Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 4:16-30is about 'Jesus is rejected in Nazareth'.
Why do the people of Nazareth reject Jesus?:
That is why, God proceeds to the Gentiles.
Luke 4:25-30
4:25. "But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
4:26. "but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
4:27. "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
4:28. So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
4:29. and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
4:30. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His
The opportunity is opened for the Gentiles to believe Jesus and be saved.
Romans 11:25
11:25. For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentileshas come in.
For example, there were many widows in Israel, but the widow of Zarephath, the Gentile like us,who was helped. If the Gentiles still harden their heart, they will be lost forever. We have to be careful.
1 Kings 17:7-16
17:7. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
17:8. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
17:9. "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
17:10. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."
17:11. And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12. So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
17:13. And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cakefrom it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
17:14. "For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’"
17:15. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.
17:16. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
The widow of Zarephath is a Gentile who experiencesvisiting and helping from God. Why?
The widow of Zarephath and her son have nothingbut a handful of flour and a little oil, but they can present well-done small cake and satisfy God.
The results are as follows:
God blesses us.
Luke 4:16-30is about 'Jesus is rejected in Nazareth'.
Why do the people of Nazareth reject Jesus?:
- The people of Nazareth do not believe but reject the prophetic Wordwhich has been told by prophet Isaiah about the coming of Jesus in the first time.
- The people of Nazareth do not believe Jesus as the Son of God. They assume Jesus as as the son of Joseph the carpenter, just a human.
Luke 4:22
4:22. So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph’s son?"
We discuss about the second condition.
That is why, God proceeds to the Gentiles.
Luke 4:25-30
4:25. "But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
4:26. "but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
4:27. "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
4:28. So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
4:29. and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
4:30. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His
The opportunity is opened for the Gentiles to believe Jesus and be saved.
Romans 11:25
11:25. For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentileshas come in.
For example, there were many widows in Israel, but the widow of Zarephath, the Gentile like us,who was helped. If the Gentiles still harden their heart, they will be lost forever. We have to be careful.
1 Kings 17:7-16
17:7. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
17:8. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
17:9. "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
17:10. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."
17:11. And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12. So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
17:13. And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cakefrom it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
17:14. "For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’"
17:15. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.
17:16. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
The widow of Zarephath is a Gentile who experiencesvisiting and helping from God. Why?
- The widow of Zarephath has a handful of flour and a little oil.
The flour refers to the Word of God and the oil refers to the annointing of the Holy Spirit.
So, the flour and oil refer to the Word of God in the annointing of the Holy Spirit.
A handfulrefers to the size of human's heart.
Having a handful of flour and a little oilmeans that we have to hear the Word of God in the annointing of the Holy Spirit, understand and believe it.
As a result, the Word of God will enter into our heart.
God looks at our heart. If our heart is filled by the Word in the annointing of the Holy Spirit, there is a hope that God will visit us.
A handful refers to a hand too.
It means the Word must be practiced. We have to hold the Word and God will hold us too. We live in the hands of God.
To practice the Word, we have to pay expensive price and it hurts the flesh. If we are weak, we have to look at the sacrifice of Christ who has already obeyed and died on the cross.
If we are disobedient, we have to pay more expensive price, that is physical and spiritual failure and ruin, until perish forever.
The example is Saul who burnt the offering before Samuel comes. For human, maybe it looks good, but does not fit the Word.
The consequenceis Saul have to pay more expensive price because he loses the spirit of God and his kingdom, and perishes forever. - Gathering sticks.
It means willingness to experience the burning or the fiery trial, suffering with Jesus.
1 Peter 4:12-14
4:12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
4:13. but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
4:14. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
The Spirit of glory rests upon us when we experiencethefiery trial.
Holy Spirit makes us survive and happy in suffering until small cake becomes well-done and pleases God.
1 Kings 17:12
17:12. So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
What is burned?- Everything which does not please God, but makes Him heartbreaking.
It makes the bread raw.
The thing that makes God heartbreaking is the sins up to the peak of sin, that is sin concerning eating-drinking and sexuality. - Being selfish, one thinks about himself only.
- Being worried and doubtful.
- Everything which does not please God, but makes Him heartbreaking.
The widow of Zarephath and her son have nothingbut a handful of flour and a little oil, but they can present well-done small cake and satisfy God.
The results are as follows:
- The hand of God's mercy is able to care us in the middle of hard world and at the age of antichrist for 3.5 years.
- The hand of God's mercy is able to make alive everything that has already died, remove impossibilities and give the beautiful, successful and happy life.
We experience the Heaven satisfaction and happinessthat we do not fall into apparent satisfaction in this world. - God's merciful hand is able to purify and change our lives that we can bear the fruit of the Spirit.
James 5:17-18
5:17. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
5:18. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23
5:22. But the fruit of the Spiritis love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
5:23. gentleness, self–control. Against such there is no law.
Nine fruits of the Spirit are the characters of God the Trinity. Starting from love, we love God more than anything. It means we can obey Him. We can also love our parents or obey them. Moreover, we can love other people.
We are perfected like Jesus and worthy to greet His coming a second time on the glorious clouds.
God blesses us.