Jesus Teaches in a Synagogue in Galilee

Luke 4 narrates that Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah on the Sabbath in the synagogue in Nazareth, where he grew up, participating in the weekly Sabbath ritual of reading from the Torah and the Prophets (see THE SYNAGOGUE). Jesus goes on to interpret the text, saying that he is the fulfillment of the very passage he just read. (Jesus as the fulfillment of scripture is prevalent in the Gospel of Matthew.) When the people of his hometown dismiss him because he will not perform miracles for them, Jesus refers to the First Temple–period prophets Elijah and Elisha, who both performed miracles in places other than where they were from, to support his claim that “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown” (Luke 4:24).

Engage with this Source

Luke 4 narrates that Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah on the Sabbath in the synagogue in Nazareth, where he grew up, participating in the weekly Sabbath ritual of reading from the Torah and the Prophets (see THE SYNAGOGUE). Jesus goes on to interpret the text, saying that he is the fulfillment of the very passage he just read. (Jesus as the fulfillment of scripture is prevalent in the Gospel of Matthew.) When the people of his hometown dismiss him because he will not perform miracles for them, Jesus refers to the First Temple–period prophets Elijah and Elisha, who both performed miracles in places other than where they were from, to support his claim that “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown” (Luke 4:24).

Read more

You may also like