In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus faces the rejection of the people in his hometown synagogue: “They were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away” (Luke 4:28b–30).
The townspeople of Nazareth meant to hurt Jesus, if not kill him. The truth Jesus spoke was something the people weren’t ready to hear, especially from one of their own. Being rejected is hard—and no one has tried to hurl me headlong down a hill! We have all experienced some rejection in our lives, and some of it has likely come as a result of our belief in Jesus Christ.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ” (4:15).
LET US PRAY: Good and gracious God, give us the strength to live the truth in love, even if doing so leads some people to reject us. Help us to keep our ears, minds, and hearts open to your truth, so that we may grow into the image of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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