, and we tend to think little of those we have always known. People also usually envy their neighbors, and they cannot bear to see someone they once thought equal to them now above them.

For that reason, Christ did not choose to do anything unusual at Nazareth, because they already had deep prejudice against him there. Second, he supports this with examples from two of the most well-known prophets in the Old Testament, both of whom gave their help to foreigners rather than to their own people, and did so under God’s direction.

Elijah helped a widow from Zarephath, a city in Sidon, a woman outside the nation of Israel, when there was a famine in the land (Luke 4:25-26). The story is in 1 Kings 17:9 and following. Scripture says the heavens were shut up for three years and six months. Yet 1 Kings 18:1 says that in the third year Elijah showed himself to Ahab and rain came. That third year was not the third year of the drought itself, but the third year of Elijah’s stay with the widow of Zarephath. In this way, God showed himself to be a Father to the fatherless and a Judge of widows, and also rich in mercy to all, even to Gentiles, meaning non-Jewish nations.

Elisha cleansed Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy, even though Naaman was a foreigner and an enemy of Israel (Luke 4:27). Many lepers were in Israel in the days of Elisha. Four men especially brought the news that the Syrians had fled from the siege of Samaria, leaving their camp behind and allowing Samaria to be supplied. This happened while Elisha was shut up in the besieged city, and it fulfilled his prophecy as well (2 Kings 7:1, 3, and following). Yet we do not find that Elisha cleansed any of those lepers, not even as a reward for the good news they brought. He healed only the Syrian, because no one else had faith enough to come to the prophet for healing.

Christ often found greater faith among Gentiles than among Israel. He mentions these two examples to show that he did not give out the blessings of his miracles based on private favor, but according to God’s wise plan. The people of Israel could just as well have said to Elijah or Elisha, “Physician, heal yourself,” as the Nazarenes said it to Christ. In fact, Christ worked his miracles, if not among his own townsmen, then among Israelites, while those great prophets worked among Gentiles. The example of holy people does not make a wrong action right, but it can help protect a good action from unfair criticism.

Their anger at Nazareth was stirred up by his mention of God’s favor shown to Gentiles through Elijah and Elisha. When they heard this, they were filled with rage (Luke 4:28). They were all angry, which was a great change from Luke 4:22, when they marveled at the gracious words coming from his mouth. The crowd’s opinions and feelings were very unstable. If they had mixed faith with the words that first pleased them, these later words would have warned them not to waste their chance to repent. But they only liked the sound of his words, and nothing deeper. So these remarks offended them and stirred up their sinful anger.

They were angry that he, whom they knew as the son of Joseph, should speak of himself in the same company as those great prophets. They were also offended that he compared the prophets with the men of their corrupt age, when everyone had bowed to Baal, the false god. But what especially enraged them was his hint that God still had kindness in store for the Gentiles. The Jews could not bear that thought (Acts 22:21). Their faithful ancestors had looked forward to the Gentiles being brought into God’s people, as many of David’s psalms and Isaiah’s prophecies show. But this later generation had lost the covenant blessing themselves, and they hated the idea that anyone else might be included.

Their anger became so strong that they tried to kill him. This was a hard trial at the very start of his ministry, but it was only a sample of the treatment he would later receive when he came to his own people, and they did not receive him. They rose up in a riot, broke off his discourse, and even stopped their own worship, since they would not wait for the synagogue service to end. They drove him out of the city, as though he had no right to live among them, even though he had lived there for so long. They cast out the Savior and the salvation he brought, as if he were the refuse of the world. He would have been fully justified in calling down fire from heaven on them, but this was the day of his patience.

They led him to the edge of the hill, intending to throw him down headlong, as one they thought should not be allowed to live.

Though they knew how harmless he had lived among them for so many years, and how pure his whole life had been, they still hurried him away in a wild rush, really a frenzy, to kill him in a cruel way. They had sometimes wanted to stone him for the good works he had done (John 10:32), and here they wanted to punish him for not doing the kind of miracles they had expected from him. Violence had grown very bold among them.

Yet he escaped, because his time had not yet come. He passed right through the crowd without being harmed. Either God blinded their eyes, as he did with the people of Sodom and the Syrians, or he restrained their hands, or he confused them so completely that they could not carry out their plan. His work was not finished, it had only just begun, and his hour had not yet come. When that hour did come, he freely gave himself up. They drove him away, and he went on his way.

He would have gathered Nazareth to himself, but they would not come, so their house is left to them desolate. This made the shame of his being called Jesus of Nazareth even greater. Nazareth was already a place where people expected little good, and now it was also known as a rude, wicked place that was unkind to him. Even so, God’s providence was at work. He was not to be greatly honored by the people of Nazareth, because that might have made it seem as if there were some scheme between him and his old neighbors. But now, though his own people did not receive him, others did.