Bible Stories for Adults

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Luke 4:16-30



Welcome and Announcements
    Next Week - Peter's Catch of Fish (Luke 5:1-11)
    Bible Words to Remember:
      The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Opening Prayer


The Early Years (Matthew 2; Luke 2-3)
    What are the first stories we have of Jesus after the shepherds visit Him on His birthday?
      Luke 2:21-26, 36a
    What do we learn next of this child?
      Matthew 2:1, 11
    What happened then?
      Matthew 2:13, 16
    How long did they stay in Egypt?
      Matthew 2:19-23

    What details do we have of Jesus' childhood in Nazareth?
      Luke 2:40
    Do we have any stories to give us an idea of how Jesus was as a boy?
      Luke 2:42-43, 48-49
    Did this change Jesus' relationship with His parents?
      Luke 2:51-52
    How old is Jesus when we learn about Him next?
      Luke 3:21-23a

Where Do I Begin? (Luke 4:14-15)
    After receiving the Spirit and the Father's commendation at His baptism, what did Jesus do?
      Matthew 4:1,11
    Where did He then go to begin His ministry?
      Matthew 4:12-16
    What did He do there?
      Matthew 4:23-25

    John tells us the most stories of Jesus' early days in Galilee. How does Luke summarize them?
      Luke 4:14-15
    Synagogue (Greek for called together place) - The local house of worship and teaching
      Rabbis (not priests) taught the people, much more informal than temple
      Began during exile in Babylon, synagogues built anywhere there were at least 10 families

Synagogue Sabbath Service (Luke 4:16)
    What is one of the towns where we see Jesus going to the synagogue?
      Luke 4:16
    Synagogue Sabbath service had 3 parts: worship, reading and teaching

    Worship - Began with words of thanksgiving and reciting of the Jewish creed, the Shema:
      Deuteronomy 6:4-5
      After the Shema, an adult male was invited to say the Tefillah, a prayer of petitions
        Each petition was ended with a response like Blessed art thou, O Lord

    Reading - A prescribed section from the Pentateuch (Law) was followed by a prophet reading
      Any congregation member could read; Levites and priests were given precedence
      Pentateuch divided into sections so it would be read completely over one year
      Chazzan (synagogue care-taker) selected prophet book, reader selected passage
      Scripture verses were read in Hebrew, then freely translated in Aramaic

    Teaching - Synagogue ruler would invite any competent worshipper to bring the sermon
      Many quoted heavily from writings of the rabbis
      Visiting rabbis were especially welcomed for this task
        Resulted in effective spread of the gospel for Jesus, Paul & others
      While readings were made standing up, the sermon was given while seated
      Worship concluded with a blessing by a priest, or a prayer by a worshipper

Jesus Reads (Luke 4:17-22)
    Which reading was Jesus invited to give as the hometown boy made good?
      Luke 4:17
    What text did He read that foretold the work of the Messiah (The Anointed One)?
      Luke 4:18-19
    Who do we then see was welcomed to give the sermon?
      Luke 4:20
    How did He begin His sermon?
      Luke 4:21

Activities of the Messiah (Luke 4:18-19)
    What five things does Isaiah say the Messiah would do?
      Luke 4:18-19

    Did Jesus preach good news to the poor?
      Matthew 5:1-3
    How important did Jesus feel it was for Him to preach God's good news?
      Luke 4:42-43

    Who does Paul tell us are the prisoners for whom Jesus was sent to proclaim freedom?
      Galatians 3:22-25; 5:1
    How does Jesus tell us we can be set free?
      John 8:31-32
    Will all prisoners of sin be freed?
      John 3:18

    What is one example of Jesus giving recovery of sight for the blind?
      John 9:1, 6-7
    What blindness in this same story was Jesus most concerned about?
      John 9:39-41
    What did Jesus' healing ministry show besides God's compassion on His people of faith?
      Luke 7:20-22

    How did Jesus release the oppressed?
      Matthew 5:10-12
    How will the oppressed and persecuted be vindicated?
      2 Thessalonians 1:4-9
    Are we to thank God for this vindication and the punishment our enemies will get?
      Matthew 5:44

    How did Jesus come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor?
      Matthew 4:17
    When did this year of the Lord's favor begin?
      Galatians 4:4-5

Show Us a Miracle! (Luke 4:23-24)
    Did the people understand what Jesus said in His sermon?
      Luke 4:22
    Did Jesus recognize that the people were watching a show and not hearing His message?
      Luke 4:23

    What did Jesus think about those who just came to see Him do a miracle?
      Matthew 12:38-39
    What was this sign of Jonah that He agreed to show them?
      Matthew 12:40
    What other analogy did He make about this miracle that was later used to convict Him?
      John 2:18-19

    What was needed for Jesus to do a miracle?
      Matthew 9:22
    What resulted from low expectations by acquaintances during His only other visit to Nazareth?
      Matthew 13:54-58
    Did Jesus feel His problem was unique?
      Luke 4:24

Old Testament Proof (Luke 4:25-27)
    What example could Jesus have used to prove that no prophet is accepted in His hometown?
      Jeremiah 1:1; 11:21-22
    What examples did He give instead?
      Luke 4:25-27
    What was He saying?
      Acts 28:25-28
    How do we see this in Paul's work?
      Acts 18:4-6

They Understood (Luke 4:28-30)
    Did the people understand any of Jesus' sermon?
      Luke 4:28
    How upset were they?
      Luke 4:29
    How far did they get?
      Luke 4:30
    Why were they unable to kill Him?
      John 2:4b

Closing Prayer



Copyright © 1998 by Kurt Rosenhagen

Use of this material is provided free of charge for use in personal or group Bible Study, no permission needed.
The author reserves all rights for use in published material or in uses where fees are involved.
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kurt@biblestoriesforadults.com


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