Luke 4:31-32

Luke 4:31-32

And He went down into Capernaum, a city of Galilee.  And He was teaching them on the Sabbath.  And they were being struck by His teaching, because His words were in authority.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus goes to Galilee.  Galilee was a place that didn’t have the best of reputations.  Galilee was a working town filled with laborers and common people.  It was not a fancy place that held nobles or religious elite.  When Jesus goes to Galilee, He is making a statement.  Jesus came to live and dwell with all people regardless of their status.

What does this say about God’s desire to be in relationship with all people?  Do you think that there are people who feel as though they are not good enough for God?  What can this passage say to them?

Second Thought:

This passage is such a great passage to put in juxtaposition of the prior passage.  In the last passage we got to see a long passage of people who is unable to recognize Jesus because of their prior conceptions of the Messiah.  In this passage we see a group of people who listen with open ears and are amazed.  The difference isn’t Jesus.  Jesus taught both groups on the Sabbath.  Jesus gave the same opportunity to both sets of people.  The difference is that the people in Capernaum were willing to be amazed.

Are you willing to be amazed by God?  Are you living a life with open ears?

Third Thought:

The verb that Luke uses to describe the people’s reaction to Jesus’ teaching is a neat word.  It literally means to be struck.  It is the word that you would use to describe the situation when a person would slap another person or hit them with a fist.  Of course, we know that Jesus isn’t literally hitting them.  But Jesus is striking them with a new teaching.  They are being shaken out of what they had been taught before.  Yet they are still receptive.  Even though the teaching is new and bold and even jarring, they are willing.  This says a great amount about the people of Galilee.

How do you respond to new and different teaching?  Can people successfully challenge you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 4:33-37