Luke 4:22
And all spoke well of Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
Monsters of pride, such as Hitler, can gain a following if they tell their egotistical audience “We share a common destiny of Greatness!” But if we perceive there’s no Pride-building project going on, we will often repudiate even the humble. Thus, when Jesus humbly and truly announces that He is the fulfillment of Scripture, people initially speak well of Him: after all, He might be an up-and-comer in the Pride Game to whom we can hitch our wagon! But then He shoots this prideful hope down and starts to praise foreigners and not us! The room temperature drops considerably at that. It dropped for the Apostles too, when they followed in Jesus’ footsteps and emptied themselves of all that they had to become rich toward God. People thought they were throwing their lives away. God thought they were delightfully humble and made them the foundation of the Church and judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.
