The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus because they thought they knew who He was. They judged His message without exploring the evidence of His claims.
Jesus made it clear to His own disciples, “You can trust me because of what I do””.
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”
John 14:11 NIV
Jesus’ entire ministry focused on the restoration of God’s kingdom, not only to His own people but also to the entire Gentile world as prophesied in Isaiah…
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. “…I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
Isaiah 42:1, 6-7 NIV
As much as the Jewish leaders hated Him for exposing their hypocrisy, and even accused Him of using demonic powers to cast out demons…His works were incontrovertible evidence of the real source and purpose of His ministry…
“If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Matthew 12:28 NIV
Why did Jesus do the miracles He did? Why did He heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons? Was He looking for popularity or trying to gain a following in competition with the religious leaders?
Jesus had one goal in view…
“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:14-15 NIV
His message was the good news of the kingdom, with all the ramifications of that message…including His own death and resurrection, and the miracles as evidence of God’s benevolent rule at work. Jesus came to herald and to bring about the return of the order, justice, righteousness, and peace of His rule, which would culminate in the restoration of everything, including creation, to His original plan, on His return at the end of time.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.””
Revelation 21:3-4 NIV
To the Jews, this message was both revolutionary and unpalatable because there was no place in their Messianic expectation for the Gentiles. Their very mention brought about responses of anger and contempt.
So, they rejected their very own “homeboy”, despite His teachings and His work, because of their bitter prejudice, which even cancelled their own covenant relationship with God. From that moment on, He was unwelcome in Nazareth. Their unbelief shut Him out, limited His power in their town, and sealed their fate as it did for everyone who refused to believe in His name.
This brings me to the part of my meditation that is relevant for us humans…the issue of skepticism and prejudice that is damaging to our attitude to truth.
He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.” – Mark 6:1-6
“After Jesus restored Jairus’ daughter to life with his healing touch, he and the disciples departed Capernaum and traveled 25 miles south to Nazareth. For Jesus, this was a homecoming, a chance to see his family and the friends with whom he was raised. We might expect the town to be excited about his visit and welcome Jesus as a local celebrity. After all, they would have heard all about how he taught with authority, healed diseases, drove out demons, and even calmed a storm. That’s a fairly impressive resume!
“And yet, the people of Nazareth greeted Jesus with skepticism and outrage. Others might be empowered by God to perform such works, but this was Mary’s Son. He grew up down the street, and they knew he was just a carpenter. While today we value the opportunity to achieve, advance, and make a new way in the world, the people of Jesus’ day were defined by their families and their upbringing. Jesus did not come from a line of teachers and preachers; he was not a scribe or a priest. And so, the people took offense at what he was doing and who he claimed to be. They felt entitled to define Jesus according to their terms.
“How does your skepticism keep you from experiencing the full and awesome power of Jesus? Have you sought to understand and define him from your earthly perspective? Faith is about surrender and trust.”
(Source: biblestudymedia.com)
To be continued…