“He’s nothing special, I grew up with him”

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

And he went about among the villages teaching.”

It’s been said that familiarity breeds contempt. And it’s for this reason that often the hardest people to reach for the gospel are the ones that we’re closest to. Of course, in our case, it’s usually because we give our friends and family plenty of reason to discount our message. They know where all the bodies are buried. 

But with Jesus it was different. He had given no cause for people to discount or doubt him other than the fact that they knew his family and where he came from. How sad it is to think of what these people missed out on. They had the singular privilege of watching the promised Messiah grow up among them. Their unwillingness to consider such a possibility even limited what Jesus could do in their town! 

Think of that! Our unwillingness to see God working outside of our expectations limits the most powerful being in the universe. God will not force Himself on those who are willfully blind to Him. Jesus marveled at their unbelief… and moved on. 

Use the HEAR method as you spend time on today’s passage