December 2025: The Truth: How Do You Respond to It?

Published on 12/01/2025 by Dr-Shirley-Cheng.

How do you respond to the truth?

The truth is often ignored, hated or mocked. We see this sad fact from the life of Christ.

The Tanakh (Old Testament) is filled with Messianic prophecies. The prophetic books, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, prophesied the origin, birth, life, ministry and sacrificial death of one extraordinary ruler, and that ruler turned out to be Jesus. But when he first came to Earth two thousand years ago, most people, even his own disciples, were blind to his divine identity or calling. Many even jeered at him and belittled his disciples. In the end, he was murdered for the truths he preached and lived for. But like the truth that always prevails in the end, Christ is risen and lives on forever. And it is up to us today as his disciples to pass on the truths he taught, regardless of the consequences, even if people threaten to throw us off a cliff as the people of Nazareth attempted against our Lord two millennia ago.

The King Dishonored by His Town

"All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, 'Isn't this Joseph's son?'" (Luke 4:22, WEB)

All of the attendees of the synagogue in Nazareth enjoyed listening to Jesus and testified of his gracious words when he read and taught Isaiah 61:1-3. However, the ambiance of the synagogue turned negative as soon as they recalled who Jesus was in their sight: a fellow Nazarene whose family they knew. They questioned one another, "Isn't this Joseph’s son?" (Luke 4:22) In other words: Isn't Jesus just an ordinary man living among us? Since they knew Joseph and that Joseph was merely a carpenter, rather than someone who was more special than any of them, they saw Jesus in the same light: an ordinary countryman like any of them. If he's so ordinary, then he could offer them no special insight regardless of how gracious his words might have sounded.

Knowing their thoughts and likely hearing their contemptuous questions among themselves which they probably didn't bother to muffle, Jesus said to the crowd, "Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’ Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown." (Luke 4:23-24)

Jesus was pointing out a general truth which our own saying conveys: familiarity breeds contempt. The people whom we admire are generally those who live outside our crowd, such as celebrities and movie stars and world leaders. But if we have a family member, or a close friend or a co-worker who becomes great, often they will become great in the sight of outsiders, not in our sight. This is because familiarity makes us esteem someone lightly as "merely one of us," and thus we fail to appreciate their special qualities. The closer we are to a person, the more likely we are to be envious of them. If our friend suddenly becomes famous, or if our co-workers get the promotion we have striven for, then we become resentful. We may think things like, "I know him. We grew up together. There's nothing he can do that I can't do, so why is he getting more than I?" Simply put, we tend to compare ourselves with people we know more than with "outsiders." We get less jealous of celebrities because they are not "one of us." When our friend becomes a celebrity, jealousy and resentment then become a problem.

In Jesus' case, because Jesus was a fellow Nazarene, the Jews of Nazareth looked down upon him as "no one special" since he was merely one of them. The prophets of the Old Testament era ran into the same problem. They were persecuted and scorned by their fellow Israelites, whereas we read of no account in the Bible of gentile populations scorning them. Take, for example, the account of Jeremiah. Other than his few supporters, the only ones who were kind to him were an Ethiopian eunuch and Nebuchadnezzar the pagan emperor whom Yahweh sent against Judah to judge the people! The emperor released him from his chains--the very chains that Jeremiah's fellow Jews put on him! Also consider the wicked gentile city of Nineveh: the people repented on the preaching of Jonah, while Israel never repented regardless of how many prophets warned them of the consequences of their sins, so God punished them with exile.

Jesus quoted a common proverb when he assessed the people's attitude toward him, saying that they would say to him, "Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown." This would be a challenge for him to prove himself to them as someone special, as someone who was not one of them. If Jesus were a "physician," then let him heal himself so that everyone could see how truly good he was. After all, it's "nothing" to heal others. Jesus had performed miracles in Capernaum, and word of it reached the ear of the Nazarene people. So they challenged him to "show off" to them as he had in Capernaum. Let him perform the same miracles in Nazareth as he had in Capernaum. Better yet, let him do greater miracles to prove that he's a fine physician who could heal himself. Yes, the attitude of his own people was abhorrent!

Attempted Murder of the King

Continuing the theme of prophets not having honor in their own homeland, Jesus recalled the accounts of Elijah and Elisha: "But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian." (Luke 4:25-27)

Jesus recounted two accounts where Yahweh sent His prophets to minister to gentiles, who were more receptive to them than their fellow Israelites. In Elijah's day, Yahweh disciplined the entire region with three and a half years of severe drought during the reign of the wicked King Ahab. To sustain His prophet, Yahweh had Elijah go to Zarephath of Sidon, the homeland of Ahab's wife, Jezebel. There, the prophet was both the benefactor and recipient of the care of a gentile widow, who was sustained by God when He miraculously multiplied her flour and oil, and she came to believe in Yahweh after Elijah resurrected her son. God did not send Elijah to any widow in Israel even though there were many Israelite widows who were in need of help. Elijah was not sent to any of them but to a pagan gentile since Israel was not receptive to him and Ahab was searching throughout the land to capture him.

In the same way, God had Elisha minister to a Syrian captain, Naaman, by healing him of his tsara'at (what many Bible versions translate as "leprosy," which is not entirely correct). God didn't have Elisha heal any Israelite with tsara'at because Israel was not receptive to him.

Elijah's and Elisha's accounts also illustrate the fact that Yahweh had blessed gentiles through Israel from the start. Blessing gentiles through Israel has always been part of His major plans. It is a foundation of the Abrahamic covenant. One main promise of this covenant is that all the families of the Earth will be blessed in the seed of Abraham, and that seed is the Jewish Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ.

Yahweh chose Israel to fulfill His plans. He ordained them to be a priestly kingdom, to draw gentiles to Himself. However, Israel indulged in being "the chosen of God" and shunned gentiles as "inferior" or "unclean" people.

Hence, when Jesus pointed out that Yahweh sent Elijah and Elisha to minister to gentiles, the synagogue congregants flew into a rage. They could not swallow this truth. Everyone arose, forced Jesus out of the synagogue and out into the city, and attempted to throw him down from the cliff on which the town was built. But Jesus simply passed through the throng and slipped away. It was not his time to die, and he was not meant to fall off a cliff but be lifted up like the brass serpent, so God protected him.

This incident goes to show just how easily divine truths provoked the Nazarenes and how much they despised gentiles. They could not stand to hear that God showed favor to gentiles. They wanted God's favor all to themselves, even though they didn't appreciate it. They also hated the fact that Elijah and Elisha did not minister to fellow Israelites the way they had to the widow and Naaman, but this was merely due to Israel's poor reception of God's prophets. Israel shunned God's prophets, and didn't want gentiles to welcome them, either. They were like a naughty child who hates a toy but doesn't want any other child to play with it, either.

As their ancestors rejected God's prophets, so did the Nazarenes reject God's greatest Prophet, Jesus, who is much more than a prophet. Jesus was right: a prophet receives no honor in their own country (John 4:44).

It might have been after this incident that Jesus moved from Nazareth to live in Capernaum, which became a major site of his ministry (Matthew 4:13). It was no longer profitable to live among those who hated him, though he would not shun Nazareth. He would continue to go there from time to time, but it would remain the least receptive of all the towns of Israel.

The King's Galilean Ministry Fulfilled Prophecy

Jesus' new hometown, Capernaum, was situated by the sea of Galilee, which was also known as the sea of Tiberius, after the name of Tiberius Caesar. The town lay in the region that was formerly allotted to the Israelite tribes, Naphtali and Zebulun. In Jesus' day, no Jew regarded the tribal allotment; it was a thing of the past ever since the people of the northern kingdom of Israel were taken into Assyrian captivity in 722 BC and never returned to the Promised Land as a whole.

Jesus' ministry in upper Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy found in Isaiah 9:1-2. Let us look at the prophecy in its context and then consider its fulfillment by Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah's day, Isaiah had just pronounced the severe afflictions that Assyria would inflict on Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim as a tool used in God's hand to punish them for their sins and their plot against the southern kingdom of Judah (Isaiah 7-8). But in Isaiah 9:1-5, the prophet gave a bright outlook for Ephraim, telling the Israelites that Yahweh had a future for them; the Assyrian captivity wouldn't mean the end to their existence as Israel.

In Isaiah 8:22, Isaiah pronounced gloom on the mediums and wizards who refused to repent of their sins or turn to the Torah. But in the next verse (Isaiah 9:1), Isaiah proclaimed, "But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea [the Sea of Galilee], beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined." (Isaiah 9:1-2)

Isaiah here prophesied the bright future that awaited Israel, particularly in the region of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. These tribes lay in the northeastern portion of the Promised Land. Being the closest tribe to Assyria, Naphtali was among the first to be attacked by the Assyrians who took away captives from Galilee in the days of King Pekah of Ephraim (2 Kings 15:29). Once, in former days, Naphtali and Zebulun were in anguish and thrown into contempt, but now, Yahweh had made them glorious. Isaiah used perfect verbs (verbs that describe actions that have been completed) in order to emphasize the certainty of the prophecy. The Bible often employs such literary technique to affirm its prophetic utterances.

This prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Naphtali, situated in upper Galilee, was where Jesus was raised up and ministered and from where most of his disciples came. Galilee was a fertile region, and since it bordered gentile nations, many gentiles lived there, thus the text calls it "Galilee of the nations/gentiles." "Galilee" means "circuit" and "district." The people who once walked in darkness in this region have seen a great light; upon them the light has shined, and that light is Jesus Christ, the true light of the world (John 1:9).

Has the light shined in your own life? Have you come to the light of God, to welcome His truths to give you eternal life? If not, let the light shine in your life; embrace the Word of God to let it illuminate your path so you will no longer wander in the dark but find your way to your ultimate destination: God's glorious Kingdom.


~*~ Q&A with Dr. Shirley ~*~

Question: How do I confront and then forgive a brother for wronging me?

Answer: There are multiple layers to this situation. The biblical approach to lead a sinning brother to repentance and restore relationships is what Jesus provided in Matthew 18.

Jesus said, "If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector." (Matthew 18:15-17, WEB)

Here, Jesus indicated that if a fellow Christian (your "brother") sinned against you, you should first confront them alone. If they don't listen and refuse to repent, then you are to confront them again, with two or three other witnesses present. They should be mature Christians. If the sinning brother still refuses to repent, then the whole assembly should confront them about their sin. If your brother is a member of the local church, this means that the matter should be taken to the pastor or even the whole leadership. Now, if your brother still refuses to repent, then Jesus said: Treat them like a gentile or tax collector. In other words, do not associate with them until they repent. The church is to excommunicate the sinner until they repent. (Some Jews during Jesus' day normally excluded themselves from tax collectors and gentiles, people other than Jews. So the Jews easily understood that Jesus was telling them to exclude themselves from unrepentant brethren.)

If our brother does not repent of his sin, we are not to associate with him "to the end that he may be ashamed." (2 Thessalonians 3:14) This may seem harsh at first, but it's only for the wrongdoer's own good, in order for him to realize his wrongdoing and repent. This tough love is to be done as unto a brother, not unto an enemy. (2 Thessalonians 15)

Besides the above, to help you forgive your brother in your heart, consider this: think of how many times on average you sin in a day. A sin can be any kind of sinful thought, sinful speech (even a small lie), or doing what you are not supposed to or not doing what you should do. Even if you sinned just once in a day, that would still be 365 sins in a year.

Every time we sin, that is a deep betrayal against God. God loves us so much that He even had His only Son die for us and go through innocent suffering when we were His enemies. So to sin after God did all that is the worst betrayal ever committed. Yet we betray God regularly. Still, whenever we confess our sins and seek His forgiveness, He forgives us.

When we fail to forgive someone, it means that we do not truly understand or appreciate the extent of how we ourselves have been forgiven by God.

Second, ask God to help you forgive your brother. Just pray a simple prayer. Ask God to help you heal from the pain. Also ask Him to lead the sinning brother to repentance, if he had not yet repented. The very act of praying for someone opens your own heart to forgiveness and releases it from pain.

Even after you've forgiven him or anyone, you can still feel pain whenever you think of the wrong done to you. This is natural. Forgiveness simply means you no longer resent or have ill feelings for him and will not bring up the wrong done to you while you're with him. But you can still be in pain for some time.

Additionally, forgiveness does not mean you could trust him again anytime soon, especially if there's been no reconciliation. Trust is something earned; people have to earn our trust, not necessarily our forgiveness. So you can forgive someone without soon trusting them again.

Therefore, the best way to handle such things is to seek reconciliation and forgiveness. Ask God to heal you and give you the courage to speak with the brother according to what Jesus advised.


~*~ Dr. Shirley's News Flash ~*~

I've released an e-study guide for the book of Genesis titled, "Study of Genesis of the Holy Scriptures: The Beginning of Sin and Dawn of Redemption." It is suitable for both personal and group study. Grab a copy for yourself or a friend at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXY6M18Z

Proceeds will go to Unite in Love to support our brethren.

Unite in Love - Hope and Healing for Families:
https://gofundme.com/f/uniteinlove37

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

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