Luke 4:23 - The Physician

[ And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well." ]

Background:

   Jesus went back to Nazareth (his hometown) and began to preach in the local synagogue. Now this is a place unlike any other, the audience are not strangers, they were co-barangays. He is well-known by the audience, and they have known Jesus assuredly as he was grew up among them. Most likely his family (brothers and sisters) were among the listening audience as well.

   He was given the opportunity to read the words of scripture in the synagogue (a sort of bible study lead), and he quoted Isaiah's prophecy- a line of scripture that describes exclusively about the expected Messiah. No problem about that, .. a warm promise, words in scripture , everyone happy and feeling religious. It was the normal routine of everyone who are given the opportunity to stand in front of their 'çhurch' and do the reading ritual.

Luk 4:18  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 

   BUT the bombshell that left everyone surprised if not shocked was NOT the supposedly expected exposition/teaching of what was read sa kanilang bible study. Instead what they heard was a claim and proclamation:

  Luke 4:21  And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." .

in other words, itong pangako ay natupad na at ako yan sya ang tinutukoy dyan !

you would expect the people to easily accept this claim, of course not! from praise and admiration in leading the service and the reading of scriptrue, it eventually end up to a somewhat discrimination of sorts. 'Hindi baga ito ang anak ni Jose?'(v22) or in other words making it more dramatic, 'di ba anak lang ito ni jose na kapitbaryo natin, bat kung magsalita ito ngayon ay parang bigtime na'? they actually were looking down at Christ since they know him fully well and did not expect such claims for himself.

   Given this background then, we have the parable/snippet which in a way Jesus preempting what they were thinking: Luk 4:23  And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well."

   It is a challenge or to question the claim or authority of jests by way of a quote. a physician's reputation is proven by not only healing others but also of able to heal himself. and so in a way they challenge christ to do the same thing (probably miracles he had done in Capernaum from that they have heard) to do the same in Nazareth to prove his claims. "What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well." They want proofs or evidence.

But Christ responded:

Luk 4:24-28  And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 

   Why were the audience so angry? Most likely because Christ revealed what was in their thoughts, exposed their own prejudice for one of their own. The fact that Jesus read what was in their mind did not pause them to think  that he is actually what he claims he is.

   The widow in Zaephath and Naaman the Syrian were all gentiles, and Jesus telling that passage is understandably clear to the Jewish audience - that a prophet is not always welcomed in his hometown, and because of their hardened heart and pride, the blessings which are suppose to be given to them ironically are given to those NOT of his own kin but to strangers.

   We behave similarly to the people in Jesus's hometown. ''Familiarity breeds contempt"- People do not respect someone they know well enough to know his or her faults. We are all victims to this, and often prejudice against people well enough we should be encouraging and believing instead of looking down for the main reason that 'he grew up with us- kilala ko yan!', in a way saying ''Physician heal thyself''.

    But Christ was different, he had no faults, he had no sins. And the only excuse the people dare to challenge him, ironically, was the same approach the devil tempted him when he was in the mountain -  kung totoo ka nga eh magpasiklab/magpakita ka ng powers mo para maniwala kami na ikaw nga yang sinsabi mong messiah o diyos.

    If this was Apollo Quiboloy claming he is the new 'Son of God' which 'returned' last Sept 13, 2003 - eh hindi nga po kapanipaniwala at totoong scam. This guy is surrounded by money and luxury not humility.

    We should do well to look at the person's sincerity and humility before making conclusions about persons, otherwise we will lose the blessing meant for us and this will be given to others instead due to our pride.