ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE SYNAGOGUE AT NAZARETH

LUKE 4:14–30

Following Jesus’s forty days in the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan to prove himself to be the Son of God, he returned to the Galilee where he taught in that region’s synagogues (Luke 4:14–15). On one Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth in which they followed an order that included a public reading from the Prophets. When it came time for that reading, Jesus stood up and was handed a scroll of the book of Isaiah from which he was expected to read (Luke 4:17).

Unrolling the scroll to the verses of Isaiah 61 that announce the coming of the Messiah, Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18; see Isa. 61:1). Then Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. It was the custom of the day for the reader to also give a sermon and for rabbis to sit when they taught, and Jesus did exactly that.13 Perhaps he sat in the chair called the Seat of Moses (Matt. 23:2), which was provided in synagogues for that purpose.14 A rabbi teaching from this seat was considered to be making an announcement that had binding authority on his listeners. Jesus announced to those present, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

Luke had already recorded a series of announcements regarding the coming of the Messiah:

The angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah that his son, John, would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

With the birth of his son, Zechariah prophesied that John would “go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him” (Luke 1:76).

Gabriel announced to Mary in Nazareth that she would be the mother of the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 35).

When Mary greeted Elizabeth, even the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy (Luke 1:44).

Elizabeth announced that Mary was “the mother of [my] Lord” (Luke 1:43).

To the shepherds, the angelic host heralded Jesus’s birth as the arrival of the Messiah (Luke 2:11).

When the baby Jesus was taken to the Temple, Simeon and Anna announced that he was God’s Anointed One (Luke 2:25–38).

John the Baptist, who was “a voice of one calling in the desert,” announced, “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 3:4).

Biram Synagogue from Galilee. No remains from the first-century synagogue of Nazareth in Galilee have been discovered, but it may have been similar in size to this synagogue.

Seat of Moses in the Israel Museum. The seat of Moses was located in the synagogue, where rabbis could proclaim authoritative statements.
© Dr. James C. Martin. Collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority, exhibited at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Jesus returned to the place where his mother had been told of his coming, where Mary and Joseph had shown their courage and faith in God, and where people were the most likely to question his birth and mistakenly condemn Mary and Joseph for what they thought was adultery. Thus it is no coincidence that Jesus proclaimed in Nazareth’s synagogue that he was the Messiah, the fulfillment of all the messianic promises proclaimed by the prophets.

The Nazareth Ridge as seen from Mt. Tabor. The city of Nazareth was located on this ridge.