And he said, verily I say unto you Another proverb in use among them, the meaning of which was well known to them, and was very appropriate to the present case:
no prophet is accepted in his own country; (See Gill on Matthew 13:57)
22
All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, "Isn't this Joseph's son, the one we've known since he was a youngster?"
23
He answered, "I suppose you're going to quote the proverb, 'Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.'
24
Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown.
25
Isn't it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during that three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land,
26
but the only widow to whom Elijah was sent was in Sarepta in Sidon?
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.