Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
Jesus was a great teacher because He understood what He was talking about, none of the Bible was confusing to Him like it sometimes is to us. He knew exactly why it said what it did and exactly what it meant because, as God, He had been involved in inspiring the writers of the scriptures many years before He was born. If we ask, He can help us to understand the Bible today!
They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.”
Jesus didn’t just suddenly appear from heaven as an adult. He had grown up in this area. They knew Him as a child. They had watched Him play. They had spent time with Him and His family while He was growing up. Yes, He is God, but He was also very much a human being too!
They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Jesus healed people for a purpose. He wanted people to feel better, but He also wanted them to see the miracles and to believe that He was the Messiah, the anointed one, the one who they were expecting to come and rescue them and save them. So when they didn’t want to even consider this to be true, He only healed a few people and then moved on.
Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick – no food, no traveller’s bag, no money. He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
Jesus liked to work through other people; He didn’t want people to believe in a way that didn’t make any difference to their lives. He wanted His followers to act like they knew God for themselves, and for them to do the things God wanted them to do, even if the things seemed like hard things to do! Jesus wants the same for us today, for us to act on what we believe. If we believe in Jesus it should show itself to others around us through how we live and the decisions we make.
Prayer suggestions:
- Ask Jesus to help you to live your life like you believe in a God who cares for people and can use you to help others
- Ask Jesus to take away an illness you or a friend are struggling with today
- Ask Jesus to help you know Him better and better each day