Prophets in Our Own Land

Gospel Reflection - Monday, March 31st

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death.

Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.

While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe.

Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

— John 4:43-54

There’s a lot to unpack in today’s Gospel, but I want to focus on one of the very first things we’re told in this section of John’s Gospel: Jesus’s claim that a prophet has no honor in his native place.

I believe this is a significant claim, one worth considering carefully.

What does it even mean? Why would a prophet have no respect in his native place?

I was talking about this same issue with a friend some weeks ago. He was just starting to come to the faith and was finding it really hard to deal with the ironic comments and outright, open opposition from his family.

This is a story that repeats itself over and over again: someone decides to change his ways, embarks on a journey of change, and is met with pushback from those that used to know him.

The fact of the matter is that it’s never easy for those who knew you to accept your new identity. This is usually not out of malice, but simply because it can be shocking to see someone who you thought you knew become someone completely different. And even if that new someone is objectively better, those who still cling on to the version of a person they had in their heads won’t be able to accept his new identity easily.

It’s normal to face some pushback when trying to build a new identity, especially if that identity is rooted in faith in Christ. But don’t let that deviate you from the path of virtue, for following God will always require you to disappoint some people. Pray for them, and remember that their conflict with your new identity is not out of malice, but most likely out of ignorance, and fear: for a man who dares to aim for higher things will shine light on the inadequacies of others, by proving to them that it is possible to walk a better path, the path of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

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