The rejection at Nazareth
Matthew 13:54-58
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? Is He not the carpenter’s son? Is not His
mother named Mary and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are
not His sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And 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.” And He did not
work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
REFLECTIONS
BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK OF FAITH. The rejection of Jesus by his own
townspeople happens because he is “too ordinary” for them. They are
unable to rise above their mundane impression of Jesus. They know his
family, parents, relatives, and friends in their village. Jesus has
become part of the comfortable routine life for them. And so they fail
to recognize Jesus with the eyes of faith.
But this is not the case of Joseph who accepts God’s invitation for
him to be the legal father of Jesus and the head and provider of the
holy family of Nazareth. Today we honor him as the model of working men
and women, the friend of the poor, the consoler of afflicted immigrants,
the saint of divine providence. He represents the universal goodness
and concern of the heavenly Father.
In 1870, Pope Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph patron of the universal
Church, the unofficial patron against doubt and hesitation, and the
patron saint of fighting communism.
“Faith rests on God, receives from God, responds to God, relies on
God, realizes God, rejoices in God, and reproduces His life and
character” (W. H. Griffith Thomas).
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