PT-3 “The Reaction” (Luke 4:22-30)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/15/2026 9:42 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-3 “The Reaction”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 4:22-30

            Message of the verses:  “22 And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” ²³ And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.’” ²⁴ But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. ²⁵ But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land; ²⁶ and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷ And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; ²⁹ and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. ³⁰ But He passed through their midst and went on His way.”

            In this morning’s SD I want to finish this section which will also finish the 23^rd chapter in John MacArthur’s first commentary book on the gospel of Luke.

            Jesus was not through in his talking to these people of His hometown.  To the rising anger of those gathered in the synagogue at such an indictment, He then added another familiar and somewhat distasteful Old Testament story, and this one involved Elija’s protégé and successor, Elisha.  There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.  This was probably a bigger shock to His hearers than the first story that He told to them about Elijah’s ministry to the Gentile widow.  Naaman the Syrian was not only a Gentile, but also a leper, and hence doubly an outcast. The following verses from the Old Testament speaks of this: Numbers 5:2 “2  "Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.”  2 Kings 7:3-4 “3 ¶  Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 4  If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.’”  As if that was not enough, he was also an enemy military commander, the “captain of the army of the king of Aram” through whom “the Lord had given victory to Aram” (2 Kings 5:1).  “1 ¶  Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.” Now when Elisha told him he would be cured of his leprosy if he bathed in the Jordan River, Naaman was at first unwilling (vv. 10-12). “10  And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." 11  But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12  Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.”  Now later, however, he humbled himself, obeyed the prophet’s word, was cured, and acknowledged the God of Israel as the only true God (vv. 14-15. “14  So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 ¶  Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.’”

            Now back to what Jesus’ point was here as it was clear and unmistakable that God has brought salvation by His arrival—but, as always, it is only for those who know they are spiritually poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed.  Unless His hearers were willing to humble themselves like that outcast Gentile widow and that Syrian leper terrorist did and admit their spiritual need, they could not be saved.  MacArthur writes “That was too much for their nationalistic pride and self-righteousness to bear, and consequently and suddenly all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.  They were an out of control lynch mob, intent on killing the one whom they knew so well and who had taught them the truth of God’s Word.  But Jesus’ time had not yet come (cf. John 7:30; 8:20), so passing through their midst, He went His way.”

(cf. John 7:30; 8:20)

30  So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.”

“20  These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.”

“At least, the mob got a miracle, if not the one they were looking for, as Jesus super-naturally escaped their attempt to murder Him (cf. John 7:30; 8:59; 10:39).”

(cf. John 8:59; 10:39)

59  So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

“39 ¶  Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

            “The proud people of Nazareth never did humble themselves, despite the Lord’s miraculous escape from their grasp.  When Jesus returned some time later, ‘He wondered at their unbelief’ (Mark 6:6; cf. Matt. 13:58).  Their refusal to admit their spiritual destitution, bondage, blindness, and oppression stands in stark contrast to the repentant Gentile widow and leper.  It is a striking illustration of the truth that ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble’ (James 4:6).

            “By all considerations, our Lord’s approach in the synagogue was not ‘seeker friendly,’ but bold, confrontive, denunciatory, and infuriating to the religious crowd—to the severest degree.  They were so outraged they tried to kill Him.  The truth about the sinner’s condition is always least acceptable to the religious hypocrite.”

Spiritual Meaning for My life Today:  I desire to trust the Lord’s plan, whatever it is, in the case of the cancer that my wife has.  I certainly do not know the outcome, but think it is my duty as her husband to do all I can to help her get rid of this aggressive cancer that has invaded her body.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting in the Lord’s plans even if they are not my plans for He is God and knows the beginning from the end.

5/15/2026 10:20 AM

 

 

PT-2 “The Reaction” (Luke 4:22-30)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/14/2026 9:02 PM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-2 “The Reaction”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 4:22-30

            Message of the verses:  “22 And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” ²³ And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.’” ²⁴ But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. ²⁵ But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land; ²⁶ and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷ And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; ²⁹ and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. ³⁰ But He passed through their midst and went on His way.”

            I want to continue where I left off in this mornings SD:  Now we know that Jesus had the power to read the minds of those that He came into contact with, and so Jesus said to them, No doubt you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’” In other words, prove your claims to us.  Jesus knew they were thinking He should reveal His power and were ready to challenge Him to verify His messiahship miraculously.  These were not the only people who challenged Jesus to perform miraculous as it will happen a number of times during His ministry on planet earth. They were thinking, “Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”  Now I want to remind you that Jesus had been ministering for a while before He came back to His hometown and this can be seen in the early chapter of John’s gospel.  Now if He wanted them to accept His claim to be the Messiah, then let Him perform the same signs that had reportedly been done in nearby Capernaum.

            MacArthur writes “The question, however, was not lack of evidence, but hardness of heart.  There were never enough miracles to satisfy.  No one in Israel, not even the leaders (John 11:47), ever questioned the reality of Jesus’ miracles, but neither would they accept what they proved.  Rather, they continually demanded more signs as a condition of their belief (Matt. 12:38; 16:1-4), or else attributed His miraculous power to Satan (Matt. 12:24).  No amount of miracles would convince those whose minds were hardened. ‘But through He had performed so many signs before them,’ John wrote, ‘yet they were not believing in Him’ (John 12:37).

            “Jesus understood that, humanly speaking, it was difficult for them to accept that someone they were so familiar with could really be the Messiah.  Acknowledging that , He made the now proverbial truism, Truly (amen; a word used to introduce important statements) I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown (cf. Matt. 13:57; John 4:44).”

            Next Jesus made a brilliant transition.  In effect He said to them, “Speaking of unwelcome prophets, what about Elijah and Elisha?”  Now the phrase I say to you in truth actually reiterates the importance of what He was about to say next.  The Lord then reminded them first that there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah.  Now Elijah prophesied during the reign of Ahab, one of Israel’s most wicked kings, the one who had even a more wicked wife, who “did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him’ (1 Kings 16:33). “33  And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”  Influenced by his pagan Gentile wife Jezebel, Ahab was a worshiper of the Canaanite deity Baal, and under his influence Baal worship was flourishing in Israel.

            MacArthur then writes: “As God’s judgment on the apostate nation, Elijah announced a drought, and the sky was shut up for three years and six months (cf. James 5:17), as a result of which a great famine came over all the land.  The severe conditions were especially hard on widows, since the people who were responsible to care for them (cf. Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17-21) were unable (or unwilling) to do so.  Yet despite the proliferation of widows in Israel, Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  This was not a story that the Jewish people like to be reminded of.  Jesus’ hearers no doubt began to get uncomfortable, or even angry at Him for bringing it up.  It was bad enough from their perspective that Elijah ministered to a Gentile widow instead of an Israelite.  But the land of Sidon was the homeland of the wicked queen Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31).” “31  And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.”  “This particular widow, however, was a believer in the God of Israel (1 Kings 17:12, 24).” 12  And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.’” “24  And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.’” “Jesus’ point, which must have shocked and outraged the audience, was that God would save an outcast Gentile woman who admitted her poverty, bondage, blindness, and oppression (1 Kings 17:18), not a Jew who would not.  The implication was that if they refused to abandon their self-righteousness and admit their desperate spiritual need they could not be saved.”

5/14/2026 9:52 PM

 

PT-1 “The Reaction” (Luke 4:22-30)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/14/2026 9:21 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-1 “The Reaction”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 4:22-30

            Message of the verses:  “22 And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” ²³ And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.’” ²⁴ But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. ²⁵ But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land; ²⁶ and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷ And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; ²⁹ and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. ³⁰ But He passed through their midst and went on His way.”

            Now as we begin to look at these verses we can see that the reaction of the people to Jesus’ message was positive, as all were speaking well of Him.  They were especially wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His libs.  I don’t think that these people in they synagogue had ever heard Jesus speak in public like this before, and were very impressed in the way that He was speaking to them, and this ability was also seen on the Sermon on the Mount seen in Matthew 7:28-29, and those who were sent to arrest Jesus at the end of His ministry as seen in John 7:46.  I will now quote these verses that I have listed beginning with Matthew 7:28-29.

Matthew 7:28-29

“28  And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29  for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

John 7:46

“46  The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!’”

            Shockingly the crowd will change their mind very rapidly as they will want to kill Him, and even try but as is written “He passed through their midst and went on His way.”  The question is What went wrong?  What changed their assessment of Jesus so radically?

            MacArthur writes “Som, no doubt, were wondering why Jesus stopped His reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 in the middle of verse 2, omitting the reference to ‘the day of vengeance of our God.’ The Jewish people expected that when Messiah came, He would take vengeance on their enemies. John the Baptist had spoken of the unquenchable fire of Messiah’s judgment (3:17), and even he became perplexed when Jesus showed no signs of executing vengeance on the wicked (7:19-10).”

            There is something else that others could not reconcile, and that is the stunning power of Jesus’ oratory with the reality that this was Joseph’s son.  Familiarity breeds contempt, and all experts are from out of town seems to be a familiar saying.  These people resented His claim to be the Messiah, especially since according to popular belief Messiah would be unknown until He suddenly appeared to redeem Israel (John 7:27).  

 (John 7:27)

“27  But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.’” 

The question that they had was how then could this man, whom they had known since He was a child, possibly be the Messiah?

            MacArthur then writes “But most of all, the people resented Jesus’ assertion that salvation is available only to those who acknowledge themselves to be the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed.  They were not about to accept such labels, since they viewed themselves as righteous.  After all, they kept the law (at least outwardly); they honored the Sabbath, paid their tithes, observed the ceremonies, and performed the rituals.  Besides, as the Jewish leaders proudly reminded Jesus, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone’(John 8:33).  Rather than acknowledge their spiritual poverty, sinful bondage, blindness, oppression, and need of a Savior, they questioned whether Jesus was really the Messiah.  How could He be if He could not even distinguish the righteous from the wicked?”

5/14/2026 10:02 AM

 

PT-3 “The Message” (Luke 4:16-21)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/13/2026 7:28 PM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  PT-3 “The Message”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 4:16-21

            Message of the verses:  “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” 20And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

            I will continue with MacArthur’s commentary from where I left off this morning.

            I begin looking at the second point that MacArthur speaks of, “Messiah will proclaim spiritual release to the captives.  Lost sinners imagine that they are free, and see Christianity as infringing on their right to be and do what they want to.  But that is a tragic deception; sinners are not free.  All sinners owe God an unpayable debt for violating His law (James 2:10; cf. Matt. 18:23-35), and are in bondage to ‘Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell’ (Matt. 10:28).  The lost are also in bondage to Satan (Eph. 2:1-2), ‘held captive by him to do his will’ (2 Tim. 2:26).  Satan uses their fear of death to enslave them (Heb. 2:14-15).  They are also slaves of sin (Rom. 6:6, 16-20), since ‘everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin’ (John 8:34).

            “The good news of the gospel is that God has sent His Son to free those who are in spiritual bondage.  In Isaiah 42:5-7 (God said to the Messiah,

⁵ This is what God the Lord says,

Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its ^[a]offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it:
⁶ “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
⁷ To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

            Aphesis (release) means ‘forgiveness’ (it is so translated in 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; Matt. 26:28; Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:22).  Messiah will set the prisoners free by paying the penalty for their violation of God’s law.  Through His sacrificial death God has ‘canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross’ (Col. 2:14).  As Charles Wesley expressed it in his magnificent hymn ‘O For a Thousand tongues,”

He breaks the power of cancelled sin,

He sets the prisoner free.

            “Third, Messiah’s mission was to provide recovery of spiritual sight to the blind.  Spiritual blindness is the natural condition of fallen man.  ‘They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness’ (Ps. 82:5); they ‘have eyes but do not see’ (Jer. 5:21).  ‘This is the judgment,’ Jesus declared, ‘that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed’ (John 3:19-20).  In addition to their natural blindness, God judicially blinds the minds of unrepentant sinners.  The apostle John wrote, ‘He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them’ (John 12:40; cf. Rom. 11:8).  Satan also ‘has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God’ (2 Cor. 4:4).

            “But the Messiah came ‘to open blind eyes’ (Isa. 42:7).  He is the ‘Sunrise from on high’ (1:78) who will ‘shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death’ (v. 79).  Since He is ‘the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5; cf. 3:19; 12:46) those who follow Him ‘will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’ (John 8:12).  Paul reminded the Corinthians that ‘God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (2 Cor. 4:6).  ‘You were formerly darkness,’ Ephesians 5:8 says, ‘but now you are light in the Lord’ (cf. Col. 1:13).  Paul was sent to the Gentiles ‘to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [Jesus]’ (acts 26:18).

            “Finally, Messiah came to set free those who are spiritually oppressed.  These are people overwhelmed by life’s painful circumstances, especially the wearying burden of sin and the inability to keep God’s law (cf. 11:46; Matt. 23:4; Acts 15:10).  Jesus promises such people ‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light’ (Matt. 11:28-30).  ‘For this is the love of God,’ John wrote, ‘that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome’ (1 John 5:3).

            “Because Jesus had already been ministering for many months, these things were already happening.  For the spiritually bankrupt, imprisoned by their sin and awaiting sentence by the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25), blind to the truth, and oppressed by the heavy burden of their sins, the favorable year of the Lord had come.  The ‘day of salvation’ (Isa. 49:8) and the ‘year of redemption’ (Isa. 63:4) had arrived.

            “Stopping His reading of Isaiah 61:2 in the middle of the verse, Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  It was a dramatic moment, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him wondering what His message would be.  What He said was shocking, unexpected, and unprecedented: He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Other teachers had spoken of a future fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, but Jesus told them that they were witnessing its fulfillment before their eyes.  Salvation had come; the messianic era had begun; the Messiah was present that day in the synagogue in the person of Jesus, a man from that very village.”

5/13/2026 9:46 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

PT-2 “The Message” (Luke 4:16-21)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/13/2026 9:43 AM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  PT-2 “The Message”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 4:16-21

            Message of the verses:  “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” 20And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

            I will continue with MacArthur’s commentary from where I left off last evening.

            “As stood up to read, the book (scroll) of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him by the chazzan.  It evidently was not unrolled to any text, so Jesus opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”  He read from two passages in Isaiah, 61:1-2 and 58:6.  What Jesus read was, as His hearers were well aware, messianic prophecy.  The phrase the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me reflects the reality again that Messiah would be empowered by the Holy Spirit (cf. the expositions of 3:22; 4:1, 14 earlier in this volume).  He would be anointed by the Spirit , set apart, and empowered for special service, as Isaiah 11:2 reveals: ‘The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him [Messiah; cf. v.1], the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and the strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord’ (cf. 48:16).

            “Verse 18 succinctly summarizes the Messiah’s ministry.  Four metaphors depict the desperate condition of needy sinners whom God speaks to rescue from hell.  Though the religious in this world may imagine themselves to be rich, free, healthy, and unhindered, until receiving the salvation that Christ brings, they are in reality poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed.  Those metaphors graphically depict their utter lack of any spiritual resources to extricate themselves from their deadly dilemma.  Only through the Messiah’s work of salvation can they be rescued from eternal punishment in hell.”

            Now I am going to add something here that I believe goes along with what we have been writing about from above.  It is a parable that Jesus told in Luke 18:9-14.

“9 ¶  He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10  "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11  The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

            MacArthur then goes on:  “First, Messiah would preach the gospel to the poor.  The good news of the gospel is that the spiritually impoverished can find salvation. Ptochos (poor) derives from a verb that means, ‘to cringe,’ ‘to shrink back,’ or ‘to cower.’  It conveys the idea of a beggar cringing in the shadows, cowering in shame.  In contrast to another Greek word, penes, which describes the working poor, ptochos describes those in extreme depravation who are reduced to begging, such as the beggar Lazarus (16:20).  In spiritual terms, the poor are those who recognize that they have nothing by which to commend themselves to God (cf. 6:20; Matt. 5:3).”

(cf. 6:20; Matt. 5:3)

20 ¶  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

“3 ¶  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“They acknowledge their moral bankruptcy, that all their righteousness deeds are nothing but a filthy garment (Isa. 64:6).  Messiah can only bring salvation to those who acknowledge that they are spiritually destitute and that only God can supply their needs.”  In other words you have to realize that you are sick so you can seek out a doctor, and Jesus is who you must seek after you realize that you are a sinful person who on his own can do nothing.

            “Spiritual poverty is not an act; it is not false piety or humility, but genuine.  The spiritually poor are ‘humble and contrite of spirit’ (Isa. 66:2); they are ‘brokenhearted’ and ‘crushed in spirit’ (Ps. 34:18).  Possessing a ‘broken spirit’ and a ‘broken and contrite heart’ (Ps. 51:17), they are like the repentant tax collector, who was ‘unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’’(Luke 18:13).”  I don’t read ahead in MacArthur’s commentary and so I can see that we were on the same page with the reference of the tax collector.  He goes on “It is such people, Jesus declared, whom God justifies (v. 14).  In contrast the Lord rebuked the members of the Laodicean church for thinking that  they were ‘rich, and [had] become wealthy, and [had] need of nothing,’  while in reality they were ‘wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked’ (Rev. 3:17).”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I remember very well when the Lord saved me, January 26, 1974, and I was truly a sinful person who could not say a sentence without swearing.  It was on July 5, 1969 that I was drafted into the US army, during the Vietnam war, and I knew it was my duty to go but did not really want to.  During my physical they found albumin in my urine and made me go to my doctor to find out about it.  He just said the same thing that it was in my body.  After reporting to Ft. Benning I found out I had a medical hold and my prayer to the Lord was actually a deal that if He got me out of the army I would stop my constant swearing.  Well three days after getting there I was to go home because of the albumin in my urine.  After reporting back to Ford Motor Company they asked me why I  was back so soon.  I told them and they tested me again, but it was all gone, never to have it again.  My deal with God did not last too long.  I want to visit a friend in Orlando Florida who gave me some tapes by Hal Lindsey and it was through those end times tape message that the Lord saved me.  How do I know that the Lord saved me?  Well that deal I made with the Lord about stop swearing He took that away and I have not sworn again.  Praise the Lord who saved me and then put me to work writing Spiritual Diaries that He is using as His Spirit sends them around the world through the internet.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to guide my wife to a place where they can get rid of her cancer.

5/13/2026 10:55 AM

 

 

PT-1 “The Message” (Luke 4:16-21)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/12/2026 7:36 PM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-1 “The Message”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 4:16-21

            Message of the verses:  “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” 20And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

            This evening I begin what is a fairly long section from John MacArthur’s commentary on these verses.  We are beginning to look at Jesus ministry as the first three gospels deal with it, but we have learned that the gospel of John actually speaks of the first things that Jesus did after coming back from fasting in the wilderness and being tempted by Satan, and in that first section of John’s gospel we saw the first of the miracles that Jesus did, which was at a wedding in Canna where He turned water into wine. Now we will begin looking at the verses seen above and some of the things that MacArthur has to say about them.

            I know that it is the Holy Spirit that led the Bible authors to write what He wanted them to write, and so as we look at the events that Luke, through the Spirit wrote here we see that he had chosen to begin his account of Christ’s ministry, by picking out His visit to Nazareth.  Luke did so because what Jesus said on this occasion which identifies Him as the Messiah and perfectly defines His ministry.  This first of two recorded visits  by Jesus to the city where He grew up too place near the beginning of His Galilean ministry; and the other visit, recorded by Matthew (13:54-58) and also Mark (6:1-6), took place near its end.

            Nazareth was located in a hollow in the Galilean hills, just north of the plain of Esdraelon, which is about half way between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea.  It was an insignificant village in Jesus’ day (this city or town was not mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud, or by Josephus), overshadowed by the larger city of Sepphoris just to the North.  This out of the way town was where Jesus had grown up in, and I think that God picked this city out because it was out of the way so that people would not notice Jesus before His ministry had begun.  Now we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and later made Capernaum His hometown (Matt. 4:13), Jesus remained associated with Nazareth throughout His ministry.  (4:34; 18:37; Matt. 21:11; 26:71; Mark 1:24; John 1:45; Acts 10:38; 26:9), being scornfully called, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

            MacArthur writes “As was His custom, Jesus entered they synagogue on the Sabbath.  Wherever He was during His ministry, the Lord attended a synagogue on the Sabbath (cf. 6:6;13:10; Mark 1:21; 3:1-2; 6:2).  On this Sabbath, He was chosen to read from the Old Testament Scriptures.  Out of respect for the Scriptures Jesus, as was customary, stood up to read.  Alfred Edersheim captures the drama of the moment:

As the lengthening shadows of Friday’s sun closed around the quiet valley, He would hear the well-remembered double blast of the trumpet from the from the Synagogue-minister’s house, proclaiming the advent of the holy day.  Once more it sounded through the still summer-air to tell all, that work must be laid aside.  Yet a third time it was heard, ere the ‘minister’ put it aside close by where he stood, not to profane the Sabbath by carrying it; for now the Sabbath had really commenced, and the festive Sabbath-lamp was lit.

Sabbath morn dawned, and early He repaired to the Synagogue where, as a Child, a Youth, a Man, He had so often worshipped in the humble retirement of His rank, sitting, not up there among the elders and the honored, but far back.  The old well-known faces were around Him, the Old well-remembered words and services fell on His ear.  How different they had always been to Him than to them, with whom He had thus mingled in common worship!  And now He was again among them, truly a stranger among His own countrymen; this time to be looked at, listened to, tested, tried, used or cast aside, as the cause might be.  It was the first time, as far as we know, that He taught in a Synagogue and this Synagogue that of His own Nazareth.  (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Grand Rapids; Eerdmans 1974], 1:430-31)

I think that I will end this SD here and begin with a new paragraph in tomorrow morning’s SD.

5/12/2026 8:15 PM

 

PT-3 “The Setting” (Luke 4:14-15)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/12/2026 9:36 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                Focus:  PT-3 “The Setting”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 4:14-15

            Message of the verses:  “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.  And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

            I want to pick up where I left off this morning, as we were talking about the synagogues found in the New Testament time.  These synagogues had no full-time pastors or teacher; the policy known as the “freedom of they synagogue” and this allowed for anyone approved by the ruler of the synagogue to teach.  Thus, if a noted teacher was available, he would likely be invited to preach, as was Paul seen in Acts 13:14-15; “14 ¶  but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15  After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’”  Now in the absence of a guest teacher, any of the men in attendance who were approved to do so might teach.  The synagogues were ruled by elders as seen in Mark 5:22, “22  Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet.”  Now the chief of which was the archisunagogos, or ruler of the synagogue (Luke 13:14; Acts 18:8).  It was his responsibility to conduct the worship service and to approve the teachers.  There was another officer besides the ruler of the synagogue and the elders, the chazzan. He was the keeper of the scrolls of which the Scriptures were written, and was responsible for getting the proper scrolls out for each day’s reading and returning them to the chest where they were stored.  In addition to serving as places of worship, the synagogues also provided instruction for children, much like today’s elementary schools, and served as local courts.

            John MacArthur writes “The order of worship in a typical synagogue of Jesus’ day may be reconstructed as follows:

1.      Thanksgivings or ‘blessings’ spoken in connection with (before and after), the Shema: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.’

2.      Prayer, with response of ‘Amen’ by the congregation.

3.      Reading of a passage from the Pentateuch (in Hebrew, followed by translation into Aramaic)

4.      Reading of a passage from the Prophets (Similary translated)

5.      Sermon or word of exhortation

6.      The Benediction pronounced by a priest, wo which the congregation responded with ‘Amen.’  When no priest was present a Closing Prayer was substituted for the Benediction. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Mark [Grand Rapids; Baker, 1975], 75-76)

 

            “Luke’s account of Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in Nazareth began with Him reading a passage from the prophets (in this case Isaiah), and then giving the exposition.”

 

Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  In reading sections like this I am happy to learn the things that were done during the time Jesus was on the earth, so that I can learn and grow in the Lord.

 

My Steps of faith for today. I am trusting in the Lord that He will guide my wife in choosing a new doctor to help her defeat this cancer in her body.

 

5/12/2026 9:59 AM