Why were the people of Nazareth “…filled with fury…” toward Jesus, who had grown up in their midst? Moments before they all “…spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” But when they remembered that He was the Son of Joseph, the idea that He could possibly be the one to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah was immediately dismissed. They had heard of His miracles in Capernaum, yet they saw no miracles: they saw only a man who spoke with eloquence but seemed no more or less than any other Nazorean.
How dare He get their expectations up! Yet Jesus saw their desire for a sign that He was who He claimed to be, and so He reminds them that the great prophets Elijah and Elisha were sent away from their native place to do the works of God for others, even for Gentiles. No one was furious with them for it; they were only doing God’s will, and Jesus is doing the same. Yet they are still furious: they want miracles. They want fame for their town. They want the privilege of having their own prophet.
Who among us would not love the opportunity to hear Jesus preach, as the people of Nazareth did! Their pride, their desire to see something amazing made it impossible to hear something amazing: that prophecy was being fulfilled, and they, among all in Israel, had lived to see that fulfillment. Is that not equal to, or even greater than, any miracle? Let us never let our pride and our attachment to expectations blind us to the miracles of God in our own lives!