• Isn’t Jesus’ problem with the people in his hometown the same problem we are finding in churches today?  I think a pastor’s role in a church is grounded on the popular theology of the day.  Then as now, we would rather have God under our rule than place ourselves under God's rule. We tend to limit God's activities to our image of what the divine should be doing, thus, seeking to create God in our image of a god. 

Because Jesus did not take care of his hometown people as well as he ministered to the people of Capernaum, the people are enraged and seek to kill him. The contrast should be noted between Nazareth's response of rage that wanted to kill Jesus in 4:28-29 and the response of praise by everyone in 4:15.

Why did Jesus' few words produce such anger? My hunch is that Jesus didn't act or say things the way the people expected. What would the people have expected? The following is a possibility that I think may speak both to their time and ours.

The people of Nazareth had been hearing reports of all the great things Jesus was doing over in Capernaum. He was a hometown boy made good. This hero was returning home.

• The day arrives and Jesus comes. He goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He reads from Isaiah. He speaks a few words. The crowd whispers to each other how good he is, "Mary and Joseph certainly raised a good son."
• Then Jesus says something about miracles. The crowd has heard all about the wonders that he performed in Capernaum. Many of the people had gathered to see some great event – a little razzle-dazzle to get this crowd going…..and, of most importance, healings.   If Jesus would just do some healings…there were so many in need in Nazareth.  If he could heal in Capernaum, he could certainly heal all those in need in Nazareth.  After all, this was his hometown.
• Jesus says the wrong things for this crowd. He recalls a story from Elijah's time. God miraculously provided food for a poor, pagan widow. There were many poor, starving widows in Israel during the famine who didn't receive any miraculous food. The crowd in the synagogue starts mumbling to each other: "Is he saying that God likes Gentiles better than Jews? Jesus' had better watch what he says." The Jews of the time hated the Gentiles.
• Jesus recalls a story from the time of Elisha. God miraculously cured Naaman, a pagan leper. There were many sick lepers in Israel during that time who received no miraculous cure. The crowd's whispers are getting louder. "Is he saying that God prefers the pagans. That's not what we came to hear.” The Jews in Jesus era hated the pagans even more.

 Click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoNbyxkIsK0 for Jerry Falwell and Bob Novak on this subject.
 

This was the opposite of what Jesus would have taught, isn’t it? 

Jesus just wasn't what the Nazarenes expected. He didn't do the miracles they expected. He actually healed their enemies….the pagans, the Gentiles.  He didn't say the words that they expected. He had to be a false prophet, because he didn't act like they wanted him to act.  And so, using the law that allowed the killing of false prophets….they tried to kill Jesus.

Jesus did it. Shouldn’t we be preaching sermons that teaches God’s love for everyone…that just might enrage our congregation? “Perhaps only if I’m willing to be run out of town and lose my paycheck can I preach on what I believe Jesus expects of us,” commented one minister.” 
 

• When I showed a picture of a turbaned Middle Eastern Muslim and then the familiar picture of the blue eyed, blond haired Jesus and asked the congregation to guess which Jesus most likely physically resembled….some people became angry.  When I told them a story of the Good Samaritan….a Jew tending to the hated Samaritan and asked them if today Jesus would ask us to care for a Muslim in the same fashion….some people became very uncomfortable.  So prevalent has become the hate against the Muslim nations….So distorted has become Jesus’ teachings.