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 recent readings, Jesus has begun teaching the crowds in parables.  This began with the parable of the Sower, in last Tuesday's reading (see He who has ears to hear, let him hear! and subsequent readings).   In yesterday's reading, He gave us yet more parables:  "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.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  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.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "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?  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.  My study bible tells us, "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."

Even in His hometown, Jesus is rejected.  One of the things this highlights for us is the deception that is possible when we place too much store in what we already think we know.  In other words, it illuminates those times when we don't hold our minds and hearts open to the power of God, and the infinite creativity that always seeks to reach to us, and to teach us something new about God.  The Incarnation is perhaps the most difficult thing to accept about God that our faith teaches us:  that God became man.  The neighbors are stuck in their sense of hierarchy and what is appropriate and familiar.  How can this man get all these things?  Where did they get that?  We know his family. . .  these are the questions that come from a worldly perspective that doesn't hold itself open to the work of God, the Holy Spirit, in their midst.  We should always have our minds and hearts open to God.  And thus, in this Gospel, this particular episode that takes place in Nazareth is a fitting one to come so soon upon Jesus' method of preaching in parables is introduced into His ministry.  The parables say to us, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Clearly, the eyes to see and ears to hear are missing from these Nazareth neighbors; this is what this Gospel is telling us.  Jesus has also introduced teachings into the parables about the end of the age, about the Judgment that is to come, and in light of that we also look at these people in Nazareth who cannot accept Him -- at least, they cannot accept the holiness at work in Him, the divine wisdom and the healings that are evidence of God at work.  The good seed of the Sower doesn't take root here; there are too many "worldly things" like hierarchies and social position, envy and jealousy, a sense of competition that gets in the way of accepting the reality of the gifts before them.  Therefore He can do no great works; there's just too many things that get in the way of the good seed taking root in faith that can see past all of these things.  It's a lesson to us about what blinds us to the reality of God.  A worldly sense of power here is in distinct contrast to the faith that calls us to God, a willingness to open our eyes to the things of God.  God's love calls us beyond our understanding of things, and love is not a competitive power hierarchy.  Love reaches to each of us with an understanding that reaches from the most simple to the most sophisticated.  It can reach around every obstacle and work to clear the way to our understanding and depth of faith.  But somewhere it needs our cooperation, and that depends on what we put first, what we truly treasure.  God calls us beyond familiarity to growth, to the new in our midst and especially the work of holiness, and for that we need eyes that see and ears that hear, a heart that is open to His call.  A prophet practices detachment, seeking to be close to God above all.  It is His job to show us the way.