Offended 5

August 20-22 2013 - Manna by Dorothy Callies

Matthew 13:57-58 NLT
 "And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. Then Jesus told them, ‘A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.’ And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief."

In the beginning of Matthew 13, Jesus went out of the house and sat by his favorite sea side. And great many people came to hear Him, but it was so crowded and He had to go into a ship, and sat there. So Jesus spoke several parables to them.

When He had finished these parables, He left and went into Nazareth, His own country, His hometown, to preach at their synagogue. They had heard his preaching and they were so surprised that Jesus had so much wisdom and He had healed people. So they began to question about where He gets so much wisdom in his preaching. Jesus’ education was in the home and the local synagogue (all Jewish boys were trained in the local synagogue) (Matt.13:54-56).

Jesus was a child when they moved to Nazareth from Egypt and He grew up with his four brothers and a few sisters. They were all brought up in the same house with Jesus being the oldest. He would have played with them as any normal child would. He helped His father, learning and working as a carpenter beside his father’s side. He knew what it’s like to build a house, a tower, a barn, an oxen yoke, beams and strong foundations.

Jesus knew His neighbors well and His neighbors knew Him and His family well. They were close, shared together—shared their homes with joys and grieves that comes with families and friendship. They could not imagine that someone from their own home—someone whom they had known from a child—could be the Messiah, the Son of God. Why? It was because Jesus was from humble beginnings. His family was humble and ordinary—just an average family and nothing more.

His father, Joseph, was a carpenter; His mother, Mary, was a housewife and mother. The parent wasn’t famous or has done anything special for Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah, God’s very own Son (Lk.4:16-21). This was the beginning of their rejection because the people did not understand where He got His wisdom and power. They were offended and they refused to believe who He really was.

Jesus wanted His hometown to have the privilege of being aware of whom He was. He loved His families, His friends, and His country. He wanted to show His love and power to them. His work of miracles was limited because they did not believe Him. They refused to let God’s love and the power to work in their lives. How did Jesus really felt? Unbelief hurts Christ. It cut His heart. He longs to give life and to help us along day by day.

So let us believe in Him and love Him with all our hearts.