Jesus Teaches at Nazareth

36. Jesus Teaches at Nazareth

Jesus goes to his hometown to preach, and his reception is a bit chilly. It’s not hard to imagine why. Someone the locals have probably known since he was in swaddling clothes comes back as if he’s some sort of big-shot prophet who suddenly knows more than they do.

You can image them thinking to themselves, “Hey, isn’t this that runny-nosed kid that used to tease my daughter and throw pebbles at the neighbor’s sheep? And now he’s come back thinking he’s all special and filled with the wisdom of God? Yeah, right. He should go back to being a carpenter, if anyone will hire him.”

Perhaps the lesson here is that once people have a strong impression of you, it’s hard for them to see you any differently, no matter how much evidence there may be of change.