When God Says …
“And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” (Luke 4:28-29 KJV).
This is such a sudden turnaround and acceleration of tension that these fellow town’s folks of the Lord have displayed. When they heard Him read the scroll of scriptures with authority, they were amazed of the gracious words He spoke filled with wisdom. Then, in contrast they questioned His identity. They labeled Him based on their knowledge of His ordinary life. Now, as they hear Him tell of the gentile widow who was blessed and the Syrian leper Naaman who was the only leper ever healed, they’re filled with wrath! These stories serve to warn them that God’s blessings go beyond Israel to the gentiles because of their rejection.
Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ went through all these rejection and hostility in His hometown of Nazareth for declaring the truth - read from the scroll of the writings of Isaiah, that He is the fulfillment of the prophecy, and that there are consequences for rejection. With these proclamations, the crowd were filled with rage and attempted to throw Him off a cliff. Truth is a nemesis of the world. In the gospel of John, the Lord Jesus warns: "the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:17 NIV).
The Lord Jesus was rejected, and we too shall be, being saved by grace and members of His body. But, being born again by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, He assured us that the Spirit lives with and in us! Hence, He warned us with a comforting promise: ““Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:16-23 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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