Post by Lee on Mar 14, 2014 3:20:38 GMT
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 in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:25–27).
The inference arising from this citation was obvious enough to sting severely. A greater than Elijah or Elisha was before them, but it did not follow that the power of God which was with him would be put forth on their behalf. Israel’s disobedience in the days of Elijah and Elisha had withholden from them the good that might have come: and the same cause might produce a like effect now.
Why did Jesus adopt this austere attitude towards them? We are told that, as a matter of fact, Jesus “could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 15:58), not that their unbelief disabled him for the performance of anything he might choose to do, but that their negative state put it out of the question that he should do works which he never performed except good was to be done by it. No good is to be done with some people; and this was the case with the inhabitants of Nazareth, who had been too familiar with Jesus from his infancy to admit of their estimating him truly
Nazareth Revisited
The inference arising from this citation was obvious enough to sting severely. A greater than Elijah or Elisha was before them, but it did not follow that the power of God which was with him would be put forth on their behalf. Israel’s disobedience in the days of Elijah and Elisha had withholden from them the good that might have come: and the same cause might produce a like effect now.
Why did Jesus adopt this austere attitude towards them? We are told that, as a matter of fact, Jesus “could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 15:58), not that their unbelief disabled him for the performance of anything he might choose to do, but that their negative state put it out of the question that he should do works which he never performed except good was to be done by it. No good is to be done with some people; and this was the case with the inhabitants of Nazareth, who had been too familiar with Jesus from his infancy to admit of their estimating him truly
Nazareth Revisited