The Desire of Ages
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 24: "Is Not This the Carpenter's Son?"
This chapter is based on Luk 4:16-30.
Across the bright days of Christ's ministry in Galilee, one
shadow lay. The people of Nazareth rejected Him. "Is not this the
carpenter's son?" they said. {DA 236.1}
During His childhood and youth, Jesus had worshiped among
His brethren in the synagogue at Nazareth. Since the opening of His ministry He
had been absent from them, but they had not been ignorant of what had befallen
Him. As He again appeared among them, their interest and expectation were
excited to the highest pitch. Here were the familiar forms and faces of those
whom He had known from infancy. Here were His mother, His brothers and sisters,
and all eyes were turned upon Him as He entered the synagogue upon the Sabbath
day, and took His place among the worshipers. {DA 236.2}
In the regular service for the day, the elder read from the
prophets, and exhorted the people still to hope for the Coming One, who would
bring in a glorious reign, and banish all oppression. He sought to encourage
his hearers by rehearsing the evidence that the Messiah's coming was near. He
described the glory of His advent, keeping prominent the thought that He would
appear at the head of armies to deliver Israel. {DA 236.3}
When a rabbi was present at the synagogue, he was expected
to deliver the sermon, and any Israelite might give the reading from the
prophets. Upon this Sabbath Jesus was requested to take part in the service. He
"stood up to read. And there was delivered unto Him a roll of the prophet
Isaiah." Luke 4:16, 17, R. V., margin. The scripture which He read was one
that was understood as referring to the Messiah: [237]
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To preach deliverance to the captives,
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." {DA 236.4}
"And He closed the roll, and gave it back to the
attendant: . . . and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened
on Him. . . . And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the words of
grace which proceeded out of His mouth." Luke 4:20-22, R. V., margin. {DA 237.1}
Jesus stood before the people as a living expositor of the
prophecies concerning Himself. Explaining the words He had read, He spoke of
the Messiah as a reliever of the oppressed, a liberator of captives, a healer
of the afflicted, restoring sight to the blind, and revealing to the world the
light of truth. His impressive manner and the wonderful import of His words
thrilled the hearers with a power they had never felt before. The tide of
divine influence broke every barrier down; like Moses, they beheld the
Invisible. As their hearts were moved upon by the Holy Spirit, they responded
with fervent amens and praises to the Lord. {DA 237.2}
But when Jesus announced, "This day is this scripture
fulfilled in your ears," they were suddenly recalled to think of
themselves, and of the claims of Him who had been addressing them. They,
Israelites, children of Abraham, had been represented as in bondage. They had
been addressed as prisoners to be delivered from the power of evil; as in
darkness, and needing the light of truth. Their pride was offended, and their
fears were roused. The words of Jesus indicated that His work for them was to
be altogether different from what they desired. Their deeds might be
investigated too closely. Notwithstanding their exactness in outward
ceremonies, they shrank from inspection by those clear, searching eyes. {DA 237.3}
Who is this Jesus? they questioned. He who had claimed for
Himself the glory of the Messiah was the son of a carpenter, and had worked at
His trade with His father Joseph. They had seen Him toiling up and down the
hills, they were acquainted with His brothers and sisters, and knew His life
and labors. They had seen Him develop from childhood to youth, and from youth
to manhood. Although His life had been spotless, they would not believe that He
was the Promised One. [238] {DA 237.4}
What a contrast between His teaching in regard to the new
kingdom and that which they had heard from their elder! Jesus had said nothing
of delivering them from the Romans. They had heard of His miracles, and had
hoped that His power would be exercised for their advantage, but they had seen
no indication of such purpose. {DA 238.1}
As they opened the door to doubt, their hearts became so
much the harder for having been momentarily softened. Satan was determined that
blind eyes should not that day be opened, nor souls bound in slavery be set at
liberty. With intense energy he worked to fasten them in unbelief. They made no
account of the sign already given, when they had been stirred by the conviction
that it was their Redeemer who addressed them. {DA 238.2}
But Jesus now gave them an evidence of His divinity by
revealing their secret thoughts. "He said unto them, Doubtless ye will say
unto Me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at
Capernaum, do also here in Thine own country. And He said, Verily I say unto
you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country. But of a truth I say unto
you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven
was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all
the land; and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the
land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And there were many lepers in
Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but
only Naaman, the Syrian." Luke 4:23-27, R. V. {DA 238.3}
By this relation of events in the lives of the prophets,
Jesus met the questionings of His hearers. The servants whom God had chosen for
a special work were not allowed to labor for a hardhearted and unbelieving
people. But those who had hearts to feel and faith to believe were especially
favored with evidences of His power through the prophets. In the days of
Elijah, Israel had departed from God. They clung to their sins, and rejected
the warnings of the Spirit through the Lord's messengers. Thus they cut
themselves off from the channel by which God's blessing could come to them. The
Lord passed by the homes of Israel, and found a refuge for His servant in a
heathen land, with a woman who did not belong to the chosen people. But this
woman was favored because she had followed the light she had received, and her
heart was open to the greater light that God sent her through His prophet. [239]
{DA 238.4}
It was for the same reason that in Elisha's time the lepers
of Israel were passed by. But Naaman, a heathen nobleman, had been faithful to
his convictions of right, and had felt his great need of help. He was in a
condition to receive the gifts of God's grace. He was not only cleansed from
his leprosy, but blessed with a knowledge of the true God. {DA 239.1}
Our standing before God depends, not upon the amount of
light we have received, but upon the use we make of what we have. Thus even the
heathen who choose the right as far as they can distinguish it are in a more
favorable condition than are those who have had great light, and profess to
serve God, but who disregard the light, and by their daily life contradict
their profession. {DA
239.2}
The words of Jesus to His hearers in the synagogue struck at
the root of their self-righteousness, pressing home upon them the bitter truth
that they had departed from God and forfeited their claim to be His people.
Every word cut like a knife as their real condition was set before them. They
now scorned the faith with which Jesus had at first inspired them. They would
not admit that He who had sprung from poverty and lowliness was other than a
common man. {DA 239.3}
Their unbelief bred malice. Satan controlled them, and in
wrath they cried out against the Saviour. They had turned from Him whose
mission [240]
it was to heal and restore; now they manifested the attributes of the
destroyer. {DA 239.4}
When Jesus referred to the blessings given to the Gentiles,
the fierce national pride of His hearers was aroused, and His words were
drowned in a tumult of voices. These people had prided themselves on keeping
the law; but now that their prejudices were offended, they were ready to commit
murder. The assembly broke up, and laying hands upon Jesus, they thrust Him
from the synagogue, and out of the city. All seemed eager for His destruction.
They hurried Him to the brow of a precipice, intending to cast Him down
headlong. Shouts and maledictions filled the air. Some were casting stones at
Him, when suddenly He disappeared from among them. The heavenly messengers who
had been by His side in the synagogue were with Him in the midst of that
maddened throng. They shut Him in from His enemies, and conducted Him to a
place of safety. {DA
240.1}
So angels protected Lot, and led him out safely from the
midst of Sodom. So they protected Elisha in the little mountain city. When the
encircling hills were filled with the horses and chariots of the king of Syria,
and the great host of his armed men, Elisha beheld the nearer hill slopes
covered with the armies of God,—horses and chariots of fire round
about the servant of the Lord. {DA 240.2}
So, in all ages, angels have been near to Christ's faithful
followers. The vast confederacy of evil is arrayed against all who would
overcome; but Christ would have us look to the things which are not seen, to
the armies of heaven encamped about all who love God, to deliver them. From
what dangers, seen and unseen, we have been preserved through the interposition
of the angels, we shall never know, until in the light of eternity we see the
providences of God. Then we shall know that the whole family of heaven was
interested in the family here below, and that messengers from the throne of God
attended our steps from day to day. {DA 240.3}
When Jesus in the synagogue read from the prophecy, He
stopped short of the final specification concerning the Messiah's work. Having
read the words, "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord," He
omitted the phrase, "and the day of vengeance of our God." Isaiah
61:2. This was just as much truth as was the first of the prophecy, and by His
silence Jesus did not deny the truth. But this last expression was that upon
which His hearers delighted to dwell, and which they were desirous of
fulfilling. They denounced judgments against the heathen, not discerning [241]
that their own guilt was even greater than that of others. They themselves were
in deepest need of the mercy they were so ready to deny to the heathen. That
day in the synagogue, when Jesus stood among them, was their opportunity to
accept the call of Heaven. He who "delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18)
would fain have saved them from the ruin which their sins were inviting. {DA 240.4}
Not without one more call to repentance could He give them
up. Toward the close of His ministry in Galilee, He again visited the home of
His childhood. Since His rejection there, the fame of His preaching and His
miracles had filled the land. None now could deny that He possessed more than
human power. The people of Nazareth knew that He went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed by Satan. About them were whole villages where
there was not a moan of sickness in any house; for He had passed through them,
and healed all their sick. The mercy revealed in every act of His life
testified to His divine anointing. {DA 241.1}
Again as they listened to His words the Nazarenes were moved
by the Divine Spirit. But even now they would not admit that this Man, who had
been brought up among them, was other or greater than themselves. Still there
rankled the bitter memory that while He had claimed for Himself to be the
Promised One, He had really denied them a place with Israel; for He had shown
them to be less worthy of God's favor than a heathen man and woman. Hence
though they questioned, "Whence hath this Man this wisdom, and these
mighty works?" they would not receive Him as the Christ of God. Because of
their unbelief, the Saviour could not work many miracles among them. Only a few
hearts were open to His blessing, and reluctantly He departed, never to return.
{DA 241.2}
Unbelief, having once been cherished, continued to control
the men of Nazareth. So it controlled the Sanhedrin and the nation. With
priests and people, the first rejection of the demonstration of the Holy
Spirit's power was the beginning of the end. In order to prove that their first
resistance was right, they continued ever after to cavil at the words of
Christ. Their rejection of the Spirit culminated in the cross of Calvary, in
the destruction of their city, in the scattering of the nation to the winds of
heaven. {DA 241.3}
Oh, how Christ longed to open to Israel the precious
treasures of the truth! But such was their spiritual blindness that it was
impossible to [242] reveal to them the truths
relating to His kingdom. They clung to their creed and their useless ceremonies
when the truth of Heaven awaited their acceptance. They spent their money for
chaff and husks, when the bread of life was within their reach. Why did they
not go to the word of God, and search diligently to know whether they were in
error? The Old Testament Scriptures stated plainly every detail of Christ's
ministry, and again and again He quoted from the prophets, and declared,
"This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." If they had
honestly searched the Scriptures, bringing their theories to the test of God's
word, Jesus need not have wept over their impenitence. He need not have
declared, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Luke 13:35.
They might have been acquainted with the evidence of His Messiahship, and the
calamity that laid their proud city in ruins might have been averted. But the
minds of the Jews had become narrowed by their unreasoning bigotry. The lessons
of Christ revealed their deficiencies of character, and demanded repentance. If
they accepted His teachings, their practices must be changed, and their
cherished hopes relinquished. In order to be honored by Heaven, they must
sacrifice the honor of men. If they obeyed the words of this new rabbi, they
must go contrary to the opinions of the great thinkers and teachers of the
time. {DA 241.4}
Truth was unpopular in Christ's day. It is unpopular in our
day. It has been unpopular ever since Satan first gave man a disrelish for it
by presenting fables that lead to self-exaltation. Do we not today meet
theories and doctrines that have no foundation in the word of God? Men cling as
tenaciously to them as did the Jews to their traditions. {DA 242.1}
The Jewish leaders were filled with spiritual pride. Their
desire for the glorification of self manifested itself even in the service of
the sanctuary. They loved the highest seats in the synagogue. They loved
greetings in the market places, and were gratified with the sound of their
titles on the lips of men. As real piety declined, they became more jealous for
their traditions and ceremonies. {DA 242.2}
Because their understanding was darkened by selfish
prejudice, they could not harmonize the power of Christ's convicting words with
the humility of His life. They did not appreciate the fact that real greatness
can dispense with outward show. This Man's poverty seemed wholly inconsistent with
His claim to be the Messiah. They questioned, If He was what He claimed to be,
why was He so unpretending? If He was satisfied to be without the force of
arms, what would become of their [243] nation? How could the power and
glory so long anticipated bring the nations as subjects to the city of the
Jews? Had not the priests taught that Israel was to bear rule over all the
earth? and could it be possible that the great religious teachers were in
error? {DA 242.3}
But it was not simply the absence of outward glory in His
life that led the Jews to reject Jesus. He was the embodiment of purity, and
they were impure. He dwelt among men an example of spotless integrity. His
blameless life flashed light upon their hearts. His sincerity revealed their
insincerity. It made manifest the hollowness of their pretentious piety, and
discovered iniquity to them in its odious character. Such a light was
unwelcome. {DA 243.1}
If Christ had called attention to the Pharisees, and had
extolled their learning and piety, they would have hailed Him with joy. But
when He spoke of the kingdom of heaven as a dispensation of mercy for all
mankind, He was presenting a phase of religion they would not tolerate. Their
own example and teaching had never been such as to make the service of God seem
desirable. When they saw Jesus giving attention to the very ones they hated and
repulsed, it stirred up the worst passions of their proud hearts.
Notwithstanding their boast that under the "Lion of the tribe of
Judah" (Revelation 5:5), Israel should be exalted to pre-eminence over all
nations, they could have borne the disappointment of their ambitious hopes
better than they could bear Christ's reproof of their sins, and the reproach
they felt even from the presence of His purity. {DA 243.2}
Click here to read the next chapter:
"The Call by the Sea"
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