Pentecost 18 2024

When Jesus was rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, He uttered these words, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household” (Mk 6:4). Certainly, Jesus had in mind a prophet like Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s hometown was Anathoth. And in our Old Testament Reading we learn of God’s warning to Jeremiah that his hometown village was plotting to kill him. But for the warning, Jeremiah’s career might have been prematurely ended. And why was there such animosity against Jeremiah? They didn’t like the message, so they were endeavoring to shoot the messenger…