The Power to Walk Away

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove [Jesus] out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Luke 4:28-30

Daily Devotion – January 26, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 4:28-30

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Jesus had gone to Nazareth, his hometown, and went into the synagogue to worship. The people invited Jesus to preach, so Jesus opened to a part of the book of Isaiah which reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This is a beautiful segment of the Bible which reminds us that God is full of forgiving love! It also teaches that God doesn’t like to deal with us in judgment (Though he will do that if we stubbornly rebel against him.) Rather, he loves to deal with us in mercy and love. Jesus identified himself as the fulfillment of this prophecy, as the promised Messiah.

Unfortunately, the people reacted with unbelief, and Jesus confronted them about it. This made them furious, and they tried to kill him.

How did Jesus deal with that? He walked away. He simply left, and there was nothing the people could do to stop him.

That’s very valuable for us to see. Why? Because later another group of people tried to put Jesus to death. It happened in Jerusalem, and Jesus didn’t walk away. He could have, but he didn’t.

This shows us that when Jesus died, he did so willingly. When Jesus died, he did so because he loved you. He wasn’t forced into it. He had the power to walk away from the cross just as he had walked away from the hill in Nazareth. But he didn’t.

So, we rejoice! We rejoice that Jesus had the power to walk away from the crowd in Nazareth. And we rejoice even more that Jesus didn’t walk away from the cross in Jerusalem.

Prayer:
O Savior, remind me that your love for me is a willing love so that I might know for sure that you love me forever. Amen.

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