Matthew 13:53-58
The People
of Nazareth Reject Jesus
13:53
And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished
these parables, he departed thence.
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?
55 Is not this the
carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and
his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and
Judas?
56 And his sisters, are
they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all
these things?
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.
58 And he did not many
mighty works there because of their
unbelief.
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change
the way that we think, and the way that we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Why Couldn't the People
of Nazareth Believe?
During the times before Jesus
arrived in Nazareth, He had performed many miracles
including calming the sea and driving the demons
from the man at Gadarenes.
In town after town He amazed
people with His knowledge and understanding. So,
why was it so difficult for the Nazareth
townspeople to believe that He was the
Christ?
The Therapist
Parallel
A psychologist can administer
therapy to hundreds of people in need and get
results in many cases. But, even an excellent
therapist cannot treat a spouse or their own
children. Why? Because they are too close to the
situation to be objective.
This is the syndrome that
faced Jesus as He tried to teach the people of
Nazareth an "unpopular" message. He was known as
the "carpenter's son" and the "son of Mary" but not
considered the Messiah. They could not comprehend
that someone from such humble beginnings could be
Savior of the world.
How about our faith?
Do we sometimes miss the
great things God can do in our lives because of
lack of faith? Christ performed very few miracles
in Nazareth because people did not believe in Him.
In previous chapters of
Matthew (and throughout the New Testament) Jesus
did many miraculous deeds but, in each instance,
the healing and bringing the dead back to life was
a result of faith on the part of the recipient.
Peter could not walk on the water because of his
lack of faith.
God wants to do great things
in our lives. There are two steps in receiving Gods
blessings. First, we ask--Then we believe--Then God
acts.
Talk to God about your needs
and then have the faith that your request is not
too big for Him. You might be surprised at the
outcome.
Love In Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Another
Bible Study Verse For Living ...
Matthew
13:44-52 - Jesus Explains the Kingdom of
Heaven
- In this Scripture reading from Matthew, the
parables from Jesus are about hidden treasure, the
pearl merchant and fishing nets. Each one has a
life lesson for us and teaches about the kingdom of
heaven.
Verses about Jesus preaching in Nazareth are
from New American Standard Bible
Comments are welcome. Please email
me with any questions or comments you
may have.
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