This Day...the Wayfarer 6/12 14

This Day

6/12 14

“”And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

(Luke 4:21)

The gospel of Christ Jesus is often ignored as being only pie in the sky thinking that inhibits the believer’s ability to see the productiveness of a grand plan instituted by men for men with the goals of more of all this world may offer, particularly for those making and touting those plans.

It is declared old thinking that has no application to the lives of those now living, and would not be accepted by those who think there is time for eternity only in eternity, that there is plenty of time to rest and dream after death, spending each moment pushing through each day in search of further wealth and enjoyment of that wealth.

All Christ’s teachings, all the sacrifice given by him both in life and in his death on the cross are counted to be  a waste of time in anticipation of some future time when the Judgment of God is given on an earth living only in the here and now.

Prophets of profit are readily and easily accepted. Con men and those building pyramid schemes abound and are indeed seen to have the riches they seek, riches coveted and dreamed of by so many.

Acceptance of the gospel seems to have become dated, obscure, a thing of the past with no relevance to the future envisioned by the majority.

It too has become the center of many of the pyramid schemes and cons used by those to dupe the ones most in need of hearing, comprehending and accepting it.

As Jesus spoke these words quoted, disbelief abounded, because it was He who spoke them, not one of the rich made so by their reputation, by inheritance, by stature within the accepted society, who were seen to be the ultra-righteous of His time.

It was spoken in a place that refused to recognize Him as anything other than what he was perceived to be, the son of a carpenter, a local boy, without education, or pedigree to be worthy of  being heard.

For context and content, let us backtrack a bit, then progress to what was given that day, and is still being given, and the reason it should not be ignored.

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

(Luke 4:14-19)

Having come through the temptations of Satan, having met head on the “wonderful promises” given by Satan, Christ began His ministry.

This ministry took him first to Galilee, where he was but a stranger, and was seen as a prophet by those who had no knowledge of his familial pedigree, or anything else about him other than what he taught and preached that brought hope for them both in that time and in the future contained within eternity.

By these he was accepted, still only as a prophet, but as a prophet with the power of God that was evident to all who chose to listen.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, where his pedigree was well known, he continued with the same message and same power to deliver that message in the local synagogue.

When He stood to read, He was given a book of prophecy respected and well read by many before him, choosing the passage that told the reason he was sent to the people to whom he spoke.

That reason and the deliverance of that reason led to what followed:

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

But I tell you of a truth many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

And many lepers were in Israel at the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days.

And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.”

(Luke: 4:20-32)

Seen only as the son of Joseph by those with whom he grew up, Jesus knew that any time spent trying to reach them with the truth of the gospel he had been sent to preach was wasted, and that he would need to take that gospel elsewhere for it to be accepted.

The same holds true today for any preaching the gospel to those unwilling to admit the relevance of that gospel.

Those preaching truth without seeking visible gain will be ignored for those promising gain to be had that negates the very gospel preached.

A close look at the scripture chosen tells us that the gospel was given to the poor, the brokenhearted those in bondage, those blinded, and those bruised by the world around them.

That final sentence given in the 19^th verse is what applied then and now that gives so much offence to those not wishing to hear that gospel being preached.

They choose of their own free will to remain poor, by seeking wealth of this world instead of the wealth of the knowledge of Christ and God’s will for mankind: They choose to remain brokenhearted as their dreams are unfulfilled of that wealth, or they realize the lack of value and satisfaction that comes with that wealth: They choose to remain captive to each new and pleasant teaching brought to them by Satan through mankind and his desires: They choose to remain blind to that gospel, blind to the fact that their soul holds more importance than the corporal body and the desires of that body. They choose to be bruised by their own teachings instead of even bothering to learn the truth of His.

The acceptable year of the Lord is when that gospel is preached! The time to submit to the requirements of that gospel is when it is heard and comprehended.

Those gathered that day in Nazareth chose not to hear; Christ knew they would Just as Paul realized the same thing when he chose to take that gospel to the Gentile who was disdained by the Jew, as was the Galileans held in so much disdain by those of Nazareth when he stated:

“And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.”

 (Acts 18:6)

The acceptable year of the Lord is now, not some future date. The acceptable time to comprehend what was given through his continuous message of redemption through repentance is now, not some more convenient time when you have attained the goals in life set for you by men.

The time to find the truth of that gospel and the truth of what was given by Christ and what is expected in return is now.

It applies to each and every one willing to listen, and must be carried to all willing to listen.

It is time to:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

It is time to cry out, not for others to be more like us, but for all in unison to cry out for forgiveness of our own sin, as did the publican standing in the temple not daring to even lift his eyes to heaven instead of mouthing thanks for righteousness not held as did that Pharisee beside him.

It is time to cease proliferation of forcing the goals of “more” on the world, and searching only for “more”.

It is time to recognize the need to seek the comfort of that gospel given the poor, to be the tools healing those brokenhearted, to preach and be the tools of deliverance for those held captive for their belief in Christ, to open the eyes of those blinded by the “more” that is being sought, and to liberate those in bondage bruised by the sin of that more.

It is time to honor the message, the commandment and the commission left us by Christ Jesus, and cease honoring anything and everything that distracts us from God’s Son’s teachings in recognition that He is God’s Son, not merely a prophet, not merely someone to be relegated to a past, but to be glorified as what He is… the only way to a future for an eternal soul to experience satisfaction instead of damnation given as an alternative for the rejection of our Savior.

It is time to heed these words in red, and all the words in red left us in the scripture that alone may provide for that salvation and satisfaction, then, once having heeded them, live them as in accordance with the admonition given along with that commandment.

It is time to seek more… more of his teachings, more of His love, more of His guidance, more of all that he gave us and gives us willingly, more of the unity with both Him and the Father that comes only through the things given by Him.

Let others seek “more” of the things they seek in this world; I seek more of what is intended to be sought!

I close, that same simple sinner saved by grace through faith, who long ago recognized the acceptable year of the Lord, and who is that same soldier making proclamation of that same to all who will only listen. 

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer