Is Jesus grumpy? Luke tells us that everyone is speaking well of Jesus and amazed at what he has to say. But then they ask, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” If Jesus is angry, is this the statement that sets him off? It’s odd that they refer to Joseph instead of Mary. We seldom hear about Joseph, Mary pops up from time to time throughout the gospel stories, but never Joseph. So why is this how they phrase the question and why might it anger Jesus?

Then it seems like Jesus goes on a rant. Jesus is Nazareth but the home base of his ministry is Capernaum. Is there a rivalry between these towns? Is Nazareth jealous that Jesus isn’t housing his ministry in their town? Jesus states that a prophet isn’t accepted in their hometown but for the most part, prophets are routinely rejected when their message is one that calls out the people. Jesus then quotes some well known stories from their scriptures which causes such anger among those in the synagogue that they attempt to kill Jesus! Why all this anger? Then in a final display of power, Jesus walks right through the very crowd that wants to end his life. 

Should our faith anger us at times? Do we need Jesus to make us uncomfortable so that we live out our faith the way we know we’re supposed to live out our faith? I’ve said before that if our faith doesn’t make us uncomfortable at times, we aren’t paying enough attention. To be uncomfortable can be a good thing. When we work with a physical therapist following an injury, we may experience discomfort, but we know we’re getting better. When a trusted friend holds us accountable, that can be an uncomfortable moment but it helps us stay where we need to be. Our faith will comfort us when we are challenged and challenge us when we are comfortable. We need our faith to do both.