Homilies on the Gospel of John

“For Jesus Himself testified that a Prophet has no honor in his own country.”

Wherefore is this added? Because He departed not unto Capernaum, but into Galilee, and thence to Cana. For that you may not enquire why He tarried not with His own people, but tarried with the Samaritans, the Evangelist puts the cause, saying that they gave no heed unto Him; on this account He went not there, that their condemnation might not be the greater. For I suppose that in this place He speaks of Capernaum as “His country.” Now, to show that there He received no honor, hear Him say, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell.” He calls it “His own country,” because there He set forth the Word of the Dispensation, and more especially dwelt upon it. “What then,” says some one, “do we not see many admired among their kindred?” In the first place such judgments must not be formed from rare instances; and again, if some have been honored in their own, they would have been much more honored in a strange country, for familiarity is wont to make men easily despised.