Favorite Verse #99 – Luke 4:16
“Do I have to go to church?” Many kids and sometimes adults ask this question. One answer is always – WWJD. You remember that bracelets, “What Would Jesus Do?”
Well I have a better acronym – WDJD or What Did Jesus Do?”
This brings us to today’s great, but often overlooked verse, Luke 4:16,
“He we to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as was his custom.’
From this text there are at least three important observations.
1. Jesus went to church.
Okay, so I realize it was not “church” but rather the synagogue he attended, but this would be like “church” today. Don’t fuss at me about this because I also realize we don’t go to “church” but rather the assembly of the church. Regardless, the point is clear. Jesus attended the worship and study of the word.
2. He went “on the Sabbath day.”
He could have done many things with his Sabbath. He could have communed with nature. He could have taught his disciples. He could have slept in. He could have, but he did not. What he did was use his Sabbath to go to the assembly.
3. He went “as was His CUSTOM.”
This is my favorite part of this verse. He didn’t just to the synagogue on this particular day. Going to the synagogue on the Sabbath was his normal activity. It was his custom. It was his habit.
Next time you think What Would Jesus Do? You might be better advised to ask “What Did Jesus Do.” This verse is one of the answers to that question. “He went into the synagogue as was his custom.”
Lonnie Davis