When Jesus came to His hometown, He took the initiative to be one with His people. He went to teach in their synagogue. The clarity with which He taught and explained the Scriptures, His deep conviction of the things of the Father, His penetrating insights regarding goodness and evil in humankind were too much for the people to handle and accept. They were 'astonished' and overwhelmed. These teachers of the Law thought they knew who Jesus was, 'the carpenter's son. Is not His mother the woman called Mary? ... are they not with us?'

Superficial knowledge of Jesus served only to blind their eyes and close their hearts from genuinely knowing Jesus. Basing their logic only on the visible, and concerned only with status, they rejected Jesus.

Jesus can only be known and accepted when we put aside our preconceived ideas of who He is. In a relationship of love, openness and trust, Jesus reveals Himself to us, and at the same time reveals who we are to ourselves.