Today’s Reading, Matthew 13
Focal Scripture: Matthew 13:57 “And they were offended by him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”
Everyone likes a good story. Especially a story that is intense and has lots of meaning. Sometimes stories can be so deep that they can be hard to follow along with unless you are paying very close attention. In our reading today Jesus told parables to get across his point. These are stories that have clear biblical implications. They point people to God and require a decision be made by the hearer.
In today’s reading Jesus tells many parables about the kingdom of Heaven and what will happen at the end times. The people are amazed and perplexed at the same time. Then Jesus heads to his hometown where he grew up and began to teach and do miracles. Because his hometown had a preconceived thinking about Jesus they questioned him instead of listening to him. They doubted him instead of trusting him. The group of people that should know his character better than others became offended by his words. Jesus even acknowledges that a prophet is not welcome back in his hometown.
So what is the application today. Don’t put people in boxes because you have a history with them. People grow and have different life experiences. People come into their own and fulfill God’s calling at different times. The difficult part for many is that they have a memory of how they viewed someone in the past and want that person to stay the same.
The example of Jesus shows us that people don’t like change. The young kid they knew now comes in and teaches with authority and power. He has grown in maturity knowledge. Now as an adult he is rejected because he is not what they remember.
The challenge for you today is not to put people in a box. They grow. They mature. They become who God intended for them to be as a person. This means you need to have listening ears and an open heart. Imagine this city who rejected the Savior because he was not what they remember. Don’t miss out on good things because the growth of person is more than what you expect.
Tomorrow I plan on reading Matthew 14-16
