The Gospel Project® for Adults
(LUKE 4:28-30).
28 When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged.
29 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.
30 But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
Verses 28-29 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):
Sin as Missing the Mark:
One aspect of sin is missing the mark of God’s standards set for humanity.
This missing of the mark is not a simple mistake
but a falling short of God’s glory through conscious choosing of sin.
We may refer to sin as a failure
on the part of humans to live according to God’s standards,
but we must recognize this failure is intentional.
We miss the mark when we deliberately choose to cast aside God’s intention
for us.
Verse 30 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):
Though the crowd had the end of Jesus in mind,
God had other plans.
It was not yet time for Jesus to die,
so no matter the plans of human beings,
the will of God reigns.
Sin is a big deal.
It is our biggest problem.
Gloriously and graciously, Christ has dealt completely
with our sin dilemma. We must have faith in the work of Christ
as our only rescue.
Because we are no longer estranged from God
but are now accepted by Him through Christ,
we seek to live in peace with all,
forgiving greatly as we have been forgiven.
Jesus of Nazareth, though rejected by His own,
would continue His messianic ministry
to bring the good news of spiritual freedom,
healing, and abundance to those who would place their faith in Him.
This early rejection of Jesus would be repeated,
ultimately leading to His crucifixion.
Yet the repudiation and pain Christ would experience did not deter Him
from His ultimate purpose to seek and save the lost,
which includes you and me and people
from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
It’s tempting to point fingers at these Nazarene Jews
while shaking our heads at their shameful behavior,
thinking that under no circumstances would we reject Christ
in such a violent and absolute way.
But for the grace of God,
every one of us would have been part of this outraged clan,
ready to stamp out this “blasphemous” threat.
Every soul’s sinful default is to reject Christ.
This reveals how great is the love and grace of God
to take enemies with murderous intent in their hearts
and make a way for them—for us—to be saved,
forgiven, redeemed, and welcomed with open arms by our Creator and Savior.
Sin is not an intangible, subjective social construct.
It is a matter of fact, and it is a problem.
The sinfulness of every soul is an important, objective spiritual truth.
The reality of our sin should lead us to personal repentance
and utter dependence on the work of Christ for salvation.
Then having been loved and humbled and saved by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ, we should be propelled by God’s gift of the Holy Spirit
to embrace the Great Commission as the most essential work of our lifetime.
Because we have been saved from sin by Christ,
let us recognize the presence and punishment of sin in others
and proclaim the gospel of Jesus far and wide.
“We may note in passing that [Jesus] was never regarded as a mere moral teacher.
He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met Him.
He produced mainly three effects—Hatred—Terror—Adoration.
There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.” 8
– C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
1. George W. Truett, Who Is Jesus?, ed. Powhatan W. James, vol. 6, George W. Truett Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1952), 32.
2. Gary Smith, Isaiah 40–66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 633.
3. Ibid., 635.
4. Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 157.
5. James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2015), 139-40.
6. Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), Lk 4:16-30 [Logos].
7. Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary, 159.
8. C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock, ed. Walter Hooper (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1970), 168.
9. Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 135-36.
10. Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary, 159.
11. Paul John Isaak, “Luke,” in Africa Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1239.
12. James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 141-42.