Without Honor

As a true prophet, Jesus was rejected in His hometown and in His household among His relatives. In their natural understanding, the Nazarenes could only comprehend His humanity and missed His divinity even in light of His great wisdom and miracles. His townspeople thought Him ordinary, His family thought Him out of His mind, and His countryman thought Him a blasphemer. A true prophet!

And more than a prophet, a gracious savior who could have proved Himself in their midst or executed judgment upon the small town, but He did something far more merciful than any of them deserved: nothing. Jesus did not do many miracles there and graciously spared them increased condemnation in their unbelief. Instead, He gave them decades to repent. Thankfully, He didn't come merely to be honored as a prophet, but to save.