Stories from the Bible - Ep 18 Jesus Teaches, Heals and Offends (Luke 5)

Episode Date: April 24, 2022

Last time we heard stories from the remainder of Luke chapter 4. We heard how Jesus re-entered civilisation, after completing 40 days alone in the desert and being tempted by the devil. He went to the region of Galilee, in the northern part of Israel, and was travelling around the different towns, preaching in local synagogues, and we’re told that he was getting praised by all. Synagogues, by the way, were community buildings where Jews gathered for teaching and meeting. Then Jesus comes to the town, Nazareth, where he was brought up. He goes into the the local synagogue and reads words from the prophet Isaiah. Jesus tells the people listening that this prophecy is now fulfilled as they listen. The people in the Nazareth synagogue at first also speak well of Jesus, and then they start to say, hang on, we know this guy, isn’t this Joseph’s son? And then Jesus begins reading their thoughts. Things go from cosy to awkward to downright dangerous really quick. The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Beauty, perfection, desire, deception, rebellion, judgment, hope. You're listening to Stories from the Bible. Bible stories told in order, using the words of the Bible, with introductions to give a recap and provide context. At the end of each story, you might want to pause and take a moment to reflect on what you noticed in the story. Things you liked or didn't like. Something the story showed you about God or about people. Don't worry if not everything makes sense. Keep listening to each episode and sit with the journey. I'm stoked to have you on the ride. Hello and welcome to episode 18. What happened last time? Well, we heard stories from the remainder of Luke chapter 4.

There we heard how Jesus re-entered civilization after completing 40 days alone in the desert and being tempted by the devil. He went to the region of Galilee in the northern part of Israel and was traveling around the different towns, preaching in local synagogues, and we're told that he was getting praised by all. Synagogues, by the way, were community buildings where Jews gathered for teaching and meeting. Then Jesus comes to the town Nazareth, where he was brought up. He goes into the local Nazareth synagogue and reads words from the prophet Isaiah, saying, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim Jesus tells the people listening that this prophecy, which don't forget has remained unfulfilled for 700 years,

is now fulfilled as they listen. The people in the Nazareth synagogue also speak well of Jesus. And then they start to say, hang on, we know this guy. Isn't this Joseph's son? And then Jesus begins reading their thoughts. And things go from cozy to awkward to downright dangerous really quick. How does it happen? First, Jesus cuts to the desire behind their comment about him just being a local kid. He knows that behind the comment, they're wanting him to prove himself

to them. In other words, do miracles for us like you did for those other towns. And why would they want Jesus to do miracles there? Do they want to be sure that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah's words he's just spoken? Well, Jesus knows that deep down they're not truly interested in proof of his identity as the one promised by Isaiah. He knows what they really want is to be made comfortable, that is, to be confirmed in their assumptions. They want a miracle worker to make them feel better. They don't want a prophet to tell them the truth about God and themselves. And they especially don't want to be challenged by someone they think they know.

Jesus points to that when he tells them no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. Jesus came to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, not to do miracles simply to make people feel better. As a prophet, Jesus speaks the truth, and speaking the truth reveals what is untrue about what the people in the Nazareth synagogue currently believe. Jesus reveals what they think by recalling to them two little stories from Israel's history. In the first, a non-Israelite woman received God's miraculous assistance, and in the second story, a non-Israelite man received God's miraculous assistance, and in the second story, a non-Israelite

man received healing from his leprosy. Both stories make the same point. In a time when Israelites were suffering under Old Testament signs of God's judgment, drought and famine and disease, God's grace, kindness and healing were not given to the Israelites, but to Gentiles, that is, non-Israelites. The Nazareth reaction to these stories is pretty extreme. They are super offended. We're told they were filled with rage, and they then forced Jesus out of the town to the edge of a cliff to throw him off. Why did they get so upset?

Well, they got super upset because Jesus revealed that a deeply cherished belief of theirs was completely false. There was nothing they could do to argue with him. He was obviously right. So they tried to silence him. And what was the untrue thing they believed? Well, they believed they deserved God's blessings because of who they were as Israelites. The stories Jesus told them proved the opposite, that God's kindness is not deserved, that God is willing to be kind to the non-Israelite Gentile. The good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus is going about proclaiming is good news for anyone who knows they don't deserve God's compassion. For those who think they deserve God's blessing because of who they are, this good news comes across as threatening and offensive.

It's offensive because it says the things you hold on to, like your ancestry or the good things you do to follow the law, are actually worth nothing. If God's kindness is freely given to losers who obviously don't deserve it, then all that hard work you've done to earn his blessing is shown up as pointless. So after Jesus makes himself unpopular in Nazareth, thus proving true his words about prophets being unacceptable in the place they grew up, he goes to another town in Galilee. In Capernaum, Jesus commands demons to come out of people, and they obey him. People are amazed at his authority and power over evil. The news about Jesus keeps spreading and the crowds around him grow. He heals everyone that is brought to him. Jesus indeed shows that

he is the one who fulfills the Isaiah passage that he read out in the Nazareth synagogue. He is filled with God's spirit and is able to set people free from the oppression of evil spirits and sickness. But evil spirits and sickness are only symptoms of the real oppression that people are suffering from. And when the crowds try to keep Jesus to themselves so he can continue the healings, he won't let them. Like the good doctor he is, he won't settle for band-aid solutions. He tells them the reason he was sent was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. It's this good news that will get to the heart of the problem and truly bring release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed.

Today's story starts here. Now Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God. He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch. Simon answered, Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at your word I fish that the nets started to tear. So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats so that they were about to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying,

For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken. And so were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's business partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people. So when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. While Jesus was in one of the towns,

a man came to him who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground and begged him, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. So Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing, be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him. Then he ordered the man to tell no one, but commanded him,

Go and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering together to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses. Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed. Now on one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then, some men showed up,

carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus, but since they found no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on the stretcher through the roof tiles right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven. Then the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? When Jesus perceived their hostile thoughts, he said to them,

Why are you raising objections within yourselves? Which is easier, to say, your sins are forgiven, or to say, stand up and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralyzed man, I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher and go home. Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all, and they glorified God. They were filled with awe, saying, We have seen incredible things today. After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth.

Follow me, he said to him. And he got up and followed him, leaving everything behind. Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples, saying, Jesus answered them, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Then they said to him, So Jesus said to them,

He also told them a parable. pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed. Instead, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says the old is good enough. Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. But some of the Pharisees said, Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath? Jesus answered them, Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

How he entered the house of God, took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any to eat but the priests alone, and gave it to his companions? Then he said to them, The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching. Now a man was there whose right hand was withered. The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath so that they could find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, Get up and stand here.

So he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it? After looking around at them all, he said to the man, stretch out your hand. The man did so and his hand was restored. But they were filled with mindless rage and began debating with one another what they would do to Jesus. The story ends here. Thanks for joining us for today's story. You might like to take a moment to pause and think about what you noticed.

Things you liked, things you didn't like. Something the story showed you about Jesus. To read it for yourself, it's in the book of Luke, chapter 5 and the start of chapter 6. If you can find someone willing to read it and talk about it with you, even better. And by the way, I just want to say thank you for sharing this podcast with others. We've reached 12,000 downloads, which I'm amazed by, and I haven't done any promotions, so it must be you guys or some algorithm. Anyway, thank you. And I'm Jen, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you.