The lord be with you. A reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Luke. Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been reared. And entering the synagogue in Nazareth, that's up, you know, on the northern country west of the Lake Of Galilee, just about an hour's drive. So Jesus, upon entering the synagogue in Nazareth, and it was on the Sabbath day, stood up to do the reading.
He became a lector. When the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Jesus, he unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it is written, the spirit of the lord is upon me, therefore he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the lord. That is the passage from Isaiah that our blessed lord read in the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath day. Then rolling up the scroll, Jesus gave it back to the assistant and sat down.
All in the synagogue had their eyes fixed upon him. Then he began by saying to them, today, this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. All who were present spoke favorably of Jesus. They marveled at the appealing discourse which came from his lips. They also asked, is not this Joseph's son?
In other words, they're saying, how could he be so great coming from Joseph the carpenter? Then Jesus said to him to them, you will doubtless quote me the proverb, physician, heal yourself. Or you may say, do here in your own country the things that we have heard that you have done down in Capernaum, down by the lake. But in fact, Jesus went on, no prophet gains acceptance in his hometown. Indeed, let me remind you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah.
When the heavens remained closed for three and a half years, and a great famine spread over the land. It was to none of these widows of Israel that Elijah was sent, but to a widow near Sidon. That's down by the sea. Recall too the many lepers in Israel in the time of Aneeshah the prophet. Yet, not one of them was cured except the Syrian, Naaman.
At these weird words of our Lord, the whole congregation in the synagogue was filled with indignation. They rose up and expelled Jesus from the town, leading him to the brow of a hill on which the town was built, intending to hurl him over the edge. But Jesus walked straight through their midst and disappeared. And this is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.