The Difference

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this
Joseph’s son?” they asked . . . All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town
was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.
Luke 4:22,28,29

Notice the difference in the reaction of the same people to Jesus, and all in a matter of a few
minutes. In verse 22, “all spoke well of him…” In verse 28, “All…were furious when they heard
this.” In fact (vs. 29), they tried to kill him. What had Jesus said that so changed their demeanor?
Using the words of the Bible, Jesus told the people that he was the Messiah (the Savior) promised
by God for his people, Israel. Further, he pointed out that when Israel did not receive God’s plan of
salvation for them in Old Testament times, God sent the message to foreigners.

Did Jesus’ hearers need a savior? Yes, they did. They were sinners, as have been all people since Adam
and Eve. That includes us. You and I need a savior, too. We sinned and separated ourselves from God.
Jesus took our sins on himself by living a perfect life in our place, then innocently suffering, and being
sacrificed for us. Jesus paid the price for our sins and his Father accepted us back into fellowship with
him.

Are there differences between Jesus’ hearers in Nazareth and us? Not in terms of our need for a savior.
But thank God that he has convinced us that Jesus is our Savior. Because of the faith the Holy Spirit has
implanted in us, we know that we will spend eternity in heaven.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I thank and praise you for your work of salvation, taking my punishment on yourself.
Take me to be with you eternally. Amen