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 yesterday's reading, Jesus taught several parables to the crowds.  (Chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel gives us the introduction to Jesus' preaching in parables, beginning with the parable of the Sower.)  In yesterday's reading, 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.  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.  Jesus comes to His own country of Nazareth and teaches in the local synagogue.  Surely His reputation has preceded Him, having by now reached a point in His ministry in which great crowds follow Him.  But here, they know Him as the carpenter's son, the son of Mary.  And they know all His relatives. (Brothers or sisters, in the Near and Middle East, remain today terms denoting extended family, as also used in Old Testament Scripture.  The Church, East and West, traditionally interprets these brothers and sisters to be either step-siblings of Jesus by a previous marriage of Joseph, who was elderly when he married Mary, or cousins to Jesus).   They are astonished, and at the same time offended.  My study bible points out that this is a frequent response to Christ (in Luke 4:22-30, they both marvel and reject Him with wrath).   Jesus' rejection in His own country fulfills the rejection of Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, and it foreshadows His rejection by the whole Jewish nation (via the Council) at His trial before Pilate, says my study bible.  Jesus' teaching, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house," is so important that it is found in one form and another in all four gospels. 

There are many ways in which today's reading tells us important information about what it is to be a disciple of Christ, with Jesus, of course, as our great example to follow.  We see His priorities.  God the Father comes first in all things.  He will be rejected by the Council (and therefore His nation) because it is God the Father He puts first.  He is rejected in His hometown because of this mission.  He can do no great works because there is no faith for them here.  The familiarity which the townspeople have with Him refuses to budge in the fixed image of who and what He must be -- He's one of their own, is He not?  Don't they know His mother and His earthly father, Joseph?  His extended family?  What business does Jesus have being this "great" person?  Where did He get all these things -- His wisdom and His mighty works?   Rather than acceptance, their astonishment turns to offense.  He's not in the "right place" for them, as they know Him.  But, as my study bible points out (and as Jesus says in Luke's reporting, when He mentions Elijah and Elisha and their works done only for foreigners), He's like the prophets before Him in being rejected by His own.  And the common thread here is really what is put first.  In the case of Jesus, as in the case of the prophets, it's the Father of all fathers who comes first.  Jesus will later tell His disciples, in John's Gospel, "I have chosen you out of the world" (italics my emphasis).  This story is a great example of just how God comes betwixt and between all things.  St. Paul tells us, in Hebrews 4:12, that "the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  In today's reading, it's the word of God that comes between neighbors, even family members.  Jesus is faced with a choice, and we are faced with a choice -- and we know which side He comes down on.  Is He going to stop His works and His ministry and mission for the sake of those who are offended by it?  No, because ultimately, for Christ as Son, for Jesus as human being, and for each one of us, identity is really conferred by the One who is our Father before all else.  When each of the Gospels tells us that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, we had better pay attention.  God will call us to a union that extends beyond the other relationships we have in our lives; God will call us to truth and to love that teaches us where our other relationships may fall short.  The author of peace teaches us true peace and reconciliation.  In so doing, we may find that the real healing of relationship comes from this "better place" that teaches us the better way.  So have the prophets called before Christ's mission to the world, so do the saints call us after Him.  What's familiar is meant to be transformed in the Word, in His word for us -- brought to fruition, made better, always being perfected.  When we remember that in some sense we are meant to be sojourners in His word, all relationships take on different values in the light of His truth and His love.