and most of those who heard him were astonished. But they said, “How did this come to him?
What kind of wisdom has been given to him, that he also performs such miracles? Who is he
but the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
His sisters, too, are they not here among us?” So they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them,
“Prophets are despised only in their own country, among their relatives, and in their own family.”
And he could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people, by laying his hands on
them. Jesus himself was astounded at their unbelief.
READ: Jesus returned to his own country. On a Sabbath, he taught in the synagogue.
The people who heard him were astonished at his teaching. But these same people who heard
him were asking where did Jesus get his wisdom and how was he able to do the miracles he
performed. The people also identified Jesus to be the carpenter and the Son of Mary. The people
took offense at him. Jesus said that prophets are not received in their own country. Consequently,
Jesus did not perform many miracles there. Jesus only laid his hands on few sick people in order
to heal them. Jesus was surprised at their lack of faith.
REFLECT: Our ongoing conversion happens in the ordinariness of our everyday life. In our faith
journey, there are times when we tend to associate God’s presence in the extraordinary events.
But God reveals himself even in the most ordinary event of our daily life. In the Gospel passage
for today, Jesus returned to his own country. On a Sabbath, he taught in the synagogue where the
people who heard him were astonished. However, despite their astonishment, they took offense
at Jesus because they looked at Jesus as an ordinary person in their neighborhood. Like the people
in today’s Gospel, it seems that we find it difficult to feel God’s presence in the ordinary events.
PRAY: We pray that we may truly feel God’s presence even in the ordinary events of our daily life.
ACT: Let us give our best to whatever we do today while finding God amidst the ordinary.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024
