February 4, 2013
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 13:53-58
OBSERVATIONS
Jesus discovers that even His own friends, the people He grew up with, can’t handle His message. They just can’t accept that someone from their ordinary town, from a very ordinary family, could be God’s Messiah.
Their attitude toward Jesus made out difficult for Him to perform miracles among them. It’s not that they came forward to be healed, but He couldn’t heal them because their faith wasn’t strong enough; it’s that they didn’t come forward. They didn’t believe He could do it, so they didn’t come to experience it.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
Is it possible to become so familiar with Jesus that He ceases to amaze us? I can say that having heard Jesus stories all my life – in a sense Jesus had been party of my community from birth – I do not appreciate them, or Him, as He deserves.
Relayed to this is the question of whether I am open to seeing God do amazing things in and through my life. It’s not that I am trying, and God can’t do amazing things in or through me because my faith is weak, it’s that I am not trying. God could and would do amazing things in and through me… if I was willing, if I stepped forward.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I admit my weakness and my lack of appreciation for You. Thank You for reminding me that You are able to do immeasurably more than all I might ask or imagine… if only I would ask or imagine.
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
When Jesus came home, he wandered off to church (synagogue) and was found saying some amazing things. He did not go to church to listen to others preach a sermon. He was right in there, expressing his views and wowing those who were there. Yet not everyone was impressed. Some of those he grew up with figured that he was a little too big for his britches. There were people who took offense to the wisdom and ministry of Jesus. I suppose that some of this may have been jealousy. It is like the kid who leaves the small town in which they grew up, and becomes a great success. Others will look up to the successful child, but at home, they remember the kid who grew up with them, and cannot imagine the current changed person.
And as Jesus was a changed person as an adult in ministry, so we are changed by Jesus and enter into his ministry. We are invited to join him, to enter his kingdom living. And yes, we may not always have 100% approval ratings, but then again, we may not have 100% approval rating without Jesus either. Many of us care too much about what others think anyway.
The other thing I notice in these verses, is that Jesus did what he could in the circumstances. It was observed by the writer that Jesus has some opposition while at home, but he still healed a few people, and taught them in the synagogue. He continued with his ministry, even when things were tough. So when things are going great in our lives, we need to be thankful, and go about doing the work of our personal ministry. When things are not going so well, we also need to go and remain faithful to the work of blessing others where we can. This is what Jesus did, and this is what we should do.
I pray that through good times, and tough times, that I may be able to know that Jesus is the Way, and that I may remain focused on his kingdom work.
Observations:
The homecoming really wasn’t. The people should have rejoiced and be glad that one of their own was gifted to proclaim the good news and have such great power. They rejected him, did not believe, did not receive Him as one of their own- good and honest and true and faithful and trustworthy and skillful and – for that is what carpenters were.
Application:
The main ingredient is the message. Don’t kill the messenger, which we still do today. The messenger gets in the way of our hearing and listening and doing. We still reject God’s messengers today of the Good News. Open my ears Lord that may ears are unstopped so that I hear You speaking loud and clear.
Prayer:
Increase my faith Lord that I may see You more clearly.
The ‘Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, 6 Lame men and women will leap like deer, the voiceless break into song.’