Chapter

Luke 4:27

ESV And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
NIV And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian.'
NASB And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.'
CSB And in the prophet Elisha's time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy, and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
NLT And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.'
KJV And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

What does Luke 4:27 mean?

Nazareth was Jesus' childhood hometown (Luke 4:16–22). He has just told the people there that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 61:1–2). The people are stubbornly skeptical since they perceive Jesus as just another ordinary Nazarene (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:1–4). Jesus senses that the people are about to make the same request other critics do: to demand yet another miracle to prove His words (John 2:18; 6:30; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16). Instead, Jesus points out their resistance and implies God will work elsewhere when Israel refuses to see the truth.

The first example given was that of Elijah (1 Kings 17:14–16; 22–24). He was sent outside Israel to perform two miracles during a severe drought and famine (Luke 4:25–26).

The second example, given here, is that of Elisha and Naaman. Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, who had cruelly attacked Israel. Not only was he a Gentile—a non-Jewish person—he was a hated enemy of the people. Despite this, Naaman becomes the first person healed of leprosy. Rather than bringing a miraculous healing to an Israelite, God bestowed it on a hostile pagan (2 Kings 5:1–14).

Jesus' reason for making these comments is to counter the people's implied demand: that He perform the miracles He did elsewhere for them here, in Nazareth (Luke 4:23). At this time in Israel's history, they were brutally oppressed by the Gentile Roman Empire. Any hint that God would look favorably on Gentiles was met with resistance or even violence (Acts 22:21–22). This is exactly what happens here in Nazareth (Luke 4:28–30).
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