He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
One of the synagogue rulers (Jairus? cf. Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41) may have asked Jesus to read the Scriptures since Jesus was a popular teacher. Customarily Jewish teachers stood to read the Scriptures, out of respect for them, and then sat down to expound them. [Note: Martin, p. 214. See Edersheim, 1:430-50, for explanation of synagogue worship and arrangements.] No one knows for sure if someone asked Him to read this particular passage or if He chose to do so, but the context favors the second alternative by stressing Jesus’ initiative.