Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
The Skeptics Lesson
You can learn a lot from skeptics. Those who knew Jesus from childhood just couldn’t get past his utter humanness to accept his teaching authority or his healing power. Though they rejected him, I’m struck that they associate both his words and his actions with wisdom.
The first association is easy to embrace. I enjoy listening to those who can pull together deep knowledge and keen insights in order to offer counsel that transforms my perspectives, and offers a better way of thinking and living. Jesus’ hometown skeptics, however, knew that wisdom moved beyond talk about life to life itself. Preached words became worked miracles.
I am not wise because of my profound coupling of knowledge and insight. I am wise when I go out and live the amazing truths that grow out of that coupling! I am only half wise if I leave those truths as mere words; a half wit – maybe a dim wit.
Jesus lived the truth he spoke and it produced miracles in the lives of those around him. People were helped. Blessed. Many were even transformed by his wisdom. For those who embraced it, daily existence grew increasingly aligned with God and his design for full and whole life. Not even the hardships and turmoil of a violent world could destroy this wisdom.
Wise words usually precede wise living. This produces danger I face daily. The gap between knowing wisdom and living wisely often stretches so far that their intimate connection snaps. Then I become one of those who hears, but doesn’t; one who thinks he’s wise, but isn’t.
All Wise God, forgive me when I divorce head and hands. Do in me whatever it takes to close this gap so that I become truly wise. I recommit myself to hearing your wise words and, in your strength, doing them. -Mike Leamon
Boxed in b
y wordsI cringe when I turn my TV on and there is Benny Hinn slaying people in the Spirit and pushing them to the floor. I also wonder if what is happening is real, and if so, why does God demonstrate his power that way? Where does he get these powers to perform miracles like this? Benny claims the power comes from God. But isn’t Benny just an immigrant from Israel via Canada?
Are the people who go to the crusades Benny hosts really crazy? Do they see something there I struggle to see? Am I too busy mocking him, “Be healed in Juh-ee-sus name” to see the Spirit of God at work?
What we say is very powerful. If we mock the use of Jesus’ name in the mouths of others are we not mocking Jesus himself? The words we use become what we believe. When I use words degrading the use of Jesus name in healing the sick I begin to believe Jesus is not able to heal the sick. When I refuse to recognize God could use a person because of their background I reject the transforming nature of grace.
The power of words is immense. What we say becomes what we believe. Mocking Jesus turned to hating Jesus, and Jesus was unable to do many miracles because of their lack of faith. I know I have been challenged in the past few years to reconsider healing ministry as a genuine form of ministry. Who am I to say God can only work in my paradigm. Jesus was more than the carpenter the Nazarenes saw him as. He is more than the paradigm I understand him through as well. -Dan Jones
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