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142
Humble Hero
Jesus could not give up on His hearers in the synagogue without
one more call to repentance. Toward the close of His ministry in
Galilee, He again visited the home of His childhood. The fame of
His preaching and miracles had filled the land. None in Nazareth
could now deny that He possessed more than human power. There
were whole villages around them in which He had healed all the
sick.
Again as they listened to His words, the Divine Spirit moved
on the Nazarenes. But even now they would not admit that this
Man, brought up among them, was greater than themselves. They
still resented the fact that while He had claimed to be the Promised
One, He had really denied them a place with Israel, for He had
shown them to be less worthy of God’s favor than a heathen man
and woman. Though they questioned, “Where did this Man get this
wisdom and these mighty works?” (
Matthew 13:54
), they would not
receive Him as the Christ of God. Because of their unbelief, the
Savior could not work many miracles among them, and reluctantly
He left, never to return.
Unbelief, having once been cherished, continued to control the
people of Nazareth, the Sanhedrin, and the nation. They rejected the
Holy Spirit, and this resulted in the cross of Calvary, the destruction
of their city, and the scattering of the nation.
Christ longed to open the precious treasures of truth to Israel!
But they clung to their creed and useless ceremonies. They spent
their money for chaff and husks when the bread of life was within
their reach. Again and again, Christ quoted from the prophets and
declared, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” If they
had honestly searched the Scriptures, bringing their theories to the
test of God’s Word, Jesus would not have needed to declare, “See!
Your house is left to you desolate.”
Luke 13:35
. They might have
avoided the disaster that laid their proud city in ruins.
But the lessons of Christ demanded repentance. If they accepted
His teachings, they must change their practices and surrender their
cherished hopes. They must go contrary to the opinions of the great
[105]
thinkers and teachers of the time.
Spiritual pride filled the Jewish leaders. They loved the highest
seats in the synagogue. The sound of their titles on the lips of others
gratified them. As real devotion declined, they became more jealous