What does Luke 4:16 mean?
Jesus' early preaching was well-received (Luke 4:14–15). This will change when He arrives in His childhood home of Nazareth (Luke 2:39). Jewish people generally looked down on Nazareth because it housed a Roman regional military facility. References to those who lived there were often meant as insults or sneers (John 1:46). Prophecy indicated the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and He was (Luke 2:4–7). However, His earthly family raised Him in their hometown.As a faithful, observant Jew, Jesus visited synagogues on the Sabbath day. In Sabbath services, various men would read portions of the Old Testament, then sit to begin speaking about what those Scriptures meant. This is the way Jesus approaches a passage in Isaiah (Luke 4:17–20). At first, His interpretation will be accepted (Luke 4:22). Unfortunately, when Jesus speaks about taking God's message to Gentiles, the crowd turns on Him (Luke 4:28–30).