An Insightful Moment at Nazareth

This Scripture/chapter makes perfect sense in a very human way. "You can never go home" is another expression that echoes the same dilemma. People pigeonhole you with their memories. If you were ordinary as a child, there's no room for extraordinary as an adult. The folks at the synagogue certainly weren't expecting Jesus to beat them to the punch by citing the healings of Elijah and Elisha, and indicating that others (foreigners even) would receive that same preferential treatment before them. No wonder they were angry. Here was their hometown boy. It was his job to give them credit for the wonderful start they had given him... and he didn't do that.

Jesus makes a lot of people angry a lot of the time when he speaks a truth they don't want to hear. This incident was no exception. But he also reinforces (many times) that the faith people have in him contributes to their cures. We don't like to hear that truth ourselves, sometimes... when a dear friend who is a faithful Christian suffers from illness or dies. God's ways are a mystery and Jesus was a mystery to the people he grew up with.

I liked the slant Gire takes on restraint, although I didn't get that from the Scripture itself.