The Gap - Part 2
“…his own received him not” John 1:11
By Walter Giddings
June 28, 2026
In our prior Lesson, The Gap, Truth or theory, we discovered in Jesus’ reading of half the 1st few Verses of Isaiah 61, in Jesus’ boyhood synagogue in Nazareth, a summary of the Messianic prophecies about His 1st and 2nd Comings! Jesus ended his reading at “the acceptable year of the Lord” and closed the Book! What Jesus read in the synagogue pertained only to His 1st Coming. (Luke 4:21). What follows what Jesus read in the Isaiah Scroll is about His 2nd Coming!
21 And he began to say unto them,
This day is this scripture fulfilled
in your ears.
Luke chapter four.
“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Could Jesus have said that, if he had also read the part about His 2nd Coming? Look at the next Verse. (Verse 22).
22 And all bare him witness, and
wondered at the gracious words
which proceeded out of his mouth.
And they said, Is not this Joseph’s
son?
Why would the members of his boyhood Synagogue be in doubt that He was Joseph’s son?! Had Jesus been gone away for some time?
We concluded the prior Lesson, The Gap, Truth or theory? in Luke 4:28-29, where we learned the whole Synagogue was filled with wrath, cast him out of the city, and led him to the precipice of the hill on which Nazareth was built to “cast him down headlong”! We ended with the question: what happened between verses 22 and 28? (Verse 23). Shall we find out?
23 And he said unto them, Ye will
surely say unto me this proverb,
Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever
we have heard done in Capernaum,
do also here in thy country.
“Physician heal thyself”! Why did Jesus say they would use this Proverb against Him? Was Jesus healing from something? (Keep your mark in Luke 4) (Hebrews 4:15). Did He suffer from weaknesses, sicknesses, infirmities, or even diseases?
15 For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was
in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin.
Hebrews chapter four.
Infirmities translate G769 astheneia, as-then’-i- ah, from G772; feebleness (of body or mind): - disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness. How many diseases, infirmities, sicknesses, and weaknesses did Jesus have?! (Isaiah 53:1-2). Did any of the Messianic Prophets foretell this about The Messiah?
p Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed?
c 2 For he shall grow up before him as
a tender plant, and as a root out of a
dry ground: he hath no form nor
comeliness; and when we shall see
him, there is no beauty that we should
desire him.
Isaiah chapter fifty-three.
Would “a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground” be weak, sickly, infirm, even diseased? Did our Messiah and Chief Priest suffer from every malady or disease known to man, not subject to Force Quarantine? Do we have a High Priest who “was in all points tempted like as we are”?
Did Jesus explain to the assembly at his boyhood home why He stopped reading from Isaiah at “the acceptable year of the Lord”?
(Back to Luke 4:23). The last part of Verse 23 reads “whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.” (Look at Verse 24). “And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.” In the gutter vernacular and alley slang of our day, would that be like “his own” saying OK Hotshot, do what you did there, here, in your own boyhood town! Did Jesus ever explain why he stopped reading at “the acceptable year of the Lord”?
Among those present at the synagogue that sabbath day “all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.” [Verse 22]
“And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” How long had Jesus been away? How long had he been gone?
(John 12:49-50). Why did Jesusnever explain why he stopped reading at “the acceptable year of the Lord”? In this Responsive Reading Jesus is speaking:
p 49 For I have not spoken of myself;
but the Father which sent me, he gave
me a commandment, what I should
say, and what I should speak.
c 50 And I know that his command-
ment is life everlasting: whatsoever
I speak therefore, even as the Father
said unto me, so I speak.
John chapter twelve.
“Even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” Does this mean that whenever Jesus spoke during his Ministry at His 1st Coming He spoke only what The Father chose for Him to say?
(Back to Luke 4:25-26). Look what the Father chose for Jesus to preach at his boyhood Synagogue (!):
p 25 But I tell you of a truth, many
widows were in Israel in the days of
Elias, when the heaven was shut up
three years and six months, when
great famine was throughout all the
land:
c 26 But unto none of them was Elias
sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Si-
don, unto a woman that was a widow.
Luke chapter four
Did the Father choose not to send Elijah to anyone of the many widows in Israel?! Did the Father choose to send Elijah only to a widow in the Sidonian city Sarepta? How well did the Synagogue at Nazareth receive this preaching? Did Jesus end the Sermon there?
(Verse 27). What about Elijah’s successor Elisha?
27 And many lepers were in Israel
in the time of Eliseus the prophet;
and none of them was cleansed,
saving Naaman the Syrian.
Luke chapter four.
Did the Father choose not to cleanse any one of the many lepers in Israel? Did the Father choose to send Naaman the Syrian to Elisha the prophet in Israel? How well did the synagogue at Nazareth receive this preaching? What if you or I were to preach a similar sermon in a local church in America, tell the congregation they are Israel in dispersion and declare unto them The God of the Bible would choose not to send them his prophets, nor heal their lepers?!!! Could they scarcely refrain from throwing us off a High Place? Did Jesus say, “the world ... hated me before it hated you”? [John 15:18] (John 2:12). Did Jesus move his earthly family?
12 After this he went down to Cap-
ernaum, he, and his mother, and his
brethren, and his disciples: and
they continued there not many days.
John chapter two.
How would we like to have some preacher in our family get us into trouble with the city or town fathers, causing us to have to leave our boyhood town or city? Did Jesus’ own people attempt to prevent him from creating controversy? (Mark 3:20-21). In Mark chapter 3we find that the Pharisees were taking counsel with the Herodians to destroy him, and the scribes that came down from Jerusalem made accusation that Jesus had an unclean spirit! And Jesus and the Twelve went into a house.
p 20 And the multitude cometh toge-
ther again, so that they could not so
much as eat bread.
c 21 And when his friends heard of it,
they went out to lay hold on him: for
they said, He is beside himself.
Mark chapter three.
We know that was unsuccessful. So, his family came! (Scroll down Verses 31-35).
c 31 There came then his brethren and
his mother, and, standing without,
sent unto him, calling him.
p 32 And the multitude sat about him,
and they said unto him, Behold, thy
mother and thy brethren without
seek for thee.
c 33 And he answered them, saying,
Who is my mother, or my brethren?
p 34 And he looked round about on
them which sat about him, and said,
Behold my mother and my brethren!
c 35 For whosoever shall do the will of
God, the same is my brother, and my
sister, and my mother.
Mark chapter three.
“Whosoever shall do the will of God” is family! And only God’s Family fell!
We are left with the Question why were Jesus’ own doing the same thing to Him, the Greatest Prophet of the Bible, that those who were “of Israel” [Romans 9:6] did to Elijah and Elisha? Can we find two Witnesses that explain this?
(John 1:11-12). What does the Gospel of John tell us?
p 11 He came unto his own, and his
own received him not.
c 12 But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that beli-
eve on his name:
John chapter one.
Why is it always only a remnant that receives him? It would appear that Jesus’ trouble “in his own country” did not end at Nazareth! (Mark 6:1-6).
[It is a wonderful custom here to stand at least once when our charge, sermon, bible study, lesson, exhortation, or exposition for the week is heralded from this pulpit. It wars against what God’s family did to God Incarnate, God in the flesh in Jesus’ own country.
p And he went out from thence, and
came into his own country; and his
disciples follow him.
c 2 And when the sabbath day was
come, he began to teach in the syna-
gogue: and many hearing him were
astonished, saying, From whence
hath this man these things? and
what wisdom is this which is given
unto him, that even such mighty
works are wrought by his hands?
p 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of
Mary, the brother of James, and Joses,
and of Juda, and Simon? and are not
his sisters here with us? And they
were offended at him.
c 4 But Jesus said unto them, A pro-
phet is not without honour, but in
his own country, and among his own
kin, and in his own house.
p 5 And he could there do no mighty
work, save that he laid his hands up-
on a few sick folk, and healed them.
c 6 And he marvelled because of their
unbelief. And he went round about
the villages, teaching.
Mark chapter six.
(Verse 1). “He ... came into his own country.” “Country” is translated from G3968 patris, pat-reece’, fatherland. Many will say to me in our day that Jesus was popularly known as “thou Son of David”, and his true fatherland is Bethlehem in Judaea. But the dispersion, common to us, was also common to them. So, we both have new fatherlands. America is now land of our fathers who framed the Republic. Could that mean that many of Jesus’ neighbors were also descended from David? We will go to the Scriptures about that a little later.
(Verse 6). “And he marvelled because of their unbelief.” Do we have a 2nd Witness to Jesus’ kinfolk stumbling in “unbelief”? Are these kinfolk sons and daughters of David? Is this The House of David here?
Did “His own” kin receive him? Did they reject Him?
Could it be that our 2nd Greatest Enemy is our 1st Mission Field, our families and friends? (John 15:18). Is it also true that our 1st Mission Field is a mine field, and only The Holy Spirit knows where those mines are? How many times have we tried to sow the seeds of The Gospel of the Kingdom and run into a reaction that bars all future attempts? And we wonder what happened!
18 If the world hate you, ye know
that it hated me before it hated you.
John chapter fifteen.
“The world ... hated me before it hated you.” If all the world should love us, would we be very upset with any Christians in our families that breaks that Treaty we have with the world? Is that why so many January 6’ers lost their families?
Let goods and kindred go.
This mortal life also
The body they may kill.
God’s truth abideth still.
His kingdom is forever.
4th Verse. Selection 26. Martin Luther.
Ein Feste Burge ist unser Gott(!)
(Isaiah 1:2). How long have these wars been waged in our families, and with our neighbors?
2 Hear O Heavens, and give ear, O
earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I
have nourished and brought up child-
ren, and they have rebelled against me.
How many of us in The Gospel of the Kingdom say the same today? How many of us can testify to that dismay, despair and pain? How many of us remain in remembrance that we are experiencing that dismay, despair and pain our heavenly Father has experienced? Do we remember He weeps with us, sharing our Grief?
(Verse 3). How serious is the carnality of American Israel when we only want to own ourselves, and no one else owns us, not even God?!!!
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and
the ass his master’s crib: but Israel
doth not know, my people doth not
consider.
Isaiah chapter one.
(Romans 10:1-3). How good a description of American Israel is the 1st 3 Verses of Romans 10?
c Brethren, my heart’s desire and
prayer to God for Israel is, that they
might be saved.
p 2 For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge.
c 3 For they being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God.
Romans chapter ten.
“Going about to establish their own righteousness.” How well does Paul’s indictment of Israel fit our families and friends, and even us, before we received the one “with whom we have to do”? (Hebrews 4:13).
13 Neither is there any creature that
is not manifest in his sight: but all
things are naked and open unto the
eyes of him with whom we have to
do.
Hebrews chapter four.
Are all creatures manifest in his sight? How does it feel to know God is watching while no one else is? Are we, His creatures? Is the Mighty Maker our Redeemer?
“Creature” is translated from G2937 ktisis, ktis’-is; original formation. This word, ktisis, is routinely applied throughout the New Testament Scriptures to the members of God’s “whole family in heaven and earth” [Ephesians 3:15]. We have 2 Witnesses to illustrate this.
(Mark 10:6). Our 1st Witness demonstrates this applies to Adam.
6 But from the beginning of the
creation God made them male and
female.
Mark chapter ten.
(Romans 8:19). Our 2nd Witness can only apply to Adam.
19 For the earnest expectation of the
creature waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God.
Romans chapter eight.
We have one last thing to consider concerning our understanding of The Gap. Every Name in The Scriptures, man, woman, or geographical location is pregnant with meaning and able to bring to birth our understanding. Jesus’ boyhood town, Nazareth, is no exception to that truth.
(Matthew 2:23) This Scripture is the very 1st citation of the town of Nazareth in our Bibles. G3478 Nazereth, nad-zar-eth’; of uncertain derivation. No serious student of The Bible reaching maturity in familiarity of Hebrew words can long remain in the “uncertain derivation” camp. Nazareth is a compound of 2 important Hebrew words: H5342 netser, nay’tser, prominently found in Isaiah 11:1, fig., a descendant: - branch, and H854 eth, ayth; H854 eth is a Hebrew diphthong containing the 1st and 22nd consonants of the Hebrew alphabet. Can anyone tell us what the 1st and last letters of the Koine Greek alphabet are?
Alpha Omega is correct. Could it be that Aleph Thav, the 1st and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is the Hebrew equivalent of Alpha Omega? When a brother from my home church, at the Christian Reform Fellowship, braced me with that Question I was thunderstruck. The thought had never occurred to me until that moment!
H5342 netser, nay’-tser is translated “Branch” in Isaiah 11:1:
And there shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch
shall grow out of his roots.
Isaiah chapter eleven.
“And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Shall we take notice that H5342 netser, nay’-tser has a figurative meaning, descendant? King David is the direct lineal uncorrupted descendant of Jesse, and Jesus of Nazareth is a direct lineal uncorrupted descendant of King David. Was Jesus’ earthly family living among other direct lineal uncorrupted descendants of King David? Is the town of Nazareth “Branchtown”? Does this give New Meaning to John 1:11?
11 He came unto his own, and his
own received him not.
John chapter one.
Bibliography
Luke 4:21. “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
Luke 4:22. “And all bear him witness”
Luke 4:23. “Physician heal thyself.”
Hebrews 4:15. “but was in all points tempted like as we are”
Isaiah 53:1-2. “…as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground”
Back to Luke 4:23. “No prophet is accepted in his own country.”
John 12:49-50. “…even as the Father said unto me, so I speak”
Back to Luke 4:25-26. “…unto none of them was Elias sent”
Luke 4:27. “…none of them was cleansed saving Naaman”
[John 15:18] “the world ... hated me before it hated you”
John 2:12. “…he went down to Capernaum.”
Mark 3:20-21. “He is beside himself.”
Mark 3:31-35. “Who is my mother, or my brethren?”
John 1:11-12. “…his own received him not”
Mark 6:1-6. [stand] “And they were offended at him.”
John 15:18. “The world ... hated me before it hated you.”
“Let goods and kindred go. Selection 26. Martin Luther.
Isaiah 1:2. “…they have rebelled against me.”
Isaiah 1:3. “Israel doth not know”
Romans 10:1-3. “…they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Hebrews 4:13. “…any creature”
Mark 10:6. “…from the beginning of the creation”
Matthew 2:23. The 1st citation of Nazareth in our Bibles.
Isaiah 11:1. “…a Branch shall grow out of his roots”
John 1:11. “…his own received him not.”
