Matthew 13:53–58 (ESV) — 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went
away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their
synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this
wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s
son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph
and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did
this man get all these things?” 57 And they took
offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except
in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did
not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
NOTE: Another
ramification of the rejection is the requirement for belief. Even in his own
town, he is rejected by those who knew him. In fact, their familiarity is the
reason. They recognize his wisdom and his mighty works, but they cannot accept
the difference, the revealing of who he really was. In fact, they take offense
with him. The leaders attributed his powers to Satan and his hometown is
ashamed of him. For these reasons, he does not do many miracles, because of
their unbelief. I know many will use this as a justification for why God does
not do miracles today, that is, our unbelief. But, the main purpose of the
miracles was not physical healing, but spiritual revelation -- it acknowledge
to the world that God was doing something new and unique, much as what happened
when God called Israel out of Egypt. We really don't need miracles if we are
going to die eventually, we need spiritual rebirth. Miracles are the sign that
authenticate the message. The Jews rejected the message. How do we respond?
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