Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Matthew 13:53-58, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:16-30

As we read these accounts of Jesus being rejected at Nazareth, we see Jesus’s faithfulness to truth in the midst of the disapproval of man. 

To give context to this passage, Jesus has just returned home to Nazareth after a two to three month journey of preaching. On the Sabbath, he began teaching in the synagogue with what would have been his first sermon in his hometown. Initially the people were amazed– these were the people that Jesus had grown up with and they knew him well (Mark 6:2). They asked “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers” (Matthew 13:54)? But then, they questioned Jesus and “took offense at him” (v. 3). Wasn’t this the guy they grew up with, the one who they knew all about, and now suddenly he’s calling himself the Son of God? But then as we see in Luke, Jesus then boldly proclaims that he is the good news and anointed one (4:18), but the response from the people was different this time – they were furious when he had finished preaching! They then drove him out of town and tried to throw him off a cliff, but somehow he walked away unharmed and unnoticed by the crowd (...pretty crazy right?). This is the Messiah – but these people, who decided they did not like what Jesus had to say, ran him out of town because of the bold claims he was making. 

Imagine this is your first time preaching or even sharing the gospel with someone and they try to run you out of town, or reject you because they knew the “old you” and can’t accept what you have to say as a new believer or transformed person. You might not ever want to share the gospel again. Rejection is promised to us as believers when we share the gospel – for if Jesus Himself was rejected, how much more should we also expect to be rejected by man? How we respond to that rejection is where we get to see the Lord work in our hearts.

This would not be the last time Jesus was rejected. Religious leaders would continue to reject him again and again. Even many of his followers would turn away and one of his disciples would go on to betray him. Ultimately he would be crucified when he gave his life for us. Jesus has shown us how to persevere in the face of persecution. 

Are there any areas of your life that you seek the approval of man above seeking God?

What are you running to in the midst of rejection?