Being sent by God is something we see in the Scriptures and still takes place today. God sent Moses to Egypt to rescue the Israelites. Jonah was sent to Nineveh to preach a message of repentance, and Paul and Barnabas went out to evangelize. Did you know that God sent you to this earth for such a time as this?
We don’t often think about this as we move through life’s journey. As God’s children, He has a plan for us; as that unfolds, He sends us to different places to accomplish His will. God demonstrates His heart as He sends someone to help others. God does not need our help but works through broken people to make a difference in the lives of other broken people. Where has the Lord sent you to be his hands and feet?
Jesus’ Hometown Did Not Understand His Ministry
As Jesus began His ministry, He read from the Isaiah scroll in the synagogue. Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free. [1] As Jesus read these words, He told the people that He fulfilled this Scripture!
Then Jesus says something more that gives insights into the hearts of those listening. Luke 4:23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown. [2] The people may have questioned why Jesus did not do miracles in his hometown, but Jesus knew a prophet would not be accepted there.
God Sends People Where He Desires
In God’s wisdom, He often sends people where they will be the most effective. This is usually not where you grew up, as Jesus gave the example of Elijah. Luke 4:25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon.[3]
God sent Elijah to a Gentile widow in Sidon. She was preparing her last meal because her food was running out. Elijah told her to share her bread with him first, and by believing him, her flour and oil would never run out during the drought. The woman believed Elijah and did what he said. The Lord blessed her, and her flour and oil did not run out during the famine.
Through this story, Jesus implied that those outside His homeland would be open to believing. God sent Jesus to Nazareth, but they were offended by His words and rejected Him. The Gentiles would believe the Good News that Jesus brought. To learn more about being sent by God, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/rejected-at-nazareth
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.