“There is a prophet in his own country” - this saying is quite common. But not everyone knows that she, like many others used to this day, has become so famous thanks to her presence in the New Testament. About what it means "There is no prophet in his own country," and we will tell in the article.
Gospel of Mark
To understand the meaning of phraseology “There is no prophet in his own country,” let us turn to the Gospel of Mark, which describes the next episode.
Jesus arrived in his fatherland with his disciples. With the onset of the Sabbath, he began teaching in the synagogue. At the same time, people who listened to Him uttered with amazement the following words: “How does He know all this? What wisdom does it have, who is it given to? How does He do miracles with his own hands? ” Some recognized Him and asked: “Is He not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of Jacob, Judah, Simon, and Josiah? Are not his sisters here with us? ” And people were offended by Him.
Jesus said in response: "There is no prophet without honor, except in his own country, in his house and among relatives." He could not perform a miracle there, he only healed some of the sick, laying his hands on them. And marveled at the unbelief of others. After that, He went to the neighboring villages to teach. And calling the twelve apostles, he began to send them two by two, giving them power over unclean spirits.
Exactly what happened to Jesus Christ in Nazareth subsequently became a proverb: "There is no prophet in his own country." The meaning of this expression will be considered further.
The sad example of Jeremiah
It is possible that such a proverb already existed in those days. Indeed, before Jesus was a sad example of Jeremiah and other prophets of the Old Testament.
Thus, the prophet Jeremiah predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, to which the wrong policy of Judea was to lead. At the same time, turning to God Yahweh, he said that every day he was laughed at, and everyone mocked him. For his predictions, Jeremiah was accused of apostasy and betrayal, because the Almighty promised that he would protect both the people and the temple. Why does Jeremiah preach the end of the city, thereby questioning God's words? The prophet was shackled and put in prison.
The Son of God also experienced the same distrust of his words and deeds from the very beginning of his preaching work, including from close people. Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth after he had long since left, beginning his ministry and receiving the baptism from John the Baptist. His close friends and relatives live here, but he arrived not only to visit them.
“There is no prophet in his own country”: meaning
He came as a Teacher, followed by disciples. The very next Saturday, Jesus went to the synagogue to teach. But his teaching was adopted very cautiously. The people of Nazareth could not believe that a person with a carpenter’s past could make such speeches and perform such unusual things. They regarded Christ with contempt, since he was a simple craftsman, a man of the people, and therefore was rejected.
The bitterness of the expression used by the Lord - “There is no prophet in his own country,” the significance of which we are considering, is that he came down to earth to give salvation to all who live on it, without exception. He accepted the life of ordinary people with all its daily labors. After all, neither origin, nor wealth, nor position in society are synonymous with human dignity. We must always remember the existence of such a temptation - to evaluate people, taking into account only the external side of their lives, and not what they really are.
The need for trust in God
The inhabitants of Nazareth believe that they already know everything about Jesus in advance, and they do not expect anything new from him. They do not show a predisposition to faith. The meaning of the expression “There is no prophet in his own country”, the meaning of which we are studying, also consists in this. The Gospel clearly speaks of the mistrust of compatriots in Jesus, and as a result of this, a complete lack of faith.
Faith in God implies not only recognition of the fact of its existence, but also trust in it, including in the case when faith has not yet been strengthened. The lack of trust among the inhabitants of the city of Nazareth is an insurmountable barrier for the Lord, which causes him surprise.
Misery distrust
Great is the suffering of Christ from the realization of powerlessness before the refusal of compatriots from faith. The miracles that Jesus could perform were rejected in advance by them. This suffering of the Son of God, experiencing an all-embracing love for people, will be the hardest test on his entire journey. It will accompany him to the Garden of Gethsemane, and then to Golgotha itself, on which he was crucified on the cross.
However, it cannot in any way stop Jesus Christ. Therefore, being rejected in Nazareth, he continues his journey through the surrounding villages. Distrust of fellow countrymen extends to the surrounding areas, and the Lord leaves. Then he begins his work again. Later, he advises his students to do the same. He tells them: “If someone does not accept you and does not listen, leaving, throw off the dust from your feet and move on.”