The unenlightened minds of the Nazarene could not realize Christ’s birth of the Holy Spirit. The men and boys in the synagogue were naturalist and not spiritual. They called Jesus the Son of Joseph and not the Son of God. They were blind without the Holy Spirit, corrupt, and arrogant in the quarrelsome spirit of their city.
The People of Nazareth suffered the condition of being held in contempt by other famous cities, as Capernaum and Jerusalem. They expected that Jesus should work miracles among them which might bring them fame and riches. They were also prepared to bear their native on their shoulders if he acceded to their proposal, improving their situations and causing their fame to rise.
Joseph, Jesus’ father by adoption had probably died at that time, and Mary moved with her family into a poor stage. The Nazarene said to Jesus, "Make well your situation first. Build a palace, cause your relatives to become well-known, provide your town with wide roads and water, raise our civil, not spiritual, state; and then we will make you the center of our civilization, the prince of your homeland, and confess that you are the true Christ. What do you have so that we may follow you?"
However, Jesus had no money, no properties, and no armies, except the Spirit, mercy, and light. He did not come with dominion, advanced civilization, or earthly honor, but presented to the world holiness, comfort, and renewal of hearts. Christ kept from the pride of riches and the fading away celebrity, and chose self-denial, humility, and meekness. The overwhelming majority of the people of the Old Testament were not prepared to walk in this way of the Holy Spirit. They refused Jesus for he did not enrich them, and they hated him for he called to repentance and heartbrokenness.
It has always been the same: When the people felt Christ’s kindness, tongue, and humility, they shouted in the beginning "Hosanna!" but when they got no money, political triumph, or bright honor, they shouted "Crucify! Crucify!" In the end, they chose Barabbas, the murderer and rebel, and rejected Jesus, the meek Lamb of God. Which one do you choose? Think attentively of the aims of your life, and decide your future.
The strange inversion from zeal to dislike was intentionally caused by Jesus himself, to disclose what was hidden in the hearts of the people. He said to the Nazarene, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me", which signifies that he was a true prophet who did not agree to the demands of his city. History has often proved that God’s help most easily reached the despised heathens that are not chosen, rather than the unrepentant pious of the Old Testament. Christ could not help and save if the hearts were not broken, and the souls were not fearful of the holiness of their Lord, knowing that they were not worthy of his mercy. Nevertheless, the Nazarene agitators sought victory not repentance, and hoped for pomp not confession. Therefore they angrily and furiously pushed Jesus, and brought him out of the synagogue to throw him down over the cliff so that he might be torn to pieces.
The people of Nazareth were known for robbery, highway robbery, and indifference, whether in spiritualities or in state affairs, in spite of their hypocritical professing and observances. When Christ made clear to them that the Spirit of God would not dwell in a city dressed in such a spirit of robbery, and called them to brokenness of their pride, the devil insinuated into their minds that they should kill the Savior of the world before he finished his redemption of the world on the cross.
Jesus went with them to the brow of the hill. And as he turned back and looked at them, his eyesight pierced their hearts. He condemned them with his sharp sight without saying a word. Their hearts became exposed, and their bodies motionless, as they realized that he was God. Christ, on his part, left his killers and relatives stilled in their passions, and arrested in their purposes, and passed silently through them. That was his wonderful miracle in Nazareth: that he revealed, by his spiritual majesty, their satanic impurity.
This occasion brought to light another miracle: that the Son of God was brought up as a child among demons, and remained in spite of that holy and sinless. God kept his Son until he completed his message on the cross. Dear brother, do you live in a town that is full of demons? Do not be afraid. Commit yourself to your Lord, and he will keep you, sanctify you, and complete your message to the end. Then nobody can have power over you.