*Taken from my journal on 02/03/09 after visiting the ancient synagogue at Nazareth where it is believed that Christ preached His first sermon.*
Under this domed stone roof, in a crowded service, the voice of a young boy once echoed.
It was here that Jesus stood, unrolled the scroll of Isaiah and proceeded to preach His first sermon… “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed me to…” To heal. To preach. To prophesy. To love. To rebuke. To teach. To save the world.
Hostile crowd for a first sermon. The young Jesus, almost killed for a short and simple word of redemption.
And as I stand here and think of what it must have been like for Him, my mind flashes to what a different experience my first sermon was. Applause instead of stoning… Am I just enjoying the free air created by the doors He broke down? Or do I not speak with the same utter truth that characterized His words? Probably a bit of both…
But I just want to take a moment here and remember that first time. The beginning of a lifetime of being misunderstood… of speaking the truth… and healing the broken… and not being received.
Following Jesus leads to the cross. In following Him we find ourselves there. There’s no glitz in His ministry, no stardom, no fame. Rejected by the religious and honored by whores… It’s a dusty, dirty way. A way of pain and brokenness, a promise you’ll be misunderstood.
And in life I want happiness… I want to be thought well of in the world… I want to make a difference… and I want to preach well. But the crowd will be fickle and God’s Word is not soft. What will happen when they hate me and despise the words I say? Will I still be set on following Him when the road climbs cross-ward? By His grace alone, I hope He will find me faithful there.
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