Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world

Christian Meditations – A Chris Hansen Column

January 13, 2008

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From the Sunday School Series

Chris Hansen

chrishansen54@sbcglobal.net

Luke Sunday school class October 21, 2007 Jesus rejected by his hometown

 by Chris Hansen

author: “Revelation Revisited,” “Secret of the Psalms,” “Grandfather’s Journal,”

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“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and news about Him spread to the whole countryside. Luke 4:15. The journey from Jerusalem to Galilee is about a hundred miles. This passage in Luke indicates that Jesus did not make a nonstop journey from Jerusalem back to his hometown. It is clear that Jesus stopped along the way to preach, heal, and drive out demons. It was His custom to visit synagogues as He went. That is why news about Him spread so quickly and so widely. “He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him.” Luke 4:16.

At that time, Nazareth was a tiny village of about 300 people, most of whom were closely related by marriage or common ancestry. The houses were built around a central common courtyard. The father in a particular house would assign his son to build on an addition to the home. Then, when the addition was ready, the son would fetch his betrothed, and bring her home to his house amidst a joyous wedding celebration. These joint houses, or insula, surrounded the courtyard where the children would play, the women would cook, and the men would gather. Life also revolved around the town synagogue. This building functioned as a place of worship, study, communal meals, and town meetings.

On a typical Sabbath day, people would gather and prepare for worship. Just outside the synagogue was a ritual bath called a mikvah. Worshipers would dip themselves in the pool before entry into the synagogue. People would then sit on benches, and sometimes, men and women sat together.

The worship consisted of prayers, singing, and scripture reading. The synagogue custodian would make sure the building was cared for, and would look after the sacred Biblical scrolls. A calendar of readings was followed over a 3 year cycle. Readings were preset in advance so that a selection from the Torah, or 5 books of Moses would be read, along with a reading from the prophets, Psalms, and writings, such as Daniel. Any male 13 years or older, member or visitor, was allowed to read the selected text for that Sabbath, and was allowed to comment.

This was a special time, because, a father might have the pleasure of hearing his own son comment on a scripture, or a young child might have the privilege of hearing from an elderly relative who would comment on God’s faithfulness over a lifetime. A visiting Rabbi, such as Jesus, would often be invited to speak. He would walk up to the seat of Moses, and the custodian would open a cabinet, sometimes a permanent part of the synagogue structure, and remove the selected scroll for that particular service. The visiting Rabbi would then read the passage, hand the scroll back to the attendant, who would then carefully store the scroll, and then the Rabbi would speak on the passage.

Coincidentally, Jesus just happened to be visiting the synagogue in his hometown on the very day when Isaiah 61 was scheduled, the very scripture that Jesus would use to announce the beginning of His ministry.

Coincidence? Or, ordained by God?  

We can see how God often orchestrates the ends and the means. God knew what scripture would be assigned, though Jesus wasn’t even there. God also knew just what scripture Jesus would need to announce His ministry. When Jesus read from the Isaiah scroll, He took the scroll in His hands, delicately unrolled the scroll going from right to left as He read, and gently rolled up the scroll on the left roller. The scrolls were written in columns, and the next column was found by rolling the scroll a little further from right to left. After the reading, the scroll was rewound from left to right, handed to the attendant who then carefully stored it back in its cabinet.

We don’t really know in what language the scroll was scripted. We have scrolls of Isaiah in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. So, which did Jesus use?

Because of their reverence for the ancient prophets, it is likely that Jesus read from the Hebrew scroll. Translations were available in other languages as well, but the Jews were very familiar with Hebrew.

School children were taught to read, and memorize in Hebrew from 3 years until about 12 years old. Especially gifted children were then sent on to advanced training until about 30 years old. Other less gifted children were sent to learn a trade, such as farming, fishing, merchandising, or crafts, such as building, or weaving. There is good evidence that Jesus was one of the gifted students who became a Rabbi, and learned the building trade on top of that!

The word for carpenter, techton, which depicts the skill that Jesus learned covers more than wood. This word can mean any number of building trades, including stone masonry. There is good evidence, therefore, that Jesus was respected for His head and His hands too. And, to top it all off, Jesus displayed amazing powers over diseases and over demons. He spoke gently to the common people, harshly to the self-righteous, and authoritatively to demons. He maddened His enemies with His wit, and turned permanently mad people into sane and sensible followers.

Who could explain Him? His hometown folks taunted Him by saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son? Physician, heal yourself!  Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum!” Luke 4:22-23. Jesus threw their taunt right back at them by reminding them that Elijah bypassed his Jewish people and performed a miracle for a foreigner, and that Elisha had done the very same thing! Luke 4:25-27.

The crowd was furious, and instead of taking His words to heart, they determined to kill this troublesome Rabbi, Jesus! This became all too common a pattern-when you don’t like the message, kill the messenger! Cities like Nazareth were usually built on a cliff for defense, if one was available. The crowd meant to throw Jesus over the edge of this cliff. By miraculous means, Jesus simply walked right through the crowd and went His way. It simply was not yet time for Jesus to die. God decides when that day comes.

Jesus journeyed back to Capernaum, a larger city built on the shore of Lake Galilee, which the Rabbis have named “the most beautiful sea God ever created!” Fresh, blue, sparkling water glistens even today from this lake, because the Jordan River flows into this lake at one end, and flows out at the other end. Icy melted snow water flows down from about 8000 feet into Lake Galilee. This sparkling lake is about 13 miles long and about 8 miles wide. Jesus spent many pleasant hours and days in this gorgeous spot.

Because Lake Galilee is a major fresh water site, quite a number of cities sprang up along its shores. It was also a hundred miles away from the corrupt Herodian family. So, this beautiful lake was an ideal spot for a jumping off point for the ministry of Jesus.