Fork in the Road
The church is surrounded by spiritually blind people who desperately need to know Jesus. Matthew 13:53-58 records Jesus making a visit to His hometown, where His family lived. While there, He taught in the
synagogue. How the people of Nazareth responded is important: a fatal assumption led to an unfortunate result. First, the people received an opportunity—“He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished.” (v. 54) At this point, they could have come to faith, but they were at a crucial fork in the road. To the left was the trap of human perspective, sight versus faith. To the right was the path of revealed truth, prophecy. Sadly, the people chose the road to the left, and that decision determined their thinking from that moment on. Second, the people resisted the truth—“’Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?’” (v. 54) They ignored the spiritual and focused on the physical: they got stuck on His human origins. The people asked, “’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? And are not all his sisters with us?’” (vv. 55-56) Pride can keep us doing dumb things: they expressed contempt for Jesus. They were astonished, not at His preaching, or His doctrine, but that He was able to do anything at all! Because they chose the path of human perspective and ignored the truth, their thought process could lead to one conclusion. Third, the people rejected the prize—“They took offense at Him.” (v. 57) Opportunity for faith was now passed for these people. In the end, they received nothing. Verse 57 also reads, “’A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.’” Familiarity breeds contempt. Because they knew Jesus from His youth, He wasn’t special to them. The sad result was not many miracles done there! Jesus didn’t do much ministry there.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.