“And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.”
Jesus said to them, surely you will quote this proverb to me: physician, heal yourself! And you will tell me: do what we have heard that you did in Capernaum, do here in your hometown also — the physician proverb anticipates the hometown crowd's demand: if you are who you claim to be, demonstrate it here for us, as you did elsewhere. The demand for a hometown performance misunderstands the nature of the ministry — the miracles are responses to faith, not demonstrations on demand.
Church Fathers on Luke 4:23
When our Lord came to Nazareth, He refrains from miracles, lest He should provoke the people to greater malice. But He sets before them His teaching no less wonderful than His miracles. For there was a certain ineffable grace in our Savior’s words which softened the hearts of the hearers. Hence it is said, And they all bare him witness.
They bare Him witness that it was truly He, as He had said, of whom the prophet had spoken.
But what prevents Him from filling men with awe, though He were the Son as was supposed of Joseph? Do you not see the divine miracles, Satan already prostrate, men released from their sickness?
Read all 24 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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