“And they took offense at him.”

Matthew 13:52

. . . coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished. . . . And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone (Vol. 1)

Matthew places this incident right after the long series of Jesus’ parables of the kingdom, and it’s a stark warning to anyone who might suppose that Jesus’ teaching was meant to be a matter of simple and straightforward lessons about life, morality, spirituality, or whatever, that anyone with half a bring would pick up easily. Far from it. This “teaching,” if we want to call it that, is shocking, explosive and dangerous (179).

In fact, rejection can sometimes be a strange encouragement. Provided we understand such a moment with humility, it can become a further indication, albeit a dark and negative one, that God is truly at work. If new creation and new life are going forward, those who have invested heavily in the old creation, the old ways of life, are bound to be offended (180-1).

A. Orendorff

How should we respond to opposition? Without a doubt, Scripture has a great deal more to say on this topic than the brief passage here before us. Nonetheless, Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth—“his hometown,” as Matthew calls it—can teach us at least two important truths on the subject. First, as Wright points out, the gospel is anything but safe. It is “shocking, explosive and dangerous.” This means that when the gospel is proclaimed—that is, “taught”—and embodied—implied here by Matthew’s reference to Jesus’ “might works”—trouble can't be far behind. In fact, we ought to expect trouble; we ought to expect to offend other people and even to be rejected.

Second, when offense occurs—that is, when we are rejected for the sake of the gospel—we are sharing, as Paul says, in the “sufferings” of Christ, we are “becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:10). Here is our comfort. Here is our stability. Here is our humility. Here is our strength. To be rejected is not only to be like Christ; it is to know Christ, to be drawn near to him in intimate and life giving fellowship.