We are in Capernaum. Jesus the Messiah decides to return to his village, Nazareth. He is no longer Jesus the carpenter but Jesus the Messiah, and his former friends and neighbours do not accept this change. He had already performed miracles in Capernaum, but the entirely different conditions in Nazareth hinder Jesus the Messiah’s work.
The situation rapidly deteriorates: tempers flare, and a lynching seems inevitable. Before the irreparable happens, Jesus the Messiah passes through these agitated people and walks away with an assurance that impresses them. That day, these people missed salvation, probably without realising it.
What a contrast with the of the village of Sychar! We often encounter the same problem: ‘ and we will believe in you.’ Jesus the Messiah is not an entertainer at the disposal of his fellow citizens’ demands. This is why the officer’s son was healed while these Nazarenes saw nothing. Jesus the Messiah would have the opportunity to return to his village of Nazareth in March 32 (see pericope PER161), but the reception would be equally cold. The Gospels give no indication of any other stays in his home village, although these remain possible.
The proverb common today, ‘No prophet is honoured in his own country’, comes from Jesus the Messiah’s words quoted by Luke 4.24. The same thought appears in Mark 6.4 and Matthew 13.57. This expression reflects the idea that prophets, or people with special talents or knowledge, are often less appreciated or respected in their own country or among their own people.