The people are pleased with Jesus' speech in the Synagogue until he speaks some additional words in verses 23-27. Why do they become angry (according to N.T. Wright) at this point in the story, and run him out of town with the intention of throwing him off a cliff?
According to N.T. Wright, the people become angry and try to run Jesus out of town with the intention of throwing him off a cliff because of the additional words he speaks in verses 23-27. In these verses, Jesus refers to two specific instances from the Hebrew Scriptures, highlighting that God's favor and blessings are not limited to the people of Israel. He mentions the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian, both of whom were Gentiles and not part of the Israelite community.
This angers the people in the Synagogue because they believed that God's favor and blessings were exclusive to the chosen people of Israel. Jesus' inclusion of Gentiles challenges their understanding of God's plan and disrupts their nationalistic pride. They find it offensive and blasphemous that Jesus would suggest that God's grace extends beyond their borders.
Furthermore, by citing these examples, Jesus implies that the people in the Synagogue may not fully receive God's favor if they refuse to accept his message. This further aggravates them, as it challenges their sense of entitlement to God's blessings solely based on their ethnic and religious identity.
Thus, the combination of Jesus' widening of God's favor to include Gentiles and his implied critique of their exclusivist attitudes infuriates the people, causing them to react violently, intending to throw Jesus off a cliff.
According to N.T. Wright, in Luke 4:23-27, Jesus' words that offend the people and lead them to become angry are related to his references to two Old Testament stories. I will provide a step-by-step explanation of the reasons that provoke the people's anger and the intention to throw Jesus off a cliff:
1. Jesus quotes a proverb: In Luke 4:23, Jesus recalls a well-known proverb, "Physician, heal yourself!" This means that they want Jesus to perform in his hometown the miracles they heard he had done in other places (as mentioned in verse 22).
2. Jesus references Elijah and Elisha: Following the proverb, Jesus cites two examples from the Hebrew Bible in verses 24-27. He mentions how in the times of Elijah, Israel suffered from famine, yet God sent the prophet to a non-Israelite widow in Sidon (1 Kings 17:8-24). Likewise, during the time of Elisha, Israel had many lepers, but God healed Naaman, a Syrian, rather than any Israelite (2 Kings 5:1-19).
3. Implication of God's favor beyond Israel: By referring to these stories, Jesus implies that God's favor and blessings extend to the Gentiles (non-Jews) as well. This goes against the common belief of the time, where the Jewish people saw themselves as exclusive recipients of God's favor.
4. Challenging Jewish exclusivity: Jesus' emphasis on God's prophetic work among non-Israelites challenges the people's pride in their identity as God's chosen people. This challenges their understanding of God's preferential treatment towards Israel, which they held dear to their national and religious identity.
5. Offense and anger: The people become offended and angry because Jesus' words question their exclusive religious worldview. They reject the idea that God's blessings could extend beyond Israel and that Jesus, their own townsman, could suggest such a thing.
6. Intent to harm Jesus: The anger leads to hostility, and the people in the synagogue try to seize Jesus and throw him off a cliff (verse 29). They consider his words as blasphemous and a threat to their religious traditions.
In summary, the people become angry in Luke 4:23-27 because Jesus challenges their exclusivist understanding of God's blessings and implies that the Gentiles can also receive God's favor. This challenges their pride and leads them to attempt to harm Jesus.