Luke 4:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

NIV: They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.

NASB: and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff.

CSB: They got up, drove him out of town, and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff.

NLT: Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff,

KJV: And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

NKJV: and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

The people of Nazareth are reacting violently to Jesus' suggestion that God would favor Gentiles—non-Jewish persons—with miracles instead of Israel herself. Jesus cited examples, including those of Elijah and Elisha where exactly such a thing happened (Luke 4:23–27). This was His response to the Nazarenes' skepticism about His role as Messiah (Luke 4:16–22). Having been humiliated by Rome, Jews of that era were especially bitter about the Gentile world (Acts 22:21–22). When Jesus implies that God will speak to Gentiles instead of Israelites, the response is violent (Luke 4:28).

What the people attempt to do here might have been part of the process of stoning (Leviticus 20:2; John 10:33). The simplest form of stoning was simply for a mob to throw large rocks at the person until they died. Over time, Israel took on the step of dropping the victim from a modest height first. This would begin the process and make lethal strikes with rocks, from above, easier. Whether or not the people were attempting to stone Jesus, or simply murder Him by throwing Him off a cliff, makes no real difference.

This attempt on Jesus' life will fail (Luke 4:30). In the several instances where angry crowds tried to kill Jesus, He miraculously escaped (John 8:59; 10:39). Only when His determined time had come did He allow Himself to be taken (Matthew 26:45–47).

Luke 4:14–30 records the earliest days of Jesus' public ministry. He begins teaching in synagogues before returning to His hometown of Nazareth. There, He reads a prophecy from Isaiah and claims that He has fulfilled it. When those familiar with Him imply that Jesus has no place making such claims, Jesus implies that God will send signs to Gentiles if Israel refuses to believe. This results in an uproar, though Jesus makes what seems to be a miraculous escape.

Jesus is taken into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. While fasting there, He is tempted by Satan. These temptations share an element of ignoring God in favor of what seems easier or quicker. Jesus resists all of these, citing Scripture as He does. When Jesus returns, He preaches and heals to great publicity in Judea and Galilee. While His hometown responds with stubborn skepticism, others are eager to hear His teaching and experience His miraculous power.

Chapter 3 explained how John the Baptist preached to prepare others to receive Jesus Christ. Luke then provided Jesus' earthly ancestry. Chapter 4 begins with Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. He returns to preach and perform healing miracles in Judea and Galilee. Chapter 5 shows Him calling disciples and demonstrating further proofs of His authority.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.