Luke Part 1 Week 18

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 4:22-24 

²² Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” ²³ Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ ²⁴ But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.” 

Those in Galilee could not believe that such gracious words were coming from the lips of one they had known since His childhood. Jesus told them what they would likely say about Him in the future. He made reference to how they would compare His hometown to Capernaum. He reminded them that “no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.” 

REFLECT 

How have you found respect from others? Do you have more from other places than where you grew up? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about the positives and negatives of being with those in your hometown. For Jesus it was a positive sometimes when so much controversy was made over Him in Judea. His mission on earth, however, was questioned by those in His own hometown. 

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 4:25-27 

²⁵ “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. ²⁷ And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” 

Jesus told His listeners how God sent Elijah and Elisha to Gentiles instead of to the Jewish people. This was an indication He would be turning to the Gentiles after His message was rejected by the Jews. The Gentiles were considered as the lowest element in the world by the Jews, so why would Jesus turn to them instead of to His fellow Jews? 

REFLECT 

Have you had some question why you would want to have a good relationship with some they considered in a lower class? 

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in reading John 4:1-26 about Jesus’ conversation with the woman of Samaria. This was a group despised by the Jews in Judea and yet Jesus revealed His love for them. Talk with your friend about what each of you has done to reach those considered in the lower class. 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 4:28-30 

²⁸ When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. ²⁹ Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, ³⁰ but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way. 

The fact that Jesus was telling of going to the Gentiles, the Jewish people in the synagogue were greatly angered. They were so angry they wanted to kill Him by pushing Him over a cliff. To their surprise, He went through the crowd and left the area. How did He do that? This was not the only miracle He performed. Some believe He never again returned to Nazareth. 

REFLECT 

Imagine how disappointing it must have been for Jesus not to return to His hometown that had rejected Him. 

RESPOND 

Have you known of some who have been rejected by their family? Psalm 27:10 has been of special comfort to such people. 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 4:31-32 

³¹ Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. ³² There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority. 

Wherever Jesus went He taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which was Saturday. His listeners could tell He taught differently than others they had heard. He “spoke with authority.” Speakers today can also speak with authority if they believe and teach what the Bible, the Word of God, says. 

REFLECT 

Can you tell a difference with speakers? Some speak with authority; others seem uncertain about what they are saying. 

RESPOND  

Talk with a friend about the day you worship on today. The normal custom of Christ-followers is to worship on Sunday, the day He rose from the dead. Some refer to Sunday as the “Christian Sabbath,” but the Bible never calls it that. The Sabbath is Saturday; the first day of the week is Sunday.  

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 4:33-34 

³³ Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, ³⁴ “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 

This reveals that even the demons know who Jesus is. They referred to Him as “Jesus of Nazareth” and “the Holy One of God.” This is another indication that for people today, just knowing information about the Bible is not enough to make them right with God. They also need to trust in Him as Savior. 

REFLECT 

What are you doing to pass on to others what you are learning? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about the danger of carrying a message with you but in never delivering it. You may know the gospel and the need to trust in Jesus as Savior, but are you passing that information on to others? Ask God to enable you to take advantage of opportunities to do so.