A More Excellent way

 Paul makes a profoundly pointed statement in -- 1Corinthihans 13 -- before launching into his famous disputation on love.  When he writes: 

"And I will show you a still more excellent way."  

Jesus could have said the something to his hometown critics as they questioned his authority.  And then tried to eliminate him; because he attempted to show them a more excellent way.

Paul was writing this statement to the community In Corinth; because of their tendencies to be quarrelsome, self-consumed, rude and intolerant of differences.

Jesus was telling his hometown peers that just because he had grown up with them; didn't mean they had special favors.

He was telling them that longevity of relationship is not the key.

Rather, he was, not so subtlety, suggesting that his power is only unlocked by open hearts and open minds. That seek truth and light  -- not privilege .

He is basically telling them if you want to listen, instead of reject, I can show you a more excellent way to live with each other.

You see, Jesus is telling them that outsiders are just as valuable as they are.

He does this by giving two examples:

Elijah going to the widow at Zarephath to show her God's favor by making her small amount of oil and handful of meal more than enough.(1Kings 17:1-16)

Elisha's healing of Naaman of leporsy. (2Kings 5:1-14)

Both the widow and Naaman were considered unacceptable foreigners.

"Outsiders."

Jesus was making clear, to that gathering in the synagogue, that God's gifts of love, mercy and acceptance were no longer limited to the Jewish people. 

Jesus was confronting them face-to-face with God's radical Inclusivity. 

This "better way" will eliminate a ton of their most precious views and belief systems.

Thus abolishment of all self-consuming behavior, arrogant attitdites and intolerant rudeness.

Those town folks could not bear the thought that God was actually concerned about, and attentive to, "those other" people.

Imagine it for a moment -- the absence of arrogance.

Talk about a more excellent way.

This Gospel is going to be heard in chuches all over the nation this Sunday.

What are the people in those pew going to resist?

What are the radical changes that God is asking of us?

²¹Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ ²²All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’²³He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ ²⁴And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. ²⁵But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; ²⁶yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. ²⁷There were also many lepersin Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ ²⁸When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.(Luke:4)