Jesus Visits Nazareth and Is Rejected.

  57 And they were offended in him.

  ^c 23 And he said unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country. [Jesus quoted a familiar proverb, the meaning of which is this: he was part of Nazareth, and hence the claims of Nazareth upon him were superior to those of Capernaum, and therefore Nazareth should have been blessed by his healing. But the expression was evidently used contemptuously, as if they said, "You can do big things at Capernaum, but you can not do them here. You can not deceive us; we know you."]

^a But {^b And} Jesus said unto them, ^c Verily I say unto you, ^b a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. ^c No prophet is acceptable in his own country. [Jealousy forbids the countrymen of a prophet to honor him. Base as this passion is, it is a very common one, and is not easily subdued, even by the best of men. In Nazareth Jesus was no more than the son of a carpenter, and the brother of a certain very common young men and girls, while abroad he was hailed as the prophet of Galilee, mighty in word and deed.]

  25 But of a truth I say unto you [Jesus now proceeds to make two close applications of the proverb], There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;

  26 and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman [a Gentile] that was a widow

  27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet: and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

[Naaman also was a Gentile. The first instance cited by Jesus will be found at 1 Kings 17:8-16 , and the second at 2 Kings 5:1-14 . Palestine was filled with poor people even in times of plenty, so there must have been large numbers of hungry people during the long-continued period of famine. There has always been a large number of lepers in the land, and surely if any disease ought to prompt a man to lay aside his prejudices that he might obtain healing it was leprosy; but as Nazareth was now rejecting Jesus, so their ancestors had despised the two mighty prophets. Not one of all the hungry would have received bread from Elijah by an act of faith, nor did one of all the lepers ask healing from Elisha.]

  27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet: and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

  28 And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things [The Nazarenes were jealous enough of the claims of Jesus when put in their most modest dress; but when Jesus placed himself alongside Elijah and Elisha, and likened his hearers to widows for want, and lepers for uncleanness, they were ready to dash him to pieces];

  29 and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him [they evidently had hold of him] unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. [Near the eastern end of Nazareth there is a cavern in the rock which forms a precipice down which, if a man were hurled, he would be killed. At the western end there is a perpendicular cliff about forty feet high, with a naked floor of rock at the bottom. To which place they led Jesus we can not decide.]

went his way. [A simple statement of a marvelous fact. Miracles are not explained in the Bible.]

  ^b 5 And he could there do no mighty work,

  ^a 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. ^b save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

  6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

[As to this statement that Jesus felt surprised, see Section 43. "It should also be borne in mind," says Canon Cook, "that surprise at the obtuseness and unreasonableness of sin is constantly attributed to God by the prophets." The statement, therefore, is perfectly consonant with the divinity of Jesus.]

  ^a 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. ^b save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

  6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

  ^c 31 And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [We have followed the chronology of Mark, according to which Jesus had already been living in Capernaum for some time. Luke tells of the rejection early in his narrative, and adds this line to show that from the earlier days of his ministry Jesus made Capernaum his headquarters.]