BLESS ME IF YOU CAN

St. Matthew 13:54 - 58

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him.

But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

St Mark 6:1-6

And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

St. Luke 4:14-29

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

St. John 4:44

For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own country.

TIMING OF THIS EVENT: St. Matthew 13:54-58; St. Mark 6:1-6; St. Luke 4:16-29; St. John 4:44

St. Matthew - after healing the man’s hand in the synagogue and teaching of parables (about middle of Gospel)

St. Mark - after “raising Jarius’ daughter”/ woman with the issue of blood - fairly early in ministry (first 1/3 of Gospel)

St. Luke - after the “temptation” in Nazareth. (first 1/6 of Gospel)

St. John - immediately after the “woman at the well”. NOT A QUOTE OF JESUS ( first 1/5 of Gospel)

Finding a common chronological thread through the Gospels with which to order the sequence of our teaching parts appears much like shuffling a deck of playing cards and coming up with each suit correctly grouped and in order. Not likely to happen! So, we’ll go on; and, if my order of events does not agree with those of the scholars; it is because I am not trying to agree with them (not that they are not worthy of study…but). In trying to come to a consensus of timing between the Gospel writers, I have concluded that:

(1) Each account, being written by a different witness; and Luke was not even a witness; would necessarily be different in content, chronology, wording, and intent.

(2) This does not, in any way, make the accounts less authoritative.

(3) This does not mean the accounts “conflict”, just that they’re different.

(4) It makes no difference whether anyone grants them any authority or not, except that; how else can we learn about that true relationship with God which Jesus personified, and which God wants all of us to experience?

And, this is true for those who believe they have found a way to a relationship with God by other means. Some are very directly to the point; some are clothed in exercises, both mental and physical; and, most require a withdrawal from the community at large to a greater or lesser extent. So, often the wherewithal to apply it to our daily conduct of affairs is limited. Jesus’ life, as portrayed in the Gospels, provides all of us with the means to live harmoniously with everyone around us; especially with those with whom we do not always agree…about anything.

First, looking at the scriptures as a group, we see two distinct variations; those of St. Matthew and St. Mark being very similar, and St. Luke presenting more detail. Knowing that St. Luke was writing from a collection of sources, some of which were quite possibly accounts of persons other than the disciples, (for me) enriches his Gospel. Also, St. Luke, being a doctor (learned, if you will), often expresses the opinions of the learned in Jewish society at that time; and, to a large extent, these were the leaders of the religion.

St. Matthew and St. Mark give very similar accounts, for whatever reason anyone wants to conjure up. It doesn’t matter. The significant difference is in the closing remarks. St. Mark tells us how the works which Jesus did were different in their accomplishment. Whereas, in other places, He could speak, and the healing would be accomplished; here, Jesus “laid his hands upon” folks to heal them. The farther we are from our expected relationship with God, the closer Jesus comes. Should we not be thus in our dealings with others? We definitely should not let their unbelief prevent us from going “round about the villages, teaching.”

The other significant difference is in the number of relatives listed in the comments of the Jews. St. Luke limits his list to “Joseph’s son”. The important thing to understand is that the writers wanted us to know that Jesus was human, flesh and blood, just as we are. We all know the difficulties in communicating our personal differences within the family unit. It’s almost impossible. “Who do you think you are?” “What are you talking about” Etc, etc. And, this is true in the mundane, everyday affairs of life. Get into the religious; slip in some of the deep (metaphysical) stuff, and…...Voila! “You’re outta your mind!” No doubt, Jesus was an excellent carpenter. No doubt, even with his religious eccentricities, He was accepted in the community…..so long as He stayed “normal”. When He began “that prophet stuff”, “this healing thing”, “that messiah thing” all bets were off. He was crazy! The everyday kind of worker can do almost anything and be accepted. It is that the “prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And, when we get into the serious examination of our religion, we get hot, angry, and irrational; just as St. Luke said, “(they) were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” Today, we just assassinate their character, or put them into the “mentally ill” group. Now to St. Luke’s account, re-quoted for convenience…

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

Placing this event immediately after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness emphasizes the dramatic change in Jesus’ perceived occupation. Understand that Galilee was a “region” which included ‘towns’ like Cana, Nain, Tiberias, Gennesaret, Chorazin, and Capernaum, plus a large number of ‘villages’, which today might be called communities. While St. Luke does not record the miracles, in particular, at this time, he states clearly that “there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.” By the time Jesus returned to Nazareth, His fame had preceded Him. Being an honored guest (you might say), Jesus was probably asked to do the reading of the scriptures by the head of the synagogue.

His choice of scripture was significant, not only in what He read, but, also in what He didn’t read. What Jesus read was Isaiah 61:1,2. What He didn’t read was part of Isaiah 61:2, and 3, which would have completed the entire statement in the Talmud. Nor did Jesus give the prior context for the scripture He quoted (Isaiah 59 & 60). The generally accepted interpretation of these previous chapters runs something like this:

Isaiah 59:1 - 15 The calamites of the Jews are caused by their sinfulness.

Verses 16 - 19 Reveal that salvation is only of the Lord.

Verses 20 The Redeemer comes.

Verse 21 God’s covenant established by the Redeemer.

Isaiah 60:1 - 14 The church will include an abundance of Gentiles.

Verses 15 - 22 The church’s blessing after affliction. Then…“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…”

And, what Jesus omitted: “and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

The whole point of presenting all of this is: Scripture, ours or theirs, tells us how things “are” from an eternal point of view. Everything that has happened on earth from the beginning until now, and on until…..is a very short “present” to God. We fulfill scripture daily: “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.” “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” “A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Now, if Scripture is a statement of the way things “are”, and we’re pretty much included in them, where does that put us? Dead center in God’s plan…..we just don’t know it. Or, if we do know, we don’t live like it (speaking for myself). “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…” When we have submitted, totally, to God then we, too, can fulfill: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound…” God has proclaimed it… This is His message to the masses… We’re sent to proclaim it…in the power of the Spirit of God. For what are we waiting…for Jesus to come back? “ This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Afterwards, the rest of the Scripture, which Jesus omitted, will be fulfilled: “…the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” TOO LATE! But, have we not already been “comforted”; been given “beauty for ashes”, “the oil of joy”, and “the garment of praise”? Yes, Scripture talks of our future; and, in the same instance, how things are right now, from eternity’s view.”

Remember our very first installment of Jesus’ teaching, and how the world demands a sign from the Christian? “Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.” Jesus’ specific use of “Physician” has two connotations. First, Jesus had been in Galilee for some time teaching and healing. His teaching was for spiritual healing. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” In both of these statements, Jesus makes it clear that He is the Physician; and, in the latter He is the spiritual Physician. Important in Jesus’ latter statement is the fact that “repentance” constitutes the “healing”. Once we have turned to God (repentance) for our healing, it is done, finished. Then, as St. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” As Christians, we have no excuse for not being or doing what God wants us to be or do, except our own narrow-minded opinions, beliefs, and doctrines; our Self-imposed limitations. Remember about Whom we are talking! And, remember St. John 17.

Secondly, the “heal thyself” which the Jews will want to see would be specifically stated while Jesus was on the cross. They just didn’t know it at this time. Also, there is the implication, on the part of the Jews (much like we are today) that “you can do all these things elsewhere, do them here…in spite of our unbelief.” “Bless us, if you can, in spite of our Selves.” “We’ve heard the reports, now prove it to us.” Sound familiar? Sometimes, we say these things by our actions more emphatically than speaking. Ever done it? And, Jesus did do it, in spite of the Jews’ unbelief. Don’t sell Him short, or yourself.

“But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.”

We must understand that God is a sovereign God. He chooses the means by which to care for His own (in the case of Elijah), and those outside the family to whom He calls (in the case of Naaman). Sidon was outside the occupied territory of the twelve tribes of Judah. The widow to whom Elijah was sent, in all likelihood, was not a Jew. Naaman was a Syrian. God will use whomsoever He will to care for His own, especially in hard times (Naaman's wife's Jewish handmaid was definitely in dire straits). Remember Joseph? Likewise, God uses His own to reveal to the unbelieving world that He is God (Elijah, the handmaid, Joseph and on and on). The Jews of Jesus’ day had forgotten these simple truths about God. Have we? I surely act like I have at times! Later, Jesus would say to the Jews, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Even Jesus knew that the only choice was the Father’s choice. How can we pick and choose? We must deal with everyone we meet as though that person is the Father’s choice; either for their blessing, or our blessing. I believe everyone is included in these two groups. Like Jesus, their blessing comes first…at whatever cost. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” And, He is not talking about dying for another.

And, like the Jews in our scripture, we can get mad, puffed up, and think whatever we like. It will not change one iota of God’s plan for mankind. Hear! Listen to what God is saying to you right now. Don’t drown out His voice with your ranting and raving thoughts, however righteous you may think they are. If they don’t fit in God’s love, get rid of them. And, if we are the subject of such judgment, we should do as Jesus, “But he…went his way,…and taught them on the sabbath days.”

“Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice…The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”