Page:Jesus of Nazareth the story of His life simply told (1917).djvu/174

 amiss that their village carpenter, who has been at their beck and call all His life, who has never studied, and understands nothing but His tools, should now be their teacher, and even make Himself out to be the Messiah.

"Is not this the son of Joseph?" they whisper to one another. "He has said nothing about the glorious Kingdom of the Messiah, nor of what He is going to do for us. And there have been no signs in Nazareth as in the places round about. Surely the place where He was brought up and His fellow-citizens should be more to Him than a young couple at Cana and a sick lad at Capharnaum?" Notice the Pharisees scowling their disapproval, the restlessness beginning to show itself all round. Hear the discontented words.

Now, have they any right to behave like this? Is it reverent so to treat One whose words and works show plainly that He comes from God, if indeed He is not Himself God? "No man can do these signs unless God be with Him," said Nicodemus. So should these Nazarenes be saying.

Look at our Blessed Lord, calm amid the growing excitement. He hears the whispering, He sees into every heart. Now He is speaking:

"Doubtless you will say to Me: Physician, heal Thyself, as great things as we have heard done in Capharnaum, do also here in Thy own country. But I say to you no prophet is accepted in his own country. There were many widows and lepers in Israel in the days of Elias and Eliseus, yet not to them but to Naaman the Syrian and to a widow of Sarepta were the Prophets sent."

This is too much. What! does He mean to say that strangers and Gentiles are to be preferred to them, the children of Abraham! In a frenzy of rage they rush