Text: Matt. ch 13:53-58
At the end of ch. 13 of Matthew, Jesus comes to Nazareth, his home town. He had just finished teaching the people many parables, and now comes to his own region, and went into the synagogue to teach there. The response he got was ridicule, and rejection.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
Mat 13:53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
Mat 13:54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
Mat 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
Mat 13:56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
Mat 13:57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
Mat 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
They had watched Jesus as a child growing up with his other brother's and sisters listed in the text. They knew him as a mere human, and viewed him as such. The healing's they'd heard of did not convince them of who he was. They were too accustomed to what they knew of him while growing in their midst. See also Mark 6:3, Joh 2:12
This excerpt from the Expositor's bible comm. speaks more in-depth of this sad occassion:
Returning to His own country, and teaching in their synagogue, He so impressed the people that they could not but ask certain questions, which, if they had only pondered them, would have led them to the truth: "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" But the mere outside things that met their eyes so engrossed their attention, that their heads and hearts remained as empty as ever. Instead of pressing the question Whence? which would have led them up to heaven and to God, they dwelt upon "this man," this common man, this carpenter’s son, with a mother called Mary, and brothers with the common names, James and Joseph, Simon and Judas; so, proving themselves to be of the earth earthy, they closed their ears and were "offended in Him." It was very evident that the only hope of reaching people of that kind was to speak in parables, which they could remember without understanding in the meantime, with the hope that by-and-by as they thought of the subject without such prejudices as these which now cause them to stumble, they may at last understand, and receive the truth and inherit eternal life.
At the end of ch. 13 of Matthew, Jesus comes to Nazareth, his home town. He had just finished teaching the people many parables, and now comes to his own region, and went into the synagogue to teach there. The response he got was ridicule, and rejection.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
Mat 13:53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
Mat 13:54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
Mat 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
Mat 13:56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
Mat 13:57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
Mat 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
They had watched Jesus as a child growing up with his other brother's and sisters listed in the text. They knew him as a mere human, and viewed him as such. The healing's they'd heard of did not convince them of who he was. They were too accustomed to what they knew of him while growing in their midst. See also Mark 6:3, Joh 2:12
This excerpt from the Expositor's bible comm. speaks more in-depth of this sad occassion:
Returning to His own country, and teaching in their synagogue, He so impressed the people that they could not but ask certain questions, which, if they had only pondered them, would have led them to the truth: "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" But the mere outside things that met their eyes so engrossed their attention, that their heads and hearts remained as empty as ever. Instead of pressing the question Whence? which would have led them up to heaven and to God, they dwelt upon "this man," this common man, this carpenter’s son, with a mother called Mary, and brothers with the common names, James and Joseph, Simon and Judas; so, proving themselves to be of the earth earthy, they closed their ears and were "offended in Him." It was very evident that the only hope of reaching people of that kind was to speak in parables, which they could remember without understanding in the meantime, with the hope that by-and-by as they thought of the subject without such prejudices as these which now cause them to stumble, they may at last understand, and receive the truth and inherit eternal life.
What were the root causes of their rejection? We can only speculate, but can come to some conclusions.
Pride and envy: seeing him perform miracles, and the wisdom of his teachings aroused their jealousy.
Arrogance: They knew the humble means of his family, his stepfather a carpenter, his mother, sisters and brother's of low esteem. How could this Jesus be a teacher come from God?
Self righteousness: They felt no need for what Jesus was preaching. In their eyes they were already of Abraham's seed, already hiers of God's chosen people. They could not see they were born in sin, and would remain in sin, no matter how many sacrifices were made for them. They could not see the need for their sins to be washed clean by a forgiveness that could only come from heaven; and that it was Jesus standing there who was able to give them that forgiveness. They could not see him as God in the flesh, which is what he was proclaiming to them.
Reading these passages, I put myself there watching this; and can imagine the sadness in Jesus' heart as he listens to them, and watches their reactions. I'm sure he knew many of them from a young child, and were well acquainted with them. As he spoke the truth, and proclaimed his authority as prophet and their Redeemer, to these unbelieving neighbors, I'm sure it was with sorrow. He loved them enough to try to teach them the riches of the Kingdom, and saw them reject the way of salvation God had provided, which was to receive him as Savior and Lord.
Every disciple of Christ has known the same sadness as Jesus did here. If they rejected him, we will be also, by family members and friends. We need to settle this in our hearts, and walk out our faith willing to face this truth.
Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father, exalted to the place he held before coming to this earth. We serve a risen Savior, and whatever is to be endured here is worth the cost. He has gone on before us, and prepared a place for us to join him in heaven. That's the focus we have to keep, this life is a moment, a vapor. Jesus gives us comfort in these verses:
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
In the discourse with Thomas, he speaks the most important truth in the bible:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Yes, Jesus is the only way to the Father and heaven. There is no other god who has risen from the dead. No other god that can wash away your sins, no other god that can promise you eternal life. Buddha, Mohammed, Allah are all imposter's, and dead in their graves.
If you do not know Christ as your Savior, now is an excellent time to change that. Simply pray, tell the Lord you know your a sinner, ask him to forgive you of your sins, come into your life and help you to live for Him from this point on. If you don't have a bible, get one, start reading it, start with the book of John and the gospels. Pray about what you read, ask the Lord to help you understand it. Find fellowship with other believer's in Christ, seek out good bible believing teachers to help you grow.
It is clear by the signs of our age that the time of Jesus return is soon. I do not know the day nor hour, no one does but the Father only. But, the signs given to us in scripture reveals we are close. I pray you will consider your life, the path your on, and if you aren't saved, give your life to Jesus now, while there's time to.
Blessings,
Lorna
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Luk 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Pride and envy: seeing him perform miracles, and the wisdom of his teachings aroused their jealousy.
Arrogance: They knew the humble means of his family, his stepfather a carpenter, his mother, sisters and brother's of low esteem. How could this Jesus be a teacher come from God?
Self righteousness: They felt no need for what Jesus was preaching. In their eyes they were already of Abraham's seed, already hiers of God's chosen people. They could not see they were born in sin, and would remain in sin, no matter how many sacrifices were made for them. They could not see the need for their sins to be washed clean by a forgiveness that could only come from heaven; and that it was Jesus standing there who was able to give them that forgiveness. They could not see him as God in the flesh, which is what he was proclaiming to them.
Reading these passages, I put myself there watching this; and can imagine the sadness in Jesus' heart as he listens to them, and watches their reactions. I'm sure he knew many of them from a young child, and were well acquainted with them. As he spoke the truth, and proclaimed his authority as prophet and their Redeemer, to these unbelieving neighbors, I'm sure it was with sorrow. He loved them enough to try to teach them the riches of the Kingdom, and saw them reject the way of salvation God had provided, which was to receive him as Savior and Lord.
Every disciple of Christ has known the same sadness as Jesus did here. If they rejected him, we will be also, by family members and friends. We need to settle this in our hearts, and walk out our faith willing to face this truth.
Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father, exalted to the place he held before coming to this earth. We serve a risen Savior, and whatever is to be endured here is worth the cost. He has gone on before us, and prepared a place for us to join him in heaven. That's the focus we have to keep, this life is a moment, a vapor. Jesus gives us comfort in these verses:
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
In the discourse with Thomas, he speaks the most important truth in the bible:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Yes, Jesus is the only way to the Father and heaven. There is no other god who has risen from the dead. No other god that can wash away your sins, no other god that can promise you eternal life. Buddha, Mohammed, Allah are all imposter's, and dead in their graves.
If you do not know Christ as your Savior, now is an excellent time to change that. Simply pray, tell the Lord you know your a sinner, ask him to forgive you of your sins, come into your life and help you to live for Him from this point on. If you don't have a bible, get one, start reading it, start with the book of John and the gospels. Pray about what you read, ask the Lord to help you understand it. Find fellowship with other believer's in Christ, seek out good bible believing teachers to help you grow.
It is clear by the signs of our age that the time of Jesus return is soon. I do not know the day nor hour, no one does but the Father only. But, the signs given to us in scripture reveals we are close. I pray you will consider your life, the path your on, and if you aren't saved, give your life to Jesus now, while there's time to.
Blessings,
Lorna
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Luk 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
