God does the unexpected: The people in the synagogue of Nazareth think Jesus blasphemous in identifying himself with Elijah and Elisha, arrogant in thinking himself better than they, insulting in his mentioning that foreigners would heed a prophet better than they would. Within themselves they ask of Jesus the question often asked of anyone who dares to speak out for God: “Who do you think you are?”
At the beginning of the episode, the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at Jesus (4:20). By the end of the episode, they look no farther than their eyes could see, and show fierce hatred: they lead him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, intending to toss him over its edge to his death. But because his time has not yet come, Jesus walks right through them and goes away. When in the Father’s wisdom the time for the end of Jesus’ ministry will arrive, Jesus will be led to another hill, Calvary, outside another city, Jerusalem, there to be put to death for all the human race.
Jesus’ sacrifice becomes possible because of the largeness of divine love. We ought to practice Jesus’ kind of love by word and example—in prophetically speaking out God’s truth, and in honoring others who do so. Prophecy is not so much picturing the future as it is challenging people to faithful observance of obligations.