Chapter 24—“Is Not This the Carpenter’s Son?”
This chapter is based on
Luke 4:16-30
.
Across the bright days of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, one shadow
lay. The people of Nazareth rejected Him. “Is not this the carpenter’s
son?” they said.
During His childhood and youth, Jesus had worshiped among
His brethren in the synagogue at Nazareth. Since the opening of
His ministry He had been absent from them, but they had not been
ignorant of what had befallen Him. As He again appeared among
them, their interest and expectation were excited to the highest pitch.
Here were the familiar forms and faces of those whom He had known
from infancy. Here were His mother, His brothers and sisters, and all
eyes were turned upon Him as He entered the synagogue upon the
Sabbath day, and took His place among the worshipers.
In the regular service for the day, the elder read from the prophets,
and exhorted the people still to hope for the Coming One, who would
bring in a glorious reign, and banish all oppression. He sought to
encourage his hearers by rehearsing the evidence that the Messiah’s
coming was near. He described the glory of His advent, keeping
prominent the thought that He would appear at the head of armies to
deliver Israel.
When a rabbi was present at the synagogue, he was expected to
deliver the sermon, and any Israelite might give the reading from the
prophets. Upon this Sabbath Jesus was requested to take part in the
service. He “stood up to read. And there was delivered unto Him a
roll of the prophet Isaiah.”
Luke 4:16, 17
, R. V., margin. The scripture
which He read was one that was understood as referring to the Messiah:
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