Luke 4:22-24, 28-30 They all spoke well of [Jesus] and were impressed by the words of grace that came from his mouth. And they kept saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

He told them, “Certainly you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ Do here in your hometown everything we heard you did in Capernaum.” And he said, “Amen I tell you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown.”...

All those who were in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. They got up and drove him out of the town. They led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the middle of them and went on his way. (EHV)

The person who first said, “You can never go home again” could easily have been thinking of this section of Scripture. Jesus had recently begun his ministry when he went to his hometown of Nazareth. While the people of Nazareth were impressed with him as he read from the book of Isaiah, they also seemed confused. Isn't this the son of Joseph, the carpenter? He's from common working folk. He hasn't gone to rabbinical school to learn the fine art of public speaking. How can he be speaking like this?

The people were possibly ready at this point to see Jesus perform some miracles. After all, if he did that in Capernaum, certainly he would use some of his power to help people from the town he grew up in! That would be expected. What they didn't expect was for him to point out the history of God's people in rejecting his prophets. Jesus used the examples of Elijah and Elisha performing miracles at God's directions to foreigners, such as the widow of Zarephath and the Syrian leper Naaman, instead of the Israelites.

So instead of giving Jesus a welcome home reception, the crowd turned ugly. They wanted to kill Jesus by throwing him off a cliff. (I think it's a little ironic that when they get upset at Jesus for saying, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown,” they then showed that Jesus was correct.)

Now hopefully no one has looked at you or your child and wanted to host a bungee-cord jumping event without the cord. But have you gotten “looks that could kill” when your child has acted up in public? Have people whom you thought should be welcoming of you and your child ended up rejecting you and how you are needing to parent your child? That stings—especially if it comes from family members or close friends—people from your “hometown.”

There's no way for us to stop all negative reactions. Jesus, Lord of the Universe, didn't stop the hurtful reactions from the people in his hometown synagogue when he walked the earth. Was he upset? Well, he was human, so I would imagine so. Could he have called lightning from heaven to strike them all down for rejecting him? He is God, so he certainly could have. Instead, he “passed through the middle of them and went on his way.”

So take heart in knowing that, while you will never stop all the negative reactions that people may have toward your child, or toward you for how you parent your child, you have a Savior who understands. He knows what it is like to be rejected, and yet he went on with his ministry, a ministry which would bring forgiveness for all sins—including acts of unkindness.

Lord Jesus, if anyone should have been welcomed with open arms, it was you. Yet we see time and time again in your Word that people rejected you and your message. Thank you for continuing your ministry of salvation, despite how others treated you. Thank you for having your message of forgiveness passed down to us. Help us also forgive others when they are unkind to us and our family. Amen.

by Paul Mose