Why throw Jesus off a cliff? This is a very interesting question to discuss.
They rose up and thrust Him (Jesus) out of the city (Nazareth) and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down headlong.
Luke 4:29
No Special Childhood
Jesus grew up in Nazareth. The residents watched Him grow, and apparently, He had a non-spectacular childhood.
An Amazing Ministry
But when Jesus was about thirty years old, He started His ministry, including spectacular miracles. He also showed divine wisdom and knowledge of God’s word that couldn’t be explained by His upbringing or His assumed parentage.
All (in Nazareth) bore witness to Him, and wondered at the gracious words which came from His mouth. Then they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son (Luke 4:22)?”
How Could Jesus be Special?
They were too familiar with Jesus. Jesus’ brothers and sisters grew up there, too; they were nothing special. How could He be?
So Nazareth Didn’t Believe
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.… And He was amazed because of their unbelief. (Mark 6:4, 6).”
Jesus reacted to his hometown’s unbelief as witnesses did to Jesus’ miracles; they were amazed! And He was astonished at their lack of faith.
“He (Jesus) came to His own, and His own people (the Jews) did not receive Him (John 1:11).”
Why the Anger?
So, what did Jesus say that “when they heard these things, were filled with wrath (Luke 6:28)?” Let’s look.
What Jesus Said
But I tell you truthfully, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah.…Yet to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, a city of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. But none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian (Luke 6:25-27).”
So, Elijah was sent to a Sidonian widow, and a Syrian leper was cleansed in Israel. And this offended the Nazareth people, so they became a violent mob ready to throw Jesus off a cliff?
What Offended the Nazarenes?
These people had two things in common, and they offended these Jews. Let’s find them.
The Sidonian Widow
Elijah was God’s prophet who announced judgment in Israel. There would be no rain in Israel or the surrounding area for over three years! God sent him to a Sidonian widow (who lived outside of Israel) to protect Elijah from the king’s wrath and provide food for him during these years.
She only had enough (flour) and oil for one last meal for her and her son. Because of the drought, she had no hope of obtaining more and was prepared to die after they ate. Then Elijah asked her something difficult:
“Make a little cake for me first, and bring it to me, and afterward, make some for your son and you, for thus says the Lord God of Israel: (I’m asking you to believe Me) The barrel of meal will not run out, nor will the jar of oil empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth (I Kings 17:13-14).”
The Widow’s Faith
What she did took faith. She only had enough for her and her son, but Elijah asked her to prepare a meal for him first. She did, showing she believed in God’s promise.
Naaman, the Syrian Leper
So, what about Naaman? Naaman was a leper from Syria who went to the prophet Elisha in Israel seeking a cure. Elisha told him to wash in the Jordan River, a river in Israel, and he’d be healed. Naaman hesitated because there were rivers in Syria cleaner than the Jordan. Why should he go to the Jordan?
Naaman’s Faith
It took faith, but he followed the prophet’s instructions and was cured. Meanwhile, there were lepers in God’s chosen nation of Israel, and they weren’t healed.
The Chosen Nation
The Jews knew they were God’s chosen nation, chosen out of all the countries of the world. They were descendants of Abraham and followed the Laws God gave to Moses. The people outside of Israel were all Gentiles and outside God’s family. They thought their special status and Law-keeping were enough to save them. So, they pursued salvation as if it were by descent and following the works of the Law.
Not by Works of the Law
But the Bible tells us that no one is saved by the works of the Law:
“We know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.,,. For by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (Galatians 2:16).”
Not by Descent
We aren’t saved by being descended from the right people either:
“Do not think to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham (Matthew 3:9).”
Salvation is by Faith
Because the Jews had this special relationship with God, they were sorely offended when Jesus pointed out that these two Gentiles were saved while those in Israel weren’t. They weren’t saved because they pursued salvation by works when salvation is by faith.
Jesus mentioned these two because both were despised Gentiles who were saved by faith, and He wanted the Nazarenes to see what they lacked.
What will You do with Jesus?
Those two Gentiles were examples of salvation by faith; He said they became part of God’s family. At the same time, His Jewish listeners remained outside God’s family. And they were so insulted that they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff!
