Luke Chapter 4. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,

Transcription

1 Luke Chapter 4 1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours. 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve. 9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you, 11 and, In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, It has been said, You shall not tempt the LORD your God. 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 1

2 - This temptation and fasting of Christ is related at length here in Luke and also in Matthew. o In Mark this episode is very short. o John omits it altogether. - full of the Holy Spirit o Coffman says.. The Holy Spirit dwelt without measure in the sinless Christ. In support of this thought consider. John 3:34: For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. KJV o But consider also Acts 6:3 & 5.. where the same phrase is used. Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. KJV Acts 6:5.. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: KJV - returned from the Jordan o Where John had just baptized him and he was thus Full of the Holy Spirit. Many feel that this is when Jesus was fully prepared for the great task before Him. That is when the Spirit came upon Him and remained on Him. John 1:33.. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. RSV 2

3 This was also the time that God publicly acknowledged His as His Son. - was led by the Spirit into the wilderness o Mark 1:12 says.. The Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness o In other words Under the influence of the Spirit he was brought to the place of trial. This shows that Jesus was subjected to temptation according to the will of God. A deliberate purpose of the will of God, and not a purpose of His own. o But.. Jesus was not driven against his will.. He voluntarily yielded to the will of God. In order to be the Savior of tempted mankind, it was necessary that he Himself should be tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). o The expressed purpose of His being led into the wilderness was to be tempted of the devil. It was the will of God for Jesus to be tempted of the devil. To be tempted literally means to be stretched out or tried to the full strength. Jesus was to be tempted, enticed to do wrong by the devil, in order that he might be proved and tested for God s work. How was he going to use His unique powers? o Temptation of Christ indicated the possibility of sin. If.. it was impossible for Christ to sin, how could there have been any temptation. 3

4 o the wilderness Could be anywhere on the western side of the Jordan River. Tradition locates the place as a mountain west of Jericho. Mark 1:13 says And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him. RSV It is not recorded why Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. o B.W. Johnson makes this remark.. Moses and Elijah each fasted for the same length of time. It was a period of spiritual exaltation, of meditation and prayer, of preparation for his work, and it is hardly probable that he felt the need of food. He was afterward an hungered. At the close of this period nature began to assert her demands, and hunger was keenly felt. o And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. This became the occasion for the greatest assault of the tempter. Mark and Luke lead us to believe that Jesus was tempted during the forty days. Matthew implies that the temptation came at the close of the forty days. o Matthew 4:2-3.. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered. 3 And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. ASV 4

5 All agree, that Satan, at the conclusion of the forty days summoned all his power and made the final assault on Jesus. The first temptation was to turn stones into bread. Suggesting that Jesus should use his own miraculous power to meet his daily needs. Physical needs, as well as materialism without regard to spiritual needs misses what God intended for humanity. o Jesus quotes Deut. 8:3.. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. NKJV It is interesting to note these words It is written are the first upon record that were spoken by Jesus after his entrance into his public ministry. In other words his first words are a declaration of the authority of the scriptures. o To create bread out of stones.. contrary to God s will, and in obedience to Satan, would be to die, not live. The second temptation is in the area of Glory and dominion. This temptation was an appeal to Jesus to be in control of all the kingdoms of the world. 5

6 Notice here.. 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. o He is shown all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. o The word used here in the Greek literally means a mark made by a pointed instrument, a dot, hence, a point of time. o There was something supernatural in this act which enabled Jesus to see these in a moment of time. All these were promised to Jesus on the condition that he would worship him. o Literally Bend the knee to the devil. The kingdoms and the glory of them were held before Jesus as a temptation. o Jesus repelled the offer with.. Get behind Me, Satan! o Jesus knew he would receive an inheritance.. but it would come only from the hands of His Father. He would win all and more than the tempter offered Him.. but it would be a slow and painful process. Here again Jesus quoted scripture. o He said.. It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. (Deut. 6:13) 6

7 The third temptation recorded by Luke is for him to cast himself down in faith and prove that he was God s Son. Some feel that by doing so Jesus would have full proof of His divine Sonship. And others would have the proof of His Messiahship if he would just make this spectacular jump from the pinnacle of the temple. The problem is this: This was not God s way! o Some good might result from this act.. as it would show how completely He trusted God. o And.. it might convince some Jews that he was under divine protection. o Yet.. to leap from the pinnacle would not establish faith in God unless God had commanded it. This time the devil imitates Jesus and quotes scripture. He quoted Psalms 91:11. o For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways. He quoted verbatim from the Septuagint, but perverted the meaning of the scripture. o This was written to encourage faith. o Not to encourage presumption. To tempt or test God would be a sin. 7

8 o Especially at the command of the devil. o This is why Jesus quoted Deut. 6:16: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. o 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. The devil had temporarily exhausted his power. he departed until an opportune time or for a season. o Satan did not retire form the battle. o It was to be a long battle. o The battle did not end till Jesus departed from life on a cross. But we remember --- James 4:7.. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. RSV Angels ministered to him after the devil left. Matthew 4:11. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. RSV It is impossible to escape the assault of temptation in this life. But one thing is sure: o Temptations are not sent to us to make us fall. o They are sent to strengthen our minds and hearts and soul. 8

9 o They are meant to be tests from which we emerge better servants. The essence of the Temptation story is this: He was conscience of the tremendous task before him. He was conscience of the tremendous powers he possessed. Jesus had to struggle with His power and choose between the way of God and the way of the Adversary of God. We also have to make a choice who we will serve! 14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. 9

10 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, Is this not Joseph s son? 23 He said to them, You will surely say this proverb to Me, Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country. 24 Then He said, Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. - Several months intervened between the preceding paragraph and this one. o Jesus had been ministering in Judea (John 1:15 3:36) o Luke doesn t tell us anything about his ministry in Judea. - Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit (v.14) o Jesus came into Galilee, under the full influence of the Holy Spirit.. Which descended upon Him at His baptism. 10

11 Attended Him in the wilderness of temptation. And continued with Him in His ministry. - and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. o The ASV says.. and a fame went out concerning him through all the region round about. It is not related how many synagogues he visited, or how many towns and villages received him. But news of him was spreading fast! - And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. o The synagogue was the real center of religious life in Palestine. ( Synagogue means a gathering ) There was only one temple. But wherever there were ten Jewish families (men) there was a synagogue How this came about Captivity, tradition, oral law, etc. is not known for sure. o So in every town and village it was in the synagogue that the people met to worship. There were no sacrifices in the synagogue. The temple was designed for sacrifice the synagogue was designed for teaching. o To understand how Jesus was allowed to speak it helps to recall how the synagogue service was conducted. In the synagogue service there were three parts. 11

12 1. The worship part in which prayer was offered. 2. The reading of the scripture. Seven people from the congregation read. As they read the ancient Hebrew it was translated into Aramaic or Greek. 3. The teaching part. In the synagogue there was no professional ministry no one person to give the address. The president would invite any distinguished person present to speak and discussion and talk would follow. o That s how Jesus got His chance. o The synagogue and its platform were open to Him at this stage. The rulers of the synagogue might permit any rabbi or established teacher to address the people. o Paul used this platform extensively! - Verses 14 and 15 mention his fame at this time and that he was glorified by all. o Barclay says that this period of Jesus ministry has been called the Galilean springtime. He had come like a breath of the very wind of God. The opposition had not yet crystallized. Men s hearts were hungry for the word of life. They had not yet realized what a blow he was to strike at the orthodoxy of His time. 12

13 - 16 So He came to Nazareth o The home of His childhood and youth. Here.. he was among the people who had known him almost from His birth. o New Testament writers always speak of Nazareth as a city and never as a village. According to Josephus the population of Nazareth was about 15,000. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament. o And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, It was the regular habit of the Son of God to attend formal public worship. Although the old virtue of church attendance has been down played by many at different times it seems evident that it was a vital part of Christ life. Can his servants do any less! o and stood up to read. The Jews permitted the law and the prophets to be read only with the reader standing. They stood to read. And sat to expound or teach. o 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. When Jesus stood up in the synagogue, indicating his desire to read, they brought to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. 13

14 o And when He had opened the book The books were rolls of parchment, papyrus or linen which were rolled up on a stick and as they were read they gradually rolled around another of equal size. o He found the place where it was written: Isaiah 61:1 and following: 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; RSV o The Jews generally understood this prophecy to refer to the Messiah. Luke 4:18-19 (the prophecy of the good news for the following people is paraphrased from Isaiah) 18 The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. NKJV o 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. More correctly.. (Then he rolled up the scroll NIV) and gave it again to the attendant who brought it to him. When He sat down. He assumed the posture of a teacher. 14

15 o And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Something was in his manner.. in his tone of voice. Attention was riveted on Him! o 21 And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This was Jesus declaring Himself as the Messiah. The reaction to His statement was favorable. But.. this first impression was due to audience failure, at first, to realize the full significance of the declaration. o The more the people thought about what Jesus said.. the less they appreciated it. o The son (as they supposed) of a local carpenter.. the Messiah? This was utterly beyond their comprehension. o They totally rejected it! Their wonder and admiration soon yielded to feelings of contempt and they asked, Is not this Joseph s son? o Jesus was a man of humble circumstances. o His family had no distinguished place. o Jesus had received no training from the rabbis. 15

16 Jesus knew their thoughts and he may have heard their questions. He said, You will surely say this proverb to Me, Physician, heal yourself! o This was a common proverb or adage among the Jews. o It meant.. do that, which you would have another do, making similar claims.. give evidence, perform miracles which you would require of another. Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country. Capernaum was about sixteen miles from Nazareth. o The news could come in a day. o Jesus had performed no miracles in Nazareth. Mark 6:5 says And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. RSV o There was a jealous hostility derived from his working wonders in Capernaum instead of their town. 24 Then He said, Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. This proverb was repeated with a slight variation on his subsequent visit to Nazareth. Matthew 13:57-58 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without 16

17 honor except in his own country and in his own house. 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. RSV o The nearer home.. the less acceptable, the less honored! in the days of Elijah There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah. And Elijah didn t visit and bless all of them. To none of them was Elijah sent except for the widow at Sa-rep-ta, a city of Sidon.. not to a widow of Israel. The same was true with regard to Naaman. Resentment? What about all the lepers in Israel? They belonged to Elisha s native land. Yet he works his mightiest work in the interest of a pagan leper of heathen Syria! The argument involved in these illustrations in overwhelming. QUESTION: What is the force of the argument? o Nazareth has not claims, over Capernaum, nor for that matter, Capernaum over any other city. o All the widows and all the lepers in all Israel.. had no claims that God recognized them over the widow of Sa-rep-ta and Naaman of Syria. There are no claims that coerce God! 17

18 o Jesus did not come to Nazareth because it was his native city and thus had special claims on him. He brought the gospel to Nazareth.. as he brought it to any number of places in Galilee. Instead of receiving him gladly.. Nazareth thought of its special claims, met Jesus with this presumption and ended by driving Him out. And thus Jesus could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew) which caused even Jesus to Marvel. Mark 6:6. And he marveled because of their unbelief. RSV - 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, o They rose up as one man in there wrath. Or as the RSV says When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. An attitude is presented here.. It s one of contempt. In their minds. it was impossible for The Messiah, to talk of the Gentiles in the same breath with the chosen and elect of God. Who could even hint at the possibility of the accursed Gentiles sharing in their promised blessings! What angered the people, was the apparent compliment, that Jesus paid to Gentiles. The Jews were so sure that they were God s people that they utterly despised all others. 18

19 It s been said, that they believed that God had created Gentiles to be fuel for the fires of hell. The congregation turned into a mob! On the Sabbath. The intention of the people of Nazareth seems to foreshadow the violent end of Jesus Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. o What s going on here? Miracle? Awe? o I think verses like John 8:20 tell the story. John 8:20.. These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. RSV 31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. - They recognized that Jesus was no ordinary teacher! o His teaching was not patterned after the methods of the Pharisees. o He didn t bow down before the traditions of the elders. o He spoke the truth of God s word regardless of the prejudices of the people. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, 19

20 Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are the Holy One of God! 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be quiet, and come out of him! And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. QUESTION: What s unusual about Jesus dealing with the man with the unclean spirit? He talks to the unclean spirit. not to the man with the unclean spirit. o He was talking to the one in control! Two distinct personalities. The unclean spirit knew who he was. o This is what astonished them! They obeyed Him! What does all this say? It says.. o No scribe here! o What new thing is this? o What new doctrine is this? - The people were astonished at Jesus power. o The East was full of people who supposedly could exorcise demons. (Comparative Acts 8:6-13) But there was a mighty difference between the weird and bazaar methods with the great array of paraphernalia used to exorcise demons. 20

21 The calm single word of command of Jesus ring with sheer authority and this staggered them. (Wind be still, etc.) o Jesus authority was something quite new. When Rabbis taught they supported every statement with quotations. They always, There is a saying that.. Rabbi so and so said that.. They always appealed to authority. When the prophets spoke, they said, Thus saith the Lord. o Theirs was a delegated authority. When Jesus spoke he said, I say unto you. o He speaks and men know that this is beyond human argument this is God. - Jesus performed miracles as proof of His divine mission. o We see this in: John 9: Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. RSV John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father s name, they bear witness to me; RSV John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. ASV

22 QUESTION: Do we have any insight concerning unclean spirits? Do they exist today? Do we, as some suggest, just call them by different names (virus, cancer, T.B., smallpox, etc.)? Were these people just mentally deranged or epileptic as some suggest? - Zechariah 13:1-5 (Messianic Prophet.. Priest & Prophet) o In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3 And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive: 5 but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth. ASV - Out of Jerusalem will come a fountain opened for the cleansing of sin. o This is, first of all, within its original context, dealing with false and lying prophets as well as idolatry. o Secondarily, this may well talk about the time of Christ and shortly following, when the unclean spirits, as well as the prophets would pass out of the land. At any rate.. the unclean spirits seemed to have abounded during the time of Christ. However.. they don t seem to be around much as we get into the time of the later epistles. It would seem that as the time of miracles pasted, so did the unclean spirits. See also 1Cor. 13:8-13 along this line. 22

23 There are certainly many diseases today, as there was then, but they never exhibited a personality as did the demon s of the NT. Demon s were exorcised (cast out) not healed. Many people were healed from different diseases, ailments, and physical disabilities miraculously by Jesus and the apostles, as well as by others, who possessed the gift of healing (1Cor. 12:9). QUESTION: Why did Jesus tell the unclean spirit to hold his peace? Many rightly say He would accept no testimony from such a source. o Demons were not to be witnesses and messengers to proclaim the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. o The faith that people had in him must come from the testimony which God furnished.. not from demons. But I believe, most of all, it was to show His power and authority over demons and the evil one in general. o At His command the unclean spirit came out of the man. o Jesus was not there to debate with the unclean spirit. o He was there to show who had real authority and power. 23

24 Also.. His time, to be fully known had not yet come. o Before men could call Him Messiah He had to teach them that Messiah did not mean a conquering king but a suffering servant. (No one had taken Messiah 101 they all had much to learn.) o His injunctions to silence. were given, because people did not yet know, what Messiahship meant. If they started out with the wrong ideas death and destruction would surely follow. Rebellion was always just below the surface and an ever present danger. 38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon s house. But Simon s wife s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. - Luke knew just how to describe this illness. o In the grip of is the medical Greek for someone definitely laid up with and illness. The ASV says: And Simon s wife s mother was holden with a great fever; and they besought him for her. o The Greek medical writers divided fevers into two classes. Major and minor. 24

25 o Mark tells us that James and John were also there: Mark 1: Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon s wife s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. NKJV QUESTION: What are some things we learn from this situation? 1. Jesus was always ready to serve. 2. Jesus did not need a crowd to work a miracle. o Someone has said.. All too often we are gracious, courteous, obliging to strangers and the very opposite when there is no one but our family to see us. 3. Peter s mother-in-law was cured immediately. 4. She wanted no fussing over her.. she wanted to get back to serving others. 5. Incidentally.. we learn that Peter had a wife. 40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, You are the Christ, the Son of God! And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to 25

26 keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.1 - Several things stand out here: 1. There was no word of complaint or resentment when Jesus privacy was invaded by the crowds. He laid hands on everyone of them and healed them. (See Acts 5:12-16 for the apostles same type of work.) Demons were cast out. Pray he must! But.. human need prevailed! And the power of God was seen in everything He did making the preaching of the kingdom effective, and His Messiahship unmistakable. 2. At Nazareth the people drove him out of their city, but at Capernaum they seek to retain him there.. what a contrast! 3. People did not understand his mission. Nazareth did not understand his mission! He said I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. 1The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.)