Jesus said, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” How was that true during Jesus’ ministry on earth and how might that be true today?
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daisymarygoldr on June 25, 2012 at 12:13 am
There is no place on earth so blessed as Nazareth was. For thirty years the Son of God resided here and called it home. Unfortunately the people of that place did not recognize Him. When Jesus came home and taught in their synagogue, they were no doubt astonished at His wisdom and power. Their astonishment though, was not because they were impressed with their local lad; rather it was rooted in mockery. It bothered them that a common carpenter has become so smart.
Obviously, they didn’t think Jesus had it in Him to preach the way He did—with insight and authority. Basically they were saying, “Who do you think you are, elevating yourself to a superior position? You are not someone special but just like all of us. Don’t preach; do something worthwhile. Stop showing off your scriptural knowledge and perform the healing works you did in Capernaum.” The hometown folks simply would not believe Christ was someone more than merely one of them.
The problem was that people could not see past the familiar feel. Blinded by envy, they were not able to perceive the truth—that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. They did not believe in His deity but expected Him to do miracles. And so, instead of honoring their hometown hero, they were deeply offended by His claims to be God. As a result Jesus could not do the mighty works that He wanted to do for His own people. The Lord honors those who honor Him. He left the place and never returned to Nazareth again.
Today, it is no different as Jesus Christ is often without honor among His own in the church. Christ promised to make His home in every person who loves and obeys Him (John 14:23). What a blessed privilege! It is therefore important to examine and see if we truly have reverence for our Lord and Savior or consider Him a next-door neighbor or a familiar friend (Psalm 41:9 NKJV; John 14:18). Especially those of us who have been Christians for a long time have become so used to knowing Jesus that we no longer believe in Him to work in our midst.
Deep down in our hearts some even wonder whether Jesus is truly God. We want the miracles that God has done in the lives of others. Desperately we pray for mighty works of souls saved, lives changed, diseases healed, marriages restored, and problems resolved—but it is not happening. Unbelief prevents the power of God’s Spirit from doing mighty works in our lives. It forces God’s presence to depart from us.
Let us then be careful not to stifle the Holy Spirit and treat prophecies with contempt in the church (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20). God is greatly grieved when His very own question or doubt His divine authority. Complacency to take God for granted is dangerous and results in apathy and apostasy: “they received not the love of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). It is my heart’s prayer that Jesus Christ will always receive from us all the honor, love and respect that are due Him.