In today’s Gospel Jesus recognizes that is it hard for a prophet to be recognized in his hometown. “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Even when the people of Jesus’ hometown recognized his wisdom and the “extraordinary” healings he was performing they found it difficult to accept him as a prophet because in many ways he was too “ordinary.”
Jesus just read the word of the prophet Isaiah as part of the synagogue service in his hometown. He read these words from the prophet Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor…and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
After reading these words Jesus solemnly declares:
“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21). Luke tells us, “And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” The problem, however, was that they knew him, he grew up in their midst, he was too ordinary: “They also asked, ‘Isn’t this the son of Joseph?’” (Luke 4:22).
Jesus responds that this is the way with prophets such as Elijah and Elisha. They seem to be more recognized by outsiders and indeed performed healings for outsiders or non-Jews. The people of Jesus’ hometown like the prophet Jonah before them wanted to restrict God mercy and God’s healing love only to their own “kind.” Jonah complained when God offered his healing forgiveness to the outsiders and enemies, the people of Nineveh:
“But this greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, ‘O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first toward Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, repenting of punishment.’” (Jonah 4:1-2).
Today you are I are called upon to recognize the prophets in our midst. Jesus shows us God’s love, mercy, and compassion in some very extraordinary works but also in some very ordinary deeds such as having a meal with tax collectors and sinners.
Image: “Christ Reading Isaiah in Synagogue” by bobosh_t is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.