A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

- Matthew 13:53-58

In the recent readings, we have been going through the parts of Matthew's Gospel that give us Jesus' teachings in parables in His ministry. For this section, we start in context with The Parable of the Sower, and Therefore hear the parable of the sower (in which Jesus explained the parable privately to his disciples). Then Jesus told the parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? Next, He taught the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven. Matthew's Gospel tells us that He always spoke to the multitude in parables, in order to fulfill the prophecy, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world. Then again, alone with His disciples, He explained to them the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and taught about the Judgment at the end of the age, in Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us yet more parables about the Kingdom of heaven. He taught, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field," and "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found the one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." He told them also, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire." Finally, He asked, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?" Jesus has left Capernaum and gone to His hometown, in Nazareth, where He grew up and where His family lives. Here He teaches in His hometown synagogue, among the neighbors and people He knew all of His life.

"Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" Familiarity seems to determine so much of what we think we know of place, and of a person and what they represent to us. Jesus has just given us many parables about the Kingdom, with its astonishing growth and power. When that power is not revealed among them in the person they know as the carpenter's son, whose brothers and sisters and mother they know, the people of the town are astonished, but also envious and resentful. "Where did He get all these things?" How can He be someone who has something to teach them? My study bible teaches, "Even in his own country, Nazareth, Jesus finds not acceptance but rejection (see John 1:11). In their envy, although they can find no fault in His words and miracles, the Nazarenes dismiss Him on the basis of the unimportance of His family."

So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Let's consider what this means that He did not do many might works there because of their unbelief. It tells us something about the Kingdom and the way that it works in the world. It's not only dependent upon faith as a kind of connection, but it also will not manifest itself where it is not welcome. This Kingdom does not force itself upon people; those who reject it are not those to whom it will manifest and grow and blossom. The tremendous potentials and power for which we've just been given parables is lost on those who, for whatever reason, cannot receive. Here, Christ echoes words even from the prophecy of the Old Testament Scripture, in the sense that it is foreigners who may receive testimony and prophecy, and the kingdom of God, rather than one's own people.

What is it about familiarity that creates envy and resentment? Is it the assignment of place in community or society that is so important to our sense of ourselves? Here the powerful working of the Kingdom turns community upside down in the sense that its growth and revelation will teach us that we may have to accept new things, even "wisdom out of the mouths of babes." You just don't know and can't predict how this Kingdom will work. But one thing is certain: faith doesn't work by expectations. It doesn't work to cement us in our assumptions about anything or anyone. It doesn't just enforce our own worldly beliefs, but surprises us. It teaches us, and perhaps that is the key. So often we feel we just don't have anything to learn, and aren't interested in what new things come along; perhaps there is nothing we'd like to resist more than a timeless wisdom that has come to us at a point in our lives when it may be time for us to turn and receive it. The problem of familiarity is an old one, and will play a great role in Jesus' Passion. Where does the problem of envy and resentment come in when "places" are disrupted? How does Christ's wisdom stand on its own, without title, without position, without the assigned place in the society for what He brings into the world? Let us consider faith as the great leveler, the thing for which our eyes must be opened, we have to be aware that we have things to learn, we may need to change, our own worldview may not simply be reinforced but opened up. When a seed begins to sprout it has to break through the ground that covers it, so that the plant, its crop and fruit can be revealed. What new ground might be broken in you in order to receive the fruit of this Kingdom and its blossoming? Are you able to receive that? Can you break through your own assumptions? Or are they too precious to discard in the face of great wisdom that comes when and where you don't expect it? Could we accept Christ today, or His wisdom in a form that asks us to change our minds? His neighbors need to change their assumptions, what they think is right, and they are unable to do so. How does the Kingdom seek to break through to you?