Luke 4:25

Luke 4:25. But of a truth I say unto you. God had enabled the two greatest prophets in Israel to grant the greatest blessings to foreigners. Our Lord places Himself beside these prophets. His hearers would regard this as presumptuous. He implies that His course was also ordered by God, and thus gives a hint of God's rejection of those rejecting Him. Even if the Nazarenes did not perceive this, as Jews they would dislike the reference to Divine favor shown to the Gentiles. This will account for their rage, and the whole occurrence, including the historical examples, is prophetic of the treatment He received at the hands of the Jewish nation. The boldness with which He adduces these unwelcome illustrations shows that He had already given up the hope of winning His hearers. Knowing His patience we may infer that their jealousy and hardness of heart was greater than the narrative itself has stated. He knew His audience because He had lived among them, as well as from His superhuman knowledge. On no theory of His Person, can He be accused of harshness.

Three years and six months. On this drought and famine in the days of Elijah, see 1 Kings 17-18, 1 Kings 18:1, implies that the drought ended in the third year. James 5:17, agrees with the verse before us. This period of time (the half of seven years) was considered by the Jews a solemn and ominous one (comp. Daniel 12:7), but that in this case the exact period is probably given. The ‘third year' (1 Kings 18:1) is to be counted from the arrival of Elijah in Zarephath, where the drought had already prevailed for some time (1 Kings 17:1-10).