Luke 4:21-30
This text is used for the Lectionary Year C on January 31, 2016.
The turnaround here is striking. One moment the listeners are in awe of Jesus’ words, the next they are ready to literally throw him off a cliff. Was it something he said? Of course it was, and as both people and preachers of the word, that is something we ought to pay attention to.
We know from earlier in the chapter that Jesus has come from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit. We also know that these listeners first called his words gracious, which could either mean “articulate” or “full of grace.” We’re not told the exact content of his teaching here, but whatever he said, it seems fair to surmise it was well-articulated, Spirit-empowered, grace-infused and originally received as good news.