And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” Matthew 13:57
This statement has been rolling around in my mind lately. I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit … why? So I looked up a few Biblical commentaries on the subject. Here are a few that dared to conjecture on the subject.
Barnes’ notes on the Bible:
“A prophet is not without honor … – This seems to be a proverbial expression. Jesus advances it as a general truth. There might be some exceptions to it, but He was not an exception. Everywhere else he had been more honored than at home. There they knew his family. They had seen his humble life. They had been his companions. They were envious of his wisdom, and were too proud to be taught by him.”
Bengel’s Gnomen:
“In a prophet there are two parts: the one which he possesses in common with others, ordinary, natural, domestic; the other, which is peculiar to his calling, heavenly, spiritual, public. Those who know the former do not observe the latter. Familiarity breeds contempt. Such is the case in our own country, much more so in our home.—ἄτιμος, contemned) The contempt which a prophet meets with elsewhere, is not contempt if it be compared with that which he meets with in his own country; elsewhere he certainly receives some honor.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible:
“A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house; which seems to be a proverbial speech in common use, though I have not met with it in Jewish writings; showing, that a prophet, or any teacher, or preacher, generally speaking, is more esteemed among strangers, who have no personal pique, nor prejudices against him, and who judge of him, not by what he has been, but by his present abilities, doctrine, and conduct, than among his countrymen; who are apt to think meanly of him, because familiarly acquainted with him, and knew, if not his vices, yet his infirmities, and envy him any superior degree of honor to them, he has attained unto. I say, generally speaking, for this is not always the case on either side; sometimes a prophet is affronted and abused in strange places, as Christ himself was: and sometimes is received with esteem and applause among his countrymen, relations, and acquaintance; but this is rare and uncommon; the proverb respects what is usually and ordinarily done, and the truth of it is easy to be observed.”
Familiarity. Contempt. Pride. Envy. All of these ‘natural’ roots of the ‘old nature’ play into this issue of not recognizing the ‘gift’ and or calling given to an individual by those who grew up with them. And we often dismiss the Voice of the Holy Spirit concerning our family members – especially if it is about God honoring them or gifting them. Why? We should rejoice and be glad for God’s gift in them, but that is rarely the case. What is it within us that can’t yield to the Holy Spirit when it comes to our own family? Maybe it’s because our issues with our family are so deep within our very core of our soul. Hurts, jealousies, envy, perceived parental unfair favoritism at a very young age can shape us into adults with deep seated issues that hinder our spiritual maturity. Jesus didn’t do many miracles in His home town because of a lack of faith with them. What does our lack of faith and ability to see God’s gift or calling in our family members do to us? Do we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us about our deepest hurts and issues in our souls? Or are we too ashamed or fearful to go there or ask Him about it? All of us seem to have ‘lines in the sand’ of which we won’t cross in allowing God to deal with us. It seems it is a rarity for an individual to be TOTALLY open to ANYTHING the Holy Spirit wants to deal with within them. Can we truly love our family even with all of their ‘issues’ we perceive that are in them? Can we allow the Holy Spirit to show us our family in the way He perceives them?
How open are you in allowing the Holy Spirit to heal those deep seated hurts and issues from your very early childhood? Especially the hurts concerning your own family? I’m no exception – and am going before Him about these issues within my soul.
Are you willing to lay it all before Him.. even all the very deep ugly stuff?