Mt 13:54-58
54[Jesus] came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? 55Is he not the carpenter’s
son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” 58And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
HE CAME TO HIS NATIVE PLACE: When Jesus left his native Nazareth and preached in the towns and villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee, he astounded people with the authority of his teaching and his deeds. His fame spread to all of Syria, and great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him (Mt 4:24-25).
One day, Jesus returns to his native town of Nazareth. His townsmen ought to be proud of him and to feel honored by his presence. Instead, they oppose and belittle him. They think they know him too well to pass a fair judgment on him. They think that Jesus’ humble origins do not qualify him for the fame and acclaim he is now enjoying. They are convinced that someone of their kind has no capacity to transcend his milieu and rise above mediocrity. Life without faith in a preacher they presume to be familiar with is comfortable and easy.
The reaction of the people of Nazareth is that of people who do not want to be disturbed in their comfort zone. They discredit the prophet of God and declare him a disturber. Then they go along with the status quo and their complacent ways, unmindful of the deep joy and authentic liberation that faith in Christ brings.