3
February
Jesus passes through a bloodthristy crowd
Today’s Gospel from the Mass (Luke 4:21-30) offers another example of the incredible power of Jesus. An excerpt:
[28] When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
[29] And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. [30] But passing through the midst of them he went away.
This is an incredible demonstration of Christ’s power and might. Consider:
- This passage is the result of Jesus’ public proclamation in His hometown synagogue that He is the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah (Luke 4:21) and the public rebuke of everyone in the synagogue for their lack of belief. Jesus is bold and courageous.
- All in the synagogue were “filled with wrath”; wrath is a form of “extreme anger.”
- They forcefully rose up and put (NAB says “drove”) Him out of the city. While we don’t know for sure, but to drive someone out, it seems reasonable to assume that they had seized Christ and physically were driving Him out. Of course, Jesus allows this to happen, perhaps as solid proof of their sin or to allow prophecies of His rejection to be fulfilled.
- They “led Him to the brow of the hill…” This is a blood thirsty mob and they are man-handling Christ. The clearly don’t know that they are manhandling the Son of Man.
- They are seeking to throw Jesus off the cliff, so that His head is dashed against the rocks.
- As if to say, “O.k., you’ve had your fun, now I’m in charge…and I’m leaving. Now.”, Jesus passes “through the midst of them…”. Somehow after being manhandled, at the climax of the mob’s frenzy, Jesus turns and walks through the blood thirsty mob.
- Dwell on this: who can walk through a bloodthirsty mob hell-bent on killing them? The internet is filled with the violence that mobs do when they are in a bloodthirsty mode.
- We can only conclude that Jesus Christ exhibits such a powerful personal presence that the crowds are awed.
Jesus can “turn it on” when He chooses. He possesses a physical power and presense that neuters a bloodthristy crowd. He rises from the dead, too. That’s power.
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