March 6, 2023
Something Common, Something Special
“After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So, when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.” John 4:43-45 (NASB)
A few years ago, my wife and I took a trip to a tiny town called Laurel Mississippi. We fell in love with the television series on HGTV named “Hometown.” We binge watched it during the COVID-19 epidemic lockdown. It features a husband and wife who rebuild and repurpose materials from old houses built during the early 1900’s. We decided on our 38th anniversary to go to Laurel. We wanted to see homes they rebuilt and even visit the Scotsman’ store where the co-host, Ben worked in his woodshop. We finally went inside the store. As we were leaving, we tried to see if Ben’s work truck was there. It was normally in the back of the store if he was there. We caught a glimpse of Ben and his brother loading material in the shop. Later that day we met Pearl, the owner of Pearl’s Restaurant on the street. She too had been on an episode of the show. Ben and his wife, Erin remodeled her new home. It was so cool meeting the people we saw on television. They were celebrities, but I liked that they were regular people.
After His warm welcome by the Samaritans, Jesus began His northern journey into Galilee. When He arrived, it would appear He would be warmly received, but history thus far had not proved itself. His ministry to the Samaritans had been far more successful than with His own people. His people required signs and miracles to believe. The Samaritans didn’t need these. They were honored to hear the words of Jesus, and He honored them by staying two additional days. But Jesus saw the potential problem ahead, “For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.” Calvin says, “It is certain that prophets are usually more admired elsewhere than in their own country. Sometimes, too, it may happen, and in reality, does happen, that a prophet is not less honored by his countrymen than by strangers; but the proverb states what is common and ordinary, that prophets receive honor more readily in any other place than among their own countrymen.”[1] If you think about this, it’s true…
We tend to connect with certain people in our culture today. Ours were Ben and Erin. Maybe your person is a movie star, athlete, or someone else important. When you see them at first, you can’t wait to get a photo of them. Then the more you see them, the more common they become. If your friend saw them, they might say, “Hey look it’s ____.” Your reply after seeing might be “Yeah I know,” and then going back to what you were doing. This might sound cruel, but it’s the way we process life. What is new and fancy draws us, but not for long. We need something new and flashier. It becomes the “same old, same old,” and we tend to treat it as common. This is kind of like Ben and Erin were to the average people who lived in Laurel, Mississippi. They saw them as townsfolk. Jesus is way more important than our favorite personality. He is the life-giver. He is the One who died for me. He is the One who secured my eternity. He is the One who lives inside me. We can’t treat Him as common. We must honor Him as the One True God. Everyone else doesn’t come close.
[1] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 178.