Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 November 2026 Luke 4:21.
Luke 4:21. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).
And on this first Tuesday in November, it’s another fairly sunny and warm day in my neighbourhood, with a few dark clouds floating around trying to be a threat to the sunshine, but I’m pretty sure they won’t prevail. On the other hand, I don’t know how and why we’re so blessed to be getting so many sunny and warm days this late in the year, but we’ll certainly accept them with much gratitude, because when the cold weather does hit, and be sure it will eventually, we won’t be seeing any of them for a long while.
That brings to mind the old adage, never look a gift horse in the mouth. (smile) And I believe that adage is very appropriate in the case of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Because of the Father’s great LOVE for His human creation, He gifted Jesus to us to be our Saviour, to be all that we can ever need, but we’re so ungrateful that we challenged His authority and presence, abused and wholeheartedly rejected Him. Now if the Lord had said we had to work exceedingly hard to earn our salvation, we would have indeed battened down the hatches and done it.
But because the gift of salvation and eternal life are basically free, only needing us to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, and live a decent moral life, we find that’s too easy and not very believable. It points to the foolishness of man’s supposed wisdom that says, if it’s too easy, then something’s wrong. Thus we’ll go to all kinds of lengths and difficulties to accomplish hard stuff, but the easy stuff we’ll neglect or simply pass by, even though it’s to our benefit to accept it. That recalls the interesting and oh so true saying of John in his first epistle. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3)
No my people, the Lord’s commandments are certainly not burdensome. Yes, they will take some discipline, but for man to live together in peace and harmony anyway, discipline is essential. And we show our great disregard for God’s commandments by having plenty discipline to do the wrong things and not enough to do the right ones. But let’s remember that favourite saying of the late Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley); ‘You reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow.’ Meaning that there will be repercussions for whatever you do, and sometimes they will be very harsh and difficult to accept, but it’s what you sowed.
So, it’s wise to consider what we are sowing before we sow it, since we’ll most likely get a big harvest, of either bad or good, depending on what we sowed. And I’m chuckling here, because I don’t know how I got into that sermon above there, since the Good Book opened this morning at Isaiah’s prophecy of the things that the Messiah, Jesus would come to earth to do. The passage is titled, The Acceptable Year of the Lord. And Isaiah writes: ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord God hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is. 61:1-3) Ah friends, it’s a lot of stuff that Jesus would be doing, and it’s not only to help us foolish humans, but also to glorify God the Father. And glorifying our heavenly Father has also become our duty, because it’s one of the reasons He created us in the first place.
And the importance of Isaiah’s prophecy was shown on the fateful day that Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth. As was His habit, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and they gave him the book of Isaiah to read. Jesus found the passage that we’ve just read, about ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,’ but stopped at, ‘To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Luke 4:18-19) And per the scholars, that indicated that the day of vengeance (final judgement) had not yet come. After that Jesus closed the book, returned it to the minister, and sat down.
‘And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing). And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?’ (Luke 4:20-22) And that began the controversy. For Jesus began telling them some truths about their Jewish unfaithfulness. (Luke 4:23-27) ‘And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things, were filled with wrath (rage), And rose up , and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him headlong (over the cliff). But he passing through the midst of them went his way.’ (Luke 4:28-30)
Can you imagine it? The people of Jesus’ own home town Nazareth, not only rejecting Him, but worse yet trying to kill Him! It proved His words to them: ‘No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ (Luke 4:24) And it’s the truth. Many famous people are not as well received in their home towns as they are in other places. Unfortunately though, time and space are against us, but hopefully we did further enrich our scriptural knowledge. (smile) Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him as we do! Much LOVE!
…only fools refuse God’s gifts of salvation and eternal life…
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