Charles Michael Smith - "The Homecoming" (July 7, 1985)

Sermon start time: (Part 1): 42:25. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 20:09.

The story of Jesus' rejection in his hometown of Nazareth, told in all four Gospels, is there to remind us that we often have trouble hearing the word of God when it comes from a source close to us, and to encourage the disciples of Jesus to keep on preaching, even when they meet rejection, opposition, or even suffering. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Key quotation: "For the infant church that Mark was addressing, it was a reminder that Jesus was rejected by those who knew him best, just as those early missionaries were so often rejected by their family and their friends…Most likely, the story has been kept and told often because it is intended to strengthen all those who follow Jesus and who, like him, inevitably encounter rejection even by those close to them.”