Anchor My Faith

People’s Wrath Towards Jesus

Scripture: Luke 4:28-30, Matthew 6:3

As Jesus spoke to the people they became more and more agitated: ^{“Lk 4:28} When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath (Mt 6:3) and they took offense at him. ^{Lk 4:29} And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. ³⁰ But passing through their midst, he went away.”

As the people listened and thought about him growing up among them, they became angry and their anger turned to rage. They were filled with wrath believing he was saying things and claiming things that deserved punishment and so they took offense at him and rose up to take him away. They drove him out of town and forced him to the top of the hill upon which the town was built to where there was a cliff they could throw him over to kill him.

This is not the first time an attempt on his life was made. His life was threatened as a small child when he was referred to as a coming king and Herod sought to kill him, but Joseph and Mary took him to Egypt.

Here in Nazareth they drive him to the point of his death but since it is not his appointed time to die, he in some way turns toward them and walks through their midst and went on his way. It would be interesting to know what caused the people to all of a sudden back off and let him walk away from them unharmed. This will happen again and again as people attempt to take his life before it is time and in ways other than on the cross.

As I study the lives of those living under persecution, I find a growing number of Christians who should have been killed, but were not. It seems that the Holy Spirit protects them in some way as he did here with Jesus. In Daniel 3, Daniel’s three friends were cast into the fiery furnace, but managed to walk out alive and unburned. Tom Doyle in his excellent book, “Standing in the Fire: Courageous Christians Living in Frightening Times,” gives account of those who should have been killed, but who were delivered safely from those who intended to harm them.

Those whom the Father has chosen to serve him, will be protected from death until the appointed time. We are all appointed to die, but some are appointed to live through more than others. God may place some of us in a place where our death is a powerful witness he uses to bring the gospel to a violent evil person. Others he may protect from death because he has more work for them. Work on the front lines is dangerous and some lose their lives quickly while other may live through the war because God has still more work for them to do. The problem here in the west is that our need for safety and security causes us to withdraw from the front lines and not become or stay engaged. Someday, and sooner than one might think, the front line may not be avoidable and we will face a most difficult situation without having gone through proper training. It seems that we are not willing to engage in that necessary training, but instead embrace the pretribulation position as our exit from danger. It is past time for us to learn from our brothers and sisters who are already experiencing things we read about in the seals and trumpets in Revelation. When those seals are opened, the west will not escape the horrors being experienced by believers in countries of intense persecution.

Prayer

Father, as Jesus stayed focused on the work his Father assigned him, he drew closer and closer to the cross he was to die on. Father, I pray for those believers who stay focused on the work you assign them as they daily face the possibly of torture and even death. We are your workmanship, new creatures in Christ, called to do the work prepared for us, but it appears that we may have turned from that work to become friends with the world. Maybe it is time for judgment to come to us here in the west.