Day 5-You Can't Go Home Again

The Prayer: Psalm 143 (New International Version)
1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

The Reading: Matthew 13-15
Matthew 13:53-58 (New International Version)
53When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
58And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

My Thoughts: Those people couldn't see Jesus as he was because they knew him...or thought they knew him. Knew parts of him very well that made it difficult to understand other parts. He was the carpenter's son, this was his family, how could he know so much, be so much more, than that...and they didn't like it. I think we do this all the time. We see parts that we like, we want to hold on to and then reject the rest because it's hard to understand. And that limits our faith. And that limits our miracles. We want to be comfortable with Christ but that limits our belief in what he can do...all-powerful Christ who performs miracles. The carpenter's son, Mary's son who can save us all.