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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, April 28, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Jesus Rejected at Nazareth Bible Verse:Matthew 13:53-58 (ESV) "And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 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? 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? Where then did this man get all these things?” 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.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief." Message:
The three Synoptic Gospels have full accounts of the rejection of Jesus in Nazareth, although they differ both as to timing and details. Even John makes passing reference to it. To analyze the similarities and differences would take many pages, and we have set out to study Matthew, so we will end the discussion of the other gospels with links to the parallel passages, for anyone interested: Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:16-30; John 4:43-44.
Holy Bible
We discussed the nature of Jesus’ signs in reading Matthew 12, when the Pharisee opposition demanded to see a miracle. (See Devotion of March 23, 2022.) In a nutshell, Jesus generally did not do miracles to attract followers, but as signs of divinity to those with faith in him. Hence the final sentence of today’s verses; finding little faith in Nazareth, He did little healing.
We must also remember, in Matthew’s account, that Jesus has already stated that his followers, not his blood relatives, are his “family”, when his mother and brothers sought to speak with him. (Matthew 12:46-50) Accordingly, Matthew is the only gospel to include the words “and in his own household” in the famous line, most often quoted as, “A prophet is without honor in his own land.”
The Difficulty of Change
The people of Nazareth, including Jesus’ family, have fixed him in their minds as a working-class boy, respectable but not in any way prominent. Like societies everywhere, there is a tendency to keep him in his place. Having the idea of him fixed in their minds, they cannot consider evidence to the contrary.
Art Nouveau angel right +
What do we learn from this passage? One great lesson for meditation is the difficulty of challenging a preconception. It is a trick of the human mind, and a fault. Once we get an idea in our head, our mind rejects even compelling evidence to the contrary. For some reason, we identify our selves with an idea, and we take evidence that might challenge or modify the idea as a personal attack against us.
An offshoot of this principle is especially appropriate for Bible study. There are few (if any) people in the world who can read what is written in the Bible, for we come to it with contrary ideas so deeply implanted in our personality that we cannot bear to read what is actually written. If and when we do manage it, it is very painful. Our eye skips over the plain meaning of some passages. Other passages we expand to support something we want them to say, even though it is a fabrication.
Jesus would not heal in Nazareth. How, then, will He treat people who will not read his Word with an open mind? It is imperative that we set aside what we think we know, and try to read what is actually written in the Bible, without allowing our minds to add to it or subtract from it. We must allow it to change us, not vice versa.
Meditation : Freedom is the power to do what we ought to do, not to be slave to our selfish instincts. Prayer : As I travel through the rest of my day, may the God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I may abound in hope........Amen |
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