March 21

The Return to Nazareth

When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. — John 4:47 BSB

Visiting and preaching in His hometown was difficult for Jesus. He had lived there since He was a child. The young people knew Him as a schoolmate, a playmate, and as the village carpenter. One day, He left, and soon people began to hear strange reports about Him. Up in Jerusalem and in other places, it was said that He was performing miracles and preaching with great power. Crowds were following Him, and people were bringing their sick to Him to be healed.

It’s easy to imagine how His neighbors would have reacted. Out of envy, they would have scoffed at the news, dismissing it with a sneer. After all, He was only a carpenter! Then one day, He returned to His hometown and preached in the synagogue. But they couldn’t handle what He had to say. They were filled with anger, drove Him out of the town, and tried to throw Him off a cliff.

There are a few lessons we can take from Jesus’ visit to His hometown. One is that we should seek the salvation of our neighbors and friends, even if we’ve achieved success or recognition elsewhere. We shouldn’t turn our backs on those we grew up with. Another lesson is that as young people, we should live in such a way that when we’re older, we can stand among those who have known us all our lives and testify to Christ. Some preachers today would have little influence in their hometowns because of how they lived in their youth. But Jesus’ life had been pure and blameless, so He had no reason to be ashamed when He preached to His old neighbors. Every young person should strive to live in such a way that they will never be embarrassed by anything they did in their past.