Jesus’ Ministry
February 3, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:21-30

Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

For this people’s heart has grown dull,
   and their ears are hard of hearing,
     and they have shut their eyes;
     so that they might not look with their eyes,
   and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
   and I would heal them.” –Matthew 13:15

Loss of interest in God seems cyclical. When things are going well loving God does not seem so important. In bad times, now that is a different story. The thing is God longs for good times for all God’s children all the time and the source of that happening is very simple, we need to love God and all of God’s children. Do we shy away from that because caring about others is not fun or exciting? Do we separate from God because we think we are responsible for the good in our lives but not the bad?

Jesus healed many, fed many, forgave many and yet he ran afoul of the religious leaders. I cannot image what runs through the mind of God as God sees the divisions among God’s children. What more could God give than God’s son to teach us how to love?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us again as we strive for abundance outside the circle of your love. Amen.