A fight with Jesus

In this week's Gospel (Luke 4:21-30), Jesus gives us the answer: The people who know you best often argue with you the most! Here's what happened when Jesus went to Nazareth, the town He grew up in:

After Jesus spoke in His hometown, the people there said, "Isn't He Joseph's son?" Jesus said, "You're going to say, `Do miracles like we heard you did in Capernaum.' But a prophet is never accepted in His own hometown." The people got angry and tried to throw Him off a mountain, but Jesus escaped.

That was a problem for Jesus, too. The people in Nazareth remembered when Jesus was a kid, so it was hard for them to believe He was God. They argued with Him about it even more than people from other towns!

One reason you argue with your family more than anyone else is probably that you feel safe with them. You know no matter how much you fight, you'll still be family, so they'll probably forgive you!

That didn't happen for Jesus. He reminded the people in His hometown that He couldn't do miracles if they didn't believe in Him, and that a lot of prophets had trouble getting their friends and family to believe in them. But the people got so mad at Jesus for scolding them, they tried to hurt Him!

Luckily, your fights with your family probably don't go that far! But whatever you're fighting over, Jesus had the right idea: When people get angry, walk away. Even Jesus needed time-outs from the people He loved!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me argue the least with the people I love most! Amen.