anger over what he says (v. 28). In a sense this episode marks the fulfilment of Simeon’s prophecy in the temple (2:34): Jesus is a cause of sorrow and joy. The unbelief of Jesus’ fellow-townsmen made them want to challenge him to perform a miracle to back up his teaching. When Jesus did not oblige them, they may have decided that he was a false prophet, which would explain why they sought to be rid of him (v. 29; see Deut 13:1–5). The incident shows the narrow-mindedness that led them to fail to