The Hometown People

Whose Unbelief Amazed Even Jesus

“All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked. Jesus said to them, ‘Surely you will quote this proverb to me: “Physician, heal yourself!” And you will tell me, “Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.”’  ‘Truly I tell you,’ He continued, ‘no prophet is accepted in his hometown’” (Luke 4:22–24).

As I meditate on these words, I wish to receive the lessons given through them.

(1)   When I meditate on Luke 4:22–24, the word “hometown” (vv. 23, 24) caught my eye.  So, I went to an online “multilingual Bible,” typed “hometown” into the search bar, and pressed “Enter.”  Then I found similar passages in Matthew 13:54–57 and Mark 6:1–4.  I decided to meditate on these three passages together, focusing on the word “hometown.”  As I did so, I came to reflect on the message in three parts.

(a)    First, Jesus went to His hometown of Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  As was His custom, He entered the synagogue, opened the scroll, and read from Isaiah 61:1–2.  After reading, He said to those gathered there, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk. 4:16–21).  Everyone spoke well of Jesus and was amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips, whispering among themselves, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (v. 22)

(i)               Matthew records that when Jesus came to His hometown and taught in the synagogue, the people were astonished and said: “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?  Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?  Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?  Aren’t all his sisters with us?  Where then did this man get all these things?” (Mt. 13:54–56)

(ii)             Mark records that when Jesus went to His hometown and began teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, “Many who heard him were amazed. ‘Where did this man get these things?’ they asked.  ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him?  What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?  Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon?  Aren’t his sisters here with us?’” (Mk. 6:1–3)

·        When we bring these three accounts together, we see that the people gathered in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown were astonished (Lk. 4:22; Mt. 13:54; Mk. 6:2).  There were at least two reasons for their amazement:

-        First, because of Jesus’ gracious words (Lk. 4:22).

-        Second, because of His wisdom and the power to perform miracles (Mt. 13:54; Mk. 6:2).

·        And they said—whispering among themselves (Luke 4:22):

-        “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Lk. 4:22)  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?” (Mt. 13:55–56)  “Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” (Mk. 6:3)

n  In short, they said: “We know this man Jesus—the carpenter, son of Joseph, and we know all his brothers and sisters.”

-        They also asked: “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous power? Where did all this come from?” (Mt. 13:54, 56; Mk. 6:2)

n  In short, they knew His family very well, yet they questioned where Jesus’ “such wisdom” (Matt. 13:54) and “such power” (Mark 6:2) or “such authority” came from.

(b)   Second, Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ and you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum’” (Lk. 4:23).

(i)               The proverb “Physician, heal yourself” originally means “One who helps others should first help himself.”  This would have been a familiar saying to Luke, the physician.  In other words, Jesus foresaw that the people would tempt Him—demanding that He perform in Nazareth the miracles He had done in Capernaum to prove His messiahship.  Thus, Jesus already discerned the reaction of His hometown listeners (Hochma).

·        When I reflect on this temptation, I am reminded of the temptations by the devil earlier in the same chapter (vv. 1–13).  In particular, Jesus overcame the devil’s three temptations with the written Word of God (Mt. 4:4, 7, 10).  When I think about how Jesus knew in advance that the people of Nazareth would quote this proverb to test Him—“Physician, heal yourself”—I realize that behind their temptation stood Satan himself.

-        In other words, Satan used the people of Jesus’ hometown to tempt Him.  The essence of that temptation was this: “Before you help others, help yourself first.”  In other words: “Save yourself before saving others.”  That is, the heart of their temptation was: “Save yourself.”

(ii)             When I meditate on the words, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself,’”  I am reminded of the three temptations Jesus faced while on the cross:

·        First temptation: “The rulers sneered at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One’” (Lk. 23:35).

·        Second temptation: “The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself’” (vv. 36–37).

·        Third temptation: “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’” (v. 39)

-        The essence of these satanic temptations was the same: to persuade Jesus to save Himself and avoid death.  Satan did not want Jesus to die on the cross as our substitute for sin, so he used “the rulers” (v. 35), “the soldiers” (v. 36), and “one of the criminals” (v. 39) to tempt Him three times to save Himself.

(c)    Third and finally, Jesus said to the people of Nazareth, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Lk. 4:24). 

(i)               Matthew records, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home” (Mt. 13:57).  Mark adds, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives, and in his own home” (Mk. 6:4).  The difference is that Mark includes the words “among his relatives.”

·        When we combine these three verses (Lk. 4:24; Mt. 13:57; Mk. 6:4), the conclusion is clear: Jesus, the Prophet, was not honored or welcomed in His own town, among His relatives, or in His own household.  Rather, Scripture says the people of Nazareth took offense at Him (Mt. 13:57; Mk. 6:3).  Why?  Because people often cannot acknowledge another’s excellence objectively; out of envy and jealousy, they wish to reduce others to their own ordinary level.  When Jesus applied the proverb “No prophet is accepted in his hometown” to Himself, He was pointing to His rejection in Nazareth—but also revealing a deeper meaning: that He belonged to the long line of prophets rejected by their own people (Hochma).

-        They did not honor or welcome Him—indeed, they rejected Him—because they did not believe in Him (Mt. 13:58; Mk. 6:6).  Their unbelief was so great that “Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mk. 6:6).

n  Compare this: they were amazed at His gracious words (Lk. 4:22), but Jesus was amazed at their unbelief (Mk. 6:6).  Therefore, Jesus “did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (Mt. 13:58), and “He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them” (Mk. 6:5).

(2)   As I meditate on this, I realize that unbelief—the refusal to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God—prevents us from recognizing God’s wisdom and power.  It makes us unable to honor or welcome Christ and even leads us to reject Him.

(a)    When I meditate on the statement that Jesus “was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mk. 6:6), I am reminded of another moment—when Jesus was amazed at the faith of a centurion (Mt. 8:5–10): “When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those following Him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith’” (v. 10).

(i)               Why was Jesus amazed at the centurion’s faith?  What kind of faith amazes Jesus? There are three qualities:

·        Faith that trusts only in the Lord’s word.

-        “But say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Lk. 7:7). 

n  The centurion believed that whatever Jesus commands will surely be accomplished (Yoon-sun Park).

·        Humble faith.

-        “…Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you …” (Lk. 7:6–7).

n  The centurion regarded himself as unworthy to approach Jesus.

·        Faith that loves one’s neighbor.

-        “There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die  .…  He loves our nation and has built our synagogue” (Lk. 7:2, 5).

n  The Roman centurion who asked Jesus to “say the word” loved both his sick servant and the Jewish people—fulfilling Jesus’ command to love one’s neighbor.

(ii)             May all of us live out a faith that amazes Jesus—faith that trusts only in His word, faith that is humble, and faith that loves others.

·        May we become people whose faith brings joy and amazement to our Lord, honoring and welcoming Jesus, and faithfully, humbly, and steadfastly carrying out the work of proclaiming the gospel, teaching the Word of God, and sharing in the meditation of Scripture through the wisdom and power of Jesus Christ.