Finishing the parables, Jesus visits His hometown. Attention shifts from the secrets of the kingdom to the scandal of the King. The parables are being played out—the secrets are unfolding on the narrative stage. The seed is largely not received but judgment is deferred. True majesty here suffers contemptibly small beginnings and the worth of the King is not felt. A crisis of identity is at the center. Jesus appears as a king without a crown—the highest Monarch without honor. All the wrong questions are asked because unbelief blinds the mind, even from the undeniable. Glory goes unrecognized. The sacred is treated scandalous. These are but the early steps that lead to a crown of thorns.
