Then Jesus came to his hometown and taught in their synagogue, to the great astonishment of the people.

 

Then Jesus came to his hometown and taught in their synagogue, to the great astonishment of the people. They said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary? And aren’t his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And don’t his sisters live with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they were scandalized by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 And Jesus did not do many miracles there, because they did not have faith.

—Word of the Savior. Reflection “And when he came to his hometown and taught in their synagogue, to the great astonishment of the people.” This text marks a turning point. Up until now, Jesus had been with the crowd, performing miracles, casting out demons, speaking to them about the Kingdom, and being admired by everyone. This “admiration” is ambiguous, though: on the one hand it indicates enchantment, on the other it indicates contempt, due to the fact that many knew the historical and family reality of Jesus. In fact, with his testimony, his teachings and the performance of miracles, Jesus caused astonishment and admiration among the people. All of this came from the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life, from his filial conscience, from his awareness of the mission to be accomplished and from the knowledge of the truth that should be announced. “And they were scandalized because of him.” After this moment, disbelief arose. Many, especially from his family, no longer paid attention to what he said, because he taught with authority, performed miracles never seen before, welcomed people like never before on the face of the earth, understood each person from within, did not fear others even if they were aggressors, showed mercy in every gesture he made and was all for God. Before taking on his mission, he worked as a carpenter alongside Joseph. The evangelist Matthew says that Jesus is the son of a carpenter, and Mark 6:3 says that he is a carpenter. In any case, he worked alongside his adoptive father, serving him. In the family context, we have the sign of the end of his mission: not only his blood family, but also society and the official religion despised him. He was abandoned by his own people, by those who governed and by the leaders of Israel, thrown on the cross as if he were a disgrace. Many had difficulty seeing him as a prophet, precisely because of the ordinary life Jesus lived during his thirty years before beginning his mission. Throughout his growth, Jesus was by Joseph's side, a man who offers the entire Church very important lessons such as faith, love and hope. Joseph was a man completely dedicated to the God of Israel, he was a just man. Because he believed, he gave up everything to take care of Mary and Jesus. Since he lived in love, he gave himself as a gift to both of them and to humanity; as a man of hope, he answered yes to God, so that the Lord's plan to save everyone could be fulfilled. His entire life of work will be dedicated to the greater good of his home. Jesus leaves the synagogue, that is, he abandons his participation in the official religion, leaves the crowds, and goes to form his disciples. His greatest concern will be with the preparation of those who will continue his mission in history, who must be men and women of faith, courage, knowledgeable of the truth, practitioners of love, lovers of life and full of hope; they must be those who will spare no effort to proclaim Jesus Christ dead and resurrected; men and women who, despite the limitations of their humanity, will strive to understand and proclaim Jesus from his incarnation until his second coming. As for the incarnation of the Word, today's text is clear in highlighting the tremendous difficulty of seeing Jesus as the one sent by God, the Son present in history, God himself acting among us. They saw the miracles, but were unable to go beyond the limits of reason and discover the presence of God in the man Jesus.