Tuesday 31 October, 2017

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown of Nazareth. His disciples went with him. 2 When the Sabbath day came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these remarkable miracles he is doing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son? Isn’t this the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were not pleased with him at all. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own town. He doesn’t receive any honor among his relatives or in his own home.” 5 Jesus placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. But he could not do any other miracles there. 6 He was amazed because they had no faith.

There is an interesting interplay here between Honour and Power.  Jesus, who normally had considerable power to perform miracles found it difficult because of the lack of faith expressed by the people.  How was this lack of faith expressed, it was expressed in familiarity to the person, rather than recognition of the authority of the teaching.  The gathered people recognised that the teaching was ‘out of the box’ but the person who taught them was familiar and this, at least for some, perhaps many of the crowd impacted the ability of the truth to drive deeply in to the souls of the men and women.  They did not honour the person bringing the truth nor did they honour the truth for being the truth.

Where are the times when the ‘packaging’ of something has interrupted my reception of it?  Where have I limited my faith expression based on the person or situation a God given opportunity presented itself to me?

Father, help me keep a soft heart to you and in so doing not be more concerned with the wrapping as with the present within.

Written by Ps. Richard Botta