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. . . when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. (NASB) John 4:45 Now Jesus has come back to His childhood home of Nazareth. So how did the people in Nazareth
respond to Him? How did they respond to this famous person, the One who did miracles? Many of the people would
have known Him when He was a young boy. They would have known His mother too! So some of the people were probably
very excited when they saw Him and rushed to tell others. Women might have run after Him to ask how He was
doing, or to ask about His mother, brothers, and sisters.
Jesus would not have been able to keep His presence a secret. People would have been eager to
talk with Him, if for no other reason than to ask if the reports about Him were true. Did any of Jesus’ childhood
friends find Him and speak with Him? What did the old house in which He once lived look like?
We do not know if Jesus arrived early in the week or the day before the Sabbath. But we do know
that He was there on Saturday, the Sabbath. What was it like for Jesus to wake up that Sabbath morning and
walk to the synagogue that He once knew so well? We have no answers to our questions, only thoughts. But it
must have been an emotional time for Him and others.
When Jesus arrived at the synagogue and stepped inside, He probably found it filled with people who were eager to see and speak with Him. The elders would have been seated in the front, with the men and women on different sides of the room. We will soon discover that the chief ruler, who was responsible for the service, had asked Jesus to read and preach that morning. It appears that they wanted to hear this famous rabbi, or teacher, speak. Were the rumors about His eloquence correct?
The Message. The ancient worship service of the synagogue of Jesus’ day
was structured. From the best information that we have, it appears that the worship service started with thanksgiving,
and was followed by a prayer, seven short public readings from the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy), a reading
from the Prophets, a sermon, and then a benediction. The benediction was from Numbers 6:24-26, |
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||
