When human beings gather together in large groups, a whole new kind of creature is born. It’s called a “crowd,” an entity with its own personality and its own spirit. Sometimes being part of a crowd is a joyous, uplifting experience — like when watching and willing the hometown team to win. Sometimes crowds take on a dark demeanor — enabling rioting, looting, beatings, even murder. The mood of any crowd-creature can turn from buoyant to beastly in moments. When personal reaction and responsibility is given over to the crowd-creature, almost anything can happen.

It is the most mercurial of crowd-creatures Jesus addresses in the Nazareth synagogue. The crowd-creature is known as a hometown crowd. When Jesus first declares that Isaiah’s prophetic message is “fulfilled,” and “today,” the crow…