Matthew 13:53-58
“Notice what you notice.” Today is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ return to his hometown, Nazareth. And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” (v. 57) I can’t remember when I first read this verse or heard it read, but I do recall early-on spending serious time trying to uncouple the “triple negative” and understand what Jesus said. So eventually I simplified and translated it as “A prophet has no honor at home.” So yes, I now understand the verse, but I love the original “triple negative”.
So yeah, this verse always jumps out at me. But today, the intro to that verse caught me, that “they took offense at Him”. And that caught me because I have felt some “lack of honor” in my own family. Coming from my rural roots it should be no surprise to anyone that I was the only child out of nine in the family to have even a college degree, let alone a PhD. And yes, I received “honor” from a number of my siblings. However, I clearly recall two occasions when one brother and one sister effectively ridiculed my education or my position as a college professor. Although I dismissed one of those comments as more jealousy than anything else, the second was more hurtful and has stayed with me to this day.
So I might be able to relate a bit as to how Jesus felt about being rejected at home. I doubt He stayed there long. And the good news is that at least one of his brothers (James) eventually embraced faith in Jesus’ resurrection and Messiahship. In addition, His mother Mary was with Him to the bitter end and was one of the early witnesses to His resurrection. So, all’s well that ends well? Maybe not. What about the other brothers and sister(s)? And there are still lingering disappointments.
Slava Bohu!