Matthew 13:53 – When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country. 54 He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” 55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” 57 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.” 58 And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. (NLT)

For those who have lived most or all of their lives as part of the Church, this is a familiar story.  Likewise, for those who have lived most or all of their lives as part of the Church, there is a great lesson to be learned from this passage.

First let us consider a historical lesson.  It would appear that Jesus must have grown up in a very normal way, unlike some of the stories that we have in apocryphal books that describe him performing miracles at a young age.  The people of Nazareth knew Jesus, and knew his family.  Because they had not witnessed anything amazing in the past, they were unwilling to see or hear anything credible in Jesus’ ministry. 

Second, let us consider a spiritual lesson. The people of Nazareth had grown so accustomed to Jesus that they were unwilling to see Jesus for who he truly was.  Sometimes we in the church are the same way.  We sing to Jesus, we even pray to Jesus, but are we truly expecting anything from Jesus right here and now?  Do we truly marvel and learn from Jesus’ teaching, or do we simply gloss over the Gospels as if they were some ancient stories that don’t really apply to our lives in our modern world? 

Perhaps, a second spiritual application can be found from what the people said in verses 55-56: “Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All his sisters live right here among us.” Could it be that unbelievers look at Christians and say to themselves: “Can Jesus really be anything of value?”

Let us learn from this passage that we do have the very Word of God.  If we live by it, not only will our lives be noticeably different, people will notice something of Jesus.  Today, let us live as if Jesus really does matter.  Let us live in a way that allows others see a difference in us. 

Posted by Ramón Torres