Our Gospel story this week is a kind of home coming for Jesus. He and His disciples return to where He is known by His family relationships. Jesus does the religiously wrong thing though. On the Sabbath, He is teaching in the synagogue but the town’s folk need to see His credentials for getting up there like that. “Who does he think he is?” But Jesus does know who He is and He does what He knows Himself to be.

The listeners to Him think they know Him, because they know from where He comes, that is from right there among them. But Jesus is from there and way beyond. He has come to be known as coming to everywhere from everywhere. They are amazed and “they took offense at Him”. They were relying on their knowledge and He was inviting them to go beyond what they did know into the relationship of faith.

Their lack of belief was the cause of His not being able to do the signs and mighty deeds that they were seeking. The “honor” for which He was asking them was not based on locale or family ties, but on accepting Him as the one who is sent. He leaves the temple but to add to their confusion, Jesus does heal a few by touching them, but departs as amazed at their lack of faith as they are amazed at His unpredictable behavior.

Larry Gillick, S.J.
Creighton University