St Matthew, Chapter 13, verses: 57 - 58, Jesus in his own country: A Prophet without honor.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus at Nazareth) Part 3.   

Jesus was in his own country, the country where he grew up as a child.  Jesus was in his own country, the country where he knew the people of his village.  Jesus was in his own country, the country where he became a man.  Jesus was in his own country, the country where he was known as a common man.  But Jesus was not a common man.  He was the Son of God who came to earth to save mankind from damnation.  The people knew the prophecy.  The people knew the scriptures.  The people knew of the coming of the the Messiah, but in his own country they did not see.  In his own country they did not hear.  In his own village they did not believe.

When he preached in the synagogues, they were astonished.  When he preached in the markets, they were unbelieving.  When he preached in the streets they did not see.  For they knew him as the son of Joseph the carpenter.  They knew his as a local.  They knew him not as the Son of God for astonishment had taken over and brought with it anger, and hatred, and doubt, and disbelief, and jealousy, and fear, and many other spirits more evil than itself.  And the spirits worked against the people to turn them against Christ.   It is said,  And they took offense at him. 

Christ was not the son of a wealthy merchant.  Christ was not the son of a Pharisee.  Christ was not the son of a politician.  Christ was not the son of a scholar.  Christ was the son of a carpenter, a commoner amongst the people.  How could he be this man of faith?  How could he be this miracle worker?  How could he be this man of spiritual wisdom?  He was just a common person just like the rest of the common people.  Yet he was the Son of God and they did not accept it.  They did not see it.  They did not hear the message.  And it was written in the scriptures that the Messiah would come.  It was written in the scriptures that he would be born in Bethlehem.  It was written in the scriptures that he would be a common man.   And astonishment had taken over and the people did not believe.

And they took offense at him.  But Jesus said to them,  "A

prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and in his own house."  And because of their unbelief, he did not work many miracles there.

Do we take offense today at those who are in Christ?  Do we not honor those who have been transformed by the blood of the lamb?  Astonishment took the people in Christ's own country.  Will astonishment take over the people in the church?  Will astonishment creep into the minds and hearts of Christians and make them take offense?  We must constantly be on our guard to close the door to astonishment and his brothers of evil.  For they will come.  They will seek entrance.  They will attempt to take over. 

Do not take offense.  Take love.  Take peace.  Take understanding.  Take wisdom.  Take Christ into your heart and he will close the door to astonishment and his brothers of evil.  For we are all children of God who gave us life eternal.  We are all glorious beings filled with the light of Christ. And when that time comes, we will all see ourselves as we are known, beautiful images of Christ in God.  Let us love one another as Christ commanded that we do.  For we are loved by our heavenly Father just as he loves his son, Jesus.   Christ is waiting to work a miracle in you.  Will you open yourself to him and let him in?

St Matthew, Chapter 13, verses: 55 - 56, Jesus in his own Country: Astonishment captures his town.

Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus at Nazareth) Part 2. 

And they were astonished at the wisdom and knowledge of Christ.  They knew him when he was a child.  He did not have the formal education of a scholar.  He did not have the wealth of a rich family.  His father was a carpenter, they thought.  He was a man of common means.  He learned carpentry from his father.  And they were common people.  So how is it, they said, that he has come by these miracles and this wisdom to teach us in the synagogue.  He was just a common man and astonishment had taken over the thoughts and minds of the people.  It had turned them against him that they could not see.  It had closed their eyes and blocked their hearing that they could not receive the message of the kingdom of heaven.

For Christ, the Son of God, walked among them.  Christ, the Son of God, had come down from heaven.  Christ, the Son of God, took the form of a common man and they could not hear his words.  His own countrymen could not understand his teachings.  His own villagers could not listen to the words of freedom given man from the mouth of God through Christ.  Astonishment had taken them.  Astonishment had closed their hearts that they were so shocked at his presences that their hearts could not accept the love that he gave.  For he sought to plant the good seed of God.  He sought to nourish the good seed that it may grow and produce the fruit of the kingdom of heaven.  But the evil one had called astonishment to the scene to corrupt their hearts that they could not hear.

Astonishment had brought forth anger.  Astonishment had brought forth confusion.  Astonishment had brought forth jealousy.  Astonishment had brought forth hatred.  And the forces of evil blocked the message of the kingdom.  The forces of evil worked against the words of Christ.  For the seed was stolen when it was planted and the message lost.  The townspeople said amongst themselves, "Is not this the carpenter's son?   Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Jude?  And his sisters, are they not all with us?  Then where did he get all this?"  

Christ, the common man they saw, was transformed.  Christ was not the person that they knew.  He was new.  He was different.  He was in God and God was in him.  How often today, our own townspeople are astonished.  How often today are our own church members astonished.  How often today are our own family, our own co-workers, our own brothers and sisters, astonished and become jealous at the new person in Christ.  Who does he think that he is?  Who does she think that she is?  How does she come by doing the things that she does?  How does he get all of the promotions and positions that he does?  Astonishment takes over and brings forth seven more demons and spirits more evil than the first.  And our hearts become blocked.  And our minds become closed.  And we do not hear the message of the kingdom of heaven because astonishment has taken over and our hearts are filled with anger, and jealousy, and envy, and hatred, and all manner of evil.  And we become hypocrites even in the worship of God in our own churches. 

Christ brought us a message of love.  He brought us a message of hope.  He brought us a message of new life where we could be transformed from our old selves to new beings in Christ.  Love one another as I have loved you, was Christ's last commandment to his disciples before going to the cross and sacrificing his life for us.  Let us do the same.  Let us love one another so that all men will know that we are his disciples.  Let us open our hearts to the Advocate who will teach us.  Let us open our hearts to the love that is in Christ that we may rid ourselves of astonishment and the other spirits that contaminate us.  Christ offers us new life.  Are we ready to receive it?

St Matthew, Chapter 13, verses: 53 - 54, Christ teaching in his own country

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus at Nazareth) Part 1.   

Christ has finished teaching in parables.  He has finished talking in stories.  He leaves the people and he and his disciples move on from that place.  And as St Matthew tells us in his gospel,  And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these parables, that he set out from that place.  And when he had come to his own country, he began to teach them in their synagogues. 

So Christ has moved on from the multitudes that met him in the countryside.  He has traveled on from the hundreds and thousands who came to see him, to touch him, to be healed by him.  Now he seeks his own in the synagogues and villages where he grew up.  For they knew him as a child.  They watched him play in the streets.  They knew of his brothers and sisters.  They knew his parents Mary and Joseph.  And they saw him as an ordinary child.  They did not see him as a teacher.  They did not see him as a prophet.  They did not see him as a man of wisdom.  For he was just an ordinary child.  They did not see him as the Messiah.  For they could only see him as an ordinary person.

And they were astonished when he taught.  They were unbelieving when they heard him speak.  They were unknowing when they heard his words of wisdom, for they knew him as an ordinary man.  They did not see him as a miracle worker.  They did not see him as a man of God.  They did not see him as the Son of God because they could only see him as an ordinary man.  Some were proud.  Some were learned.  Some were educated.  Some were wealthy.  Some were wise.  Some were prudent.  And many were just ordinary people.  But they could not believe that this man, this ordinary person, this miracle worker, came from their village, from their town, from their midst with the knowledge of the kingdom.   So they were astonished, and said, "How did this man come by this wisdom and  these miracles?"

They only saw him as an ordinary man.  They did not believe.  They did not understand.  They could not see.  For astonishment had taken their eyes.  Astonishment had taken their ears.  Astonishment had taken their hearts and they could not believe.  Walk in the way of the Lord and astonishment will come on your hills.  It will affect the people closest to you.  It will close their eyes and block their ears that they will not hear the message of the kingdom.  For they see you as the person.  They see the liar, the thief, the adulterer, the cheat, the blasphemer.  But, they do not see the Christ in you.  For it is Christ who transforms us.  It is Christ who heals us.  It is Christ who delivers us from the bondage of Satan.  It is Christ that gives us new life in him that we may no longer be that which we were.  They will say, "How did this man come by this wisdom?"  They will say how is it that this man performs these miracles?"  Will you become a miracle worker for Christ?  Come!  Be transformed by Christ that you may have his wisdom.