Gospel LK 4:24-30
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
“Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
It can take some time before we recognize the truth. For thousands of years, ancient cultures believed the earth was flat. It wasn't until Aristotle in 330 BC that the round earth model gained traction. We can be sure that Aristotle had his fair share of critics. It wasn't until 1986 when we learned that 90% of ulcers are caused by the H. Pylori bacteria. Barry Marshall was smart enough to figure this out (and eventually won a Nobel Prize for his research) but most of his colleagues thought his theories were "rubbish" at the time. And so it is with the Good News of the gospel. Are there times when I disregard or conveniently ignore the truth of the gospel? Are there times when I disregard who Jesus really is and what he asks of me? Do I get discouraged when I speak the truth and feel rejected? Lord, help me to see the truth more clearly - especially during those times when I may have my doubts about the messenger. Help me to be bold enough to speak the truth and disregard the fear of rejection.
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