The situation in the synagogue in Nazareth became serious. The religious leaders did not fear the Lord, so they deemed Jesus persona non grata and expelled Him from there. Their fury against the Master was so great that they took Him to the top of the mountain with the intention of killing Him. Their ears were hardened so as not to hear the Truth. Would they be able to carry out what they wanted?

In modern times, many also express the same feeling of dissatisfaction toward those who speak to them about the divine will. These people claim that they do not want, for example, to change their religion. The proposal of the servant of God is good and has nothing to do with religious dogmas. The mission of the Christian is to speak to the lost about everything Jesus suffered. If there is someone who has never been blessed, it can be now; just learn to take the right steps in faith.

The people of Nazareth did not want the Master to return to that city to teach the Word or even to visit friends. The anger of the religious leaders is revealed when God performs wonders among them, so they plot to stop Christ's work at any cost. They fear that their temples will become empty! When people heed the message of the cross, they can obtain the true faith that frees them from evils!

Let's look at the example of Naaman, commander of the armies of Syria, who contracted leprosy. He heard that in Samaria there was a prophet capable of healing him, for he had a reputation of walking with God. In light of this, the king of Syria sent Naaman to the king of Israel with a letter, requesting that the military leader be healed. Elisha then advised his king, who was surprised by the request, as he did not know that the prophet had such authority. He even asked that the sick man be sent to him (2 Kings 5:1-8).

The Savior had said in the temple that, in Israel, there were lepers like the Syrian, but none of them had shown any interest in seeking out Elisha, and for that reason, they were not healed. Well, the prophet could have healed them all! Moreover, Christ mentioned that no widow from the nation of Israel was helped during the crisis caused by the drought (Luke 4:25-27). Jesus spoke directly about their error. Nathanael, a disciple of Jesus, was the prejudiced one in the group, for he asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth (John 1:45,46).

In each environment, the devil acts differently on people. There are places where some sin because of a lack of faith in Christ or because they are led by the flesh; in others, the people embrace the doctrine of harming others. There are also places where groups like to invoke evil spirits, and where many are materialists. Christians serve Jesus and, therefore, are wise and do not offend anyone. Speaking the truth is not an offense!

Those who rebelled against the Lord wasted their time, for, not knowing Him, they thought they could throw Jesus off the cliff. Christ allowed Himself to be taken until the moment they would throw Him. Then, He used divine power, and those individuals didn't even know how to react. Christ walked out of there among them and continued on His way.

         In Christ, with love,

         R. R. Soares