Matthew 13:54-58 NRSVue
54He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own hometown and in their own house.” 58And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.
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Reflection on Matthew 13:54-58
Inspiration from 2025-08-01 Daily Prayer
Jesus lived a fully human life, and he was not spared the trials, disappointments and failures to which we are all subject. This would be his last time visiting his home village, and it would be their loss. How well do I accept disappointments and my own failures?
How well do I use the opportunities that are given to me to grow in trust and love?
Further reflection
From the beginning of his public life, those who did not believe in Jesus' preaching or his miracles discerned nothing of the divine in his features. Undoubtedly he was like many people whose beauty, at once very secret and very striking, dazzles some and escapes others. Like all creatures, Christ is transformed by the person who is attracted to him. It is baffling to record that, for a period of thirty years, the Son of Man did not appear to be anything other than a man.
Lord, open my eyes to see your true face.
The people who listened to Jesus thought that they knew him. Did they not know more about him than anyone else? Yet they made the mistake of thinking that they knew everything there was worth knowing about him, they had him summed up and had come to their conclusions. In bringing our lives before God, we ask God to enlighten us, to help us can look at our situations afresh. We even try to imagine God's view of those we live with, of our situations, of ourselves. When we come to conclusions, it may be difficult to go forward.
People often say they are offended by someone. This generally means the person has said something that goes against them, their strong beliefs or something they hold dear. People took offence at Jesus – because he spoke what they knew was true with the wisdom of God, yet they didn’t want to hear it. No matter what he would say or do now, people would put him down, take offence and eventually pursue and kill him. Jesus spoke and acted with the power of God.
Behind the ordinariness of Jesus was the life of the Trinity, and the mission of his Father. His ordinariness confused people and they could not believe in him. To find God in all things is a great grace given to Saint Ignatius, the saint of today. Maybe we could ask for that in prayer, and open our eyes to the light of God in so many ordinary ways - in all we meet, and most of all, in ourselves.