And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up: and he went into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the sabbath day: and he rose up to read.
και ηλθεν εις την ναζαρετ ου ην τεθραμμενος και εισηλθεν κατα το ειωθος αυτω εν τη ημερα των σαββατων εις την συναγωγην και ανεστη αναγνωναι
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The Lord chose to unveil Himself to the Israelites as He was appointed by God the Father to bring salvation to those residing in heavenly realms. In a remarkable manner, He orchestrates this revelation. He first manifests Himself to the people of Nazareth, where He was raised, illustrating the principle that we should prioritize doing good to our own community and instructing them before extending His love to others.
As it became essential for Him to disclose Himself to the Israelites and to unveil the mystery of His incarnation to those unaware of Him, and recognizing that He had been divinely appointed by God the Father for the redemption of humanity, He judiciously arranges for His glory to be revealed throughout the world. He grants this grace initially to the people of Nazareth, as He was raised among them in a human sense.
Beginning: Matt. 13:54 (Marcion) What might have been the behavior of Him who first appeared? For He had just arrived in Galilee. He did not commence His teaching outside the synagogue, but within it. Their worship reveals that He spoke to them about their God; had it been otherwise, He would have preached beyond the synagogues. He entered Bethsaida among the Jews and responded to them only with this: ‘Physician, heal thyself’ (Luke 4:23). They seized Him and took Him to the mountain summit. It is astonishing that such a statement from Christ would provoke such intense anger. (Refutation from St. Ephrem) Yet, if He communicated to them about the Creator and that incited their response leading them to plot against Him, why does the Evangelist not record this in another context?
The hostility of the townsfolk is made clear by His declaration: ‘A prophet is not accepted in his own country.’ Jeremiah was not welcomed in Anathoth (Jer. 1:1, Jer. 11:21-23), nor did Thebes heed Elijah (1 Kings 17:1), nor did Abel-Mecholah respond to Elisha (1 Kings 19:16), nor did Ramah acknowledge Samuel (1 Kings 7:17, 1 Kings 8:7, 19), nor did the people of Moses, nor the Israel of the Lord. Consequently, Elijah showed contempt for their women (1 Kings 17:10-24), and Elisha for their men (2 Kings 5:1-14). Thus, Christ labeled the Jews as unbelievers to their disgrace, elevating the Syrians in contrast, which led to their rage. However, this was merely a pretense.
In the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, it is stated after the conclusion of Proverbs.
After traveling to various towns in Galilee, He arrived in Nazareth. The wondrous events that took place in Capernaum reached their ears (Luke 4:23), along with other acts of divine mercy performed by Jesus (18-22). However, these reports were either met with skepticism or dismissed, failing to be acknowledged as the signs of the Messiah. The people desired to witness a miraculous sign from Him directly, yet even with this, they struggled to embrace Him as others had done. Their biases were deeply rooted, stemming from Jesus’ prolonged period of humble living among them. This was the sentiment Jesus encountered upon His return to Nazareth when He entered the synagogue to begin His teaching. What response could He anticipate here? For His initial address, Jesus selected a passage from the Prophet.
Following Christ's second return to Galilee, He made Nazareth His home. During this visit, He performed healings, though they were limited due to the disbelief of the people from His hometown (as noted in Matthew and Mark). This, along with the reports of His teachings and miracles in other cities of Galilee, led His fellow countrymen to anticipate remarkable signs from Him.
Matthew explains that after leaving Nazareth, He settled in Capernaum, indicating a significant departure from where He had previously resided. The term "leaving" implies that He abandoned Nazareth, contrasting this with His establishment in Capernaum. Although the accounts in Matthew and Mark indicate that Jesus did perform some miraculous healings in Nazareth, Luke depicts the townspeople's desire to harm Him instead. This does not exclude the possibility that certain miraculous acts occurred before His sermon in the synagogue, as the astonished people questioned His wisdom and authority.
The Lord's response implies that the Nazarenes were not content with His presence and insisted on witnessing miracles similar to those performed in Capernaum, suggesting they wished for proof of His messianic claim through spectacular acts in their own hometown.
Jesus arrives in Nazareth with His disciples, enters the synagogue on the Sabbath, and goes directly to the area designated for the reading of the law and the prophets. He opens the scroll of the prophet Isaiah entrusted to Him and begins to read the passage where Isaiah, speaking for the coming Messiah, outlines the purpose of His mission. Through the voice of the prophet, the Messiah declares that He is sent by God to proclaim to the downtrodden, the impoverished, and the humble that the kingdom of God is near.
His mission is to heal those who are burdened by sin through a call to repentance and the message of love and mercy, to assure that even those ensnared in sin can find liberation through repentance and righteous deeds, to restore sight to those blinded by false teachings that distort the true meaning of the Scriptures, and to bring freedom to the oppressed, the needy, the broken-hearted, and the lost, while announcing the arrival of the kingdom characterized by God's love and mercy. The Jewish audience understood that Isaiah did not speak of himself but on behalf of the anticipated Messiah. The attendees in the synagogue were well aware that Jesus had already fulfilled all that had been described by the prophet about the Messiah's work; thus, they had no option but to acknowledge Jesus as the promised Savior. After preparing His listeners, Jesus closed the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and took His seat. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as everyone turned their eyes toward Jesus, eager to hear His message. He commenced His address by declaring, "Now this scripture which you have heard has been fulfilled." By affirming the fulfillment of this prophecy, inviting His audience to repentance, delivering a new commandment of love, and clarifying the essence of the kingdom of the Messiah and the kingdom of heaven, along with the means to attain both, Jesus left no doubt that He was indeed the long-awaited Redeemer foretold by all the prophets.
It remains a tradition among the Jewish people to invite esteemed individuals to the reading of the Law, such as the groom on his wedding day, the patriarch of the family during the circumcision of his son, and the foreigner (Acts 13:15). After the reading, an explanation is typically provided. Jesus Christ did not recite the entire haftarah and, naturally, not in Hebrew; however, the Evangelist presents it in a loosely translated Greek rendition that aligns closely with the translation of the Seventy, yet it diverges from both this version and the original Hebrew text. The specific phrase to let the broken go to joy is absent from both the Hebrew and the Greek Seventy.
The mention of sight for the blind is sourced from the Seventy and can be seen as a redundancy or pleonasm of the earlier phrase referring to the captives (translated from the Hebrew as ‘the unhappy’) receiving freedom; the term to preach, in the Slavonic text, aligns more closely with the Seventy as well. This prophecy unmistakably pertains to the Messiah and His message; the prophet, even apart from the miracles attributed to the Messiah, illustrates the wondrous impact His message has on the hearts of people.
Believing that news of His arrival had reached Nazareth and paved the way for His message, He graciously chose to disclose His identity in His native town. Upon arriving in Nazareth, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, where the congregation had come together to pray and receive instruction from the Scriptures (Luke 4:16-30, Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-4). Being a small town of approximately ten thousand people, Nazareth had only one synagogue. Based on the remnants of ancient synagogues still visible today, we know it was a straightforward rectangular structure oriented towards the 'sanctuary' in Jerusalem, a sacred site to which every Jew directed their prayers since the days of Solomon.
In more affluent towns, the synagogues were constructed from white marble and adorned with carved decorations, including ornate designs of vine leaves, clusters of grapes, flourishing branches, and containers that signified manna. Inside, there were designated seats for men on one side and, separated by a lattice, seats for women who were veiled. At one end stood the ark—a decorated wooden box that contained the Holy Scriptures—and beside it was an elevated seat for the reader and preacher. The synagogue lacked a formal clergy, and its worship was quite simple. Following prayer, two passages of Scripture were read: one from the Law and another from the Prophets. Since there were no specific individuals assigned to conduct the service (the duties of priests and Levites were confined to the temple in Jerusalem), any literate person could read these passages with the synagogue leader's approval, and they were also permitted to offer personal interpretation or insights.
He returned to Nazareth after an extended period since His arrival in Galilee, and the Gospel writer does not follow a strict chronological narrative, which becomes evident in the context (see Lk. 4:23). The account of the event in Nazareth aligns with those presented in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, although the latter two provide a more concise version than Luke. Despite this brevity, the essence and many details remain consistent across their accounts, which can be easily observed through comparative reading. Concerning "Nazareth," refer to the commentary on Matthew 2:23. Regarding "Where he was brought up," see Lk. 2:39-40, 51-52. The phrase "According to His custom" refers to His practice of preaching in Galilee (Lk. 4:15, cf. Matt.
4:23) or His attendance at the synagogue in Nazareth, prior to the commencement of His public ministry, where He was raised. The phrase "On the Sabbath day to the synagogue" refers to Matthew 4:23. This likely marks the first Sabbath following His return to Nazareth, during which He had already performed miracles in the sight of His fellow countrymen, who were hesitant to accept Him (Matt. 13:58, Mk. 6:5). When it notes "He stood up to read," it's common in synagogue gatherings for passages from the Law (the Torah) and the Prophets (the prophetic books of the Old Testament) to be read and expounded upon. Any individual wishing to read or interpret had the right to do so, provided they had the approval of the synagogue leader and elders, who sometimes shared the privilege of addressing the congregation as well (see Acts 13:14ff.). Those wishing to engage would stand to express their intent, read from the sacred texts while standing, and then either sit or remain standing to deliver their message. The Lord, who now entered the synagogue of His hometown, had previously been among those seated; however, He stood to read, capturing the attention of the entire congregation (Lk. 4:20).
During His travels through Galilee, the Lord Jesus came to Nazareth, the town where He was raised and spent His childhood. The residents of this familiar place saw Him merely as the son of a humble carpenter, failing to recognize Him as anyone extraordinary. This underlying bias from His own people influenced His decision to delay His visit until after He had journeyed through several other towns and villages in Galilee. When He finally arrived, His purpose was to enlighten those open to grasping the truth, yet it was evident how challenging it was for those entrenched in their preconceived notions to abandon their established ways of thinking, stemming from years of prejudice.
Nazareth had a synagogue that likely resembled those found in other Galilean cities. These synagogues were elongated, rectangular structures with varying degrees of ornamentation. Inside, there were seats designated for men on one side, while women were seated behind a partition on the opposite side. In the wall facing Jerusalem, there was an ark made of painted wood, which housed a scroll of the Holy Scriptures, along with a raised platform for the reader or preacher.
Several officials occupied special positions within the synagogue, including the ruler, who maintained order during gatherings, the elders who constituted the synagogue council, the messenger or reader responsible for prayers, and the servant tasked with keeping the synagogue tidy, managing access, lighting lamps, and overseeing the sacred texts. The Jewish community convened in the synagogues on the Sabbath and during festival days to engage in worship. The service featured hymns, prayers, blessings, and two readings: one from the Pentateuch and another from the prophetic texts. Those authorized by the synagogue ruler or able to offer interpretation were typically allowed to contribute to the readings.
As the law reading concluded, Jesus, who was present in the synagogue on that Sabbath as was His custom, stood to read. A servant handed Him a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and He unrolled it to read to those gathered: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed." In this prophecy (Isaiah 61:1-2), as cited by the Evangelist, the mission of His earthly ministry is revealed: to deliver spiritual blessings to humanity, offering solace to the lowly in spirit, healing to those mourning their sinfulness, freedom to those enslaved by passions and sin, insight into truth for the spiritually blind, and transformation for all who suffer.
This moment symbolizes a time of divine favor, akin to the jubilee year in the Jewish tradition, when captives were set free according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 25:8ff.). After He finished reading, Jesus rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the servant, and took His seat. All eyes in the synagogue were fixed on Him, eagerly anticipating His interpretation of the passage He had just read.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 24 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS