Luke 4:14-30
Good News in Nazareth
Read the passage
14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.
15He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.
16Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
17the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:
18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,
21and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
23Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”
24Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
25But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.
26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.
27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
28On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.
29They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.
30But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spreads. He teaches in the synagogues, and people praise Him. In Nazareth, where He was brought up, He enters the synagogue on the Sabbath and reads from Isaiah.
The reading announces good news for the poor, liberty for captives, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed, and the year of the Lord's favor. Jesus says that this Scripture has been fulfilled in their hearing. He is not only explaining a promise for some distant day. He identifies himself as the Spirit-anointed messenger through whom God's promised rescue has arrived.
At first the people marvel at His gracious words and ask whether He is Joseph's son. Jesus knows they want Him to perform in His hometown. He recalls a widow in Sidon helped through Elijah and Naaman the Syrian cleansed through Elisha. God showed mercy to these Gentiles even while many people in Israel shared their needs.
The congregation becomes furious. They drive Jesus out of town and take Him to the brow of the hill, intending to throw Him down. But He passes through their midst and goes away. Familiarity has turned admiration into anger when grace refuses to stay inside their boundaries.
How We Know
The announcement Jesus reads draws on Isaiah 61:1–2, with language about releasing the oppressed also found in Isaiah 58:6. Luke then records Jesus saying that the Scripture is fulfilled in his hearers' presence. The point is stronger than a general resemblance: Jesus directly identifies his ministry with God's promised good news and release.
Questions
1 What does Jesus read from Isaiah?
AnswerHe reads about good news for the poor, liberty for captives, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed, and the Lord's favor.
2 What does Jesus claim about the reading?
AnswerHe says the Scripture has been fulfilled in the people's hearing, identifying His ministry with God's promised restoration.
3 Why does the synagogue become angry?
AnswerJesus says God's mercy has reached outsiders before and implies that grace cannot be claimed as a hometown possession.
4 What boundary might this expose in a family?
AnswerNotice whether we celebrate mercy only when it benefits people like us. Ask where resentment appears when God welcomes someone we would rather keep at a distance.
What This Means for Us
Jesus' mission includes proclamation and practical release. Good news is not a private feeling; it addresses poverty, captivity, blindness, oppression, and the welcome of people outside our preferred circle.
Nazareth also warns religious households about entitlement. Knowing Jesus' name, belonging to a church, or having a long history of faith does not give us control over whom God may show mercy.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us hearts ready to receive Your good news and share it with people we might overlook. Expose our entitlement, deepen our compassion, and make our household a place of welcome and truth. Amen.