“Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips…When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him…They intended to push him over the cliff” Luke 4:22, 28-29 NLT
How did the crowd go from amazed to murderous in minutes?
Jesus started by preaching with grace. But then He brought up two outsiders—Gentiles who received miracles when Israel didn’t: a starving widow in Zarephath and a leprous Syrian commander (Luke 4:25–27). Why? To show that God’s mercy was never meant to be exclusive.
That truth cut deep. The Jews expected the Messiah to favor them, not bless their enemies. When Jesus challenged their pride and pointed to God’s love for foreigners, they couldn’t take it. They tried to silence Him—by force.
Religious pride still exists today. We draw lines Jesus never drew. But grace refuses to be boxed in. Jesus came for the overlooked, the outsider, the one you think doesn’t belong. He came for the whole world.
If we’re not careful, we’ll praise Jesus when He blesses us—and reject Him when He calls us to love like He does.
Am I offended by the wideness of God’s grace—or transformed by it?
Who have I shut out that Jesus came to save?