Luke records that “when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him [Jesus] for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all” (Luke 4:13-15).
John’s gospel gives some indication as to how Jesus’ fame grew after returning from the wilderness temptation. During this time, he turned the water into wine at the marriage in Cana (John 2:1-12); he cleansed the temple of the money-changers at his first Passover celebration (John 2:13-25); he met with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, at night to challenge his thinking with the necessity of the new birth (John 3:1-21); he revealed himself as the Messiah to the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4:7-40); and, he healed a nobleman’s son who was at the point of death (John 4:46-54).
It is evident that the fame of Jesus grew as a result of his miracles and his teaching for “he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). After these things (and, no doubt, many others not recorded for us), “he came to Nazareth…and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah.” (Luke 4:16-17).
There are two simple yet very profound observations to be made from this text. First, it was our Savior’s custom to worship God in a regular and systematic fashion. One of the Ten Commandments was “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). This is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament. However, the principle of regular worship was nonetheless clearly practiced by the early church’s gathering together on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. This was in honor of our Savior’s resurrection.
We are admonished to “hold fast the profession of our faith…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25). Doing so ought to be our custom, but for many believers this is not so. The idea of participating in weekly corporate worship with other believers is far from a practice that could be counted as regular for many. We need to follow the example of our Lord.
The second observation is that the word of God must be central and preeminent. Christ read from the prophet Isaiah and then expounded on the significance of the passage (Luke 4:18-21). He did not address community activities nor current national events but ministered from the Scriptures. The apostle Paul urged this same practice upon his young pastor, Timothy. “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (I Timothy 4:13). This charge sets forth the reading of God’s word, teaching its precepts and principles, and the exhortation to obey it. In fact, Paul’s final charge to Timothy from prison was “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2).
The pattern for the believer today is to gather faithfully and regularly with other believers for the preaching and teaching of God’s word. Is this your custom? Is it the practice of your church?
From the Chaplain 