At this point in the story, Jesus had just finished speaking to large crowds who came out of nowhere to follow him. He healed all who were ill, and He warned them not to tell others about him. All the people were astonished, and wondered if he could be the Son of David. But the Pharisees said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” The crowds were so large, that Jesus got into a boat, while all the people stood on the shore, and from there he told them many things about the Kingdom of Heaven in parables. After Jesus had finished talking to the people, he went to his hometown of Nazareth to serve as a hometown prophet. He continued his ministry of teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. But then, the Nazarenes wondered, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” Instead of believing that Jesus could be the Son of David, like the others did, the Nazarenes became offended by him. The scripture says, Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Matthew 13:53-58 Isn’t it amazing how people can attach so many preconceived notions on their fellow man based on who they think they should be. The people judged who Jesus was based on the family he came from and his likeness to them. Since he was ordinary, just like them, and did not possess any heavenly characteristics, they became indignant that he was teaching them. They minimized his value and disqualified his acts - all because they dismissed who he was. You see, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” This tells me that the Word of God that comes out of the mouth of a person is more likely to be received and believed by those who do not know them. “And Jesus did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” This passage is a great indicator that it’s not the giver that determines whether a miracle takes place, but rather the heart of the person of the one who is receiving it.
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