SDB A biblical prophet is someone who has received a divine call to speak God’s word to his people, like Ezekiel. Even though the Word of God could be a hard word, it was a word of love because it meant that God had not abandoned his people. God’s spokesman had to be prepared for opposition and rejection. It was so for the Old Testament prophets, and for Jesus himself.

At the close of his Galilean ministry Jesus is rejected by the people of his hometown, who can’t bring themselves to believe in the greatness of someone who is one of themselves. Consequently, his power is ineffective there. Their rejection of his is an anticipation of his rejection by the Jewish nation as a whole. Christians today should not grow discouraged by lack of belief. Paul’s experience of weakness (‘a thorn in the flesh’) taught him humility and allowed him to experience God’s power in a way that might not otherwise have been possible. The words ‘My grace is sufficient for you’, are spoken to us too, and should be a great consolation to us in our struggles.