"He's just the carpenter's son..."
Scripture: Matthew 13:53-58 [NLT]
53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:53-58, New King James Version)
Observation: (What do you see when you read this scripture?)
It is interesting to me that the people of Jesus’ town were “astonished” and actually recognize his “wisdom” and “mighty works”, but they still refuse to see him as their Messiah because of an ingrained prejudice. Their question, “Where then did this man get all these things?” follows them having listed all of the reasons (under mans understanding) that Jesus was not worthy of their respect or honor. I find this even more fascinating because Jesus got His wisdom from the same scriptures that they had available to them. If they had truly answered their own question, and then went to the scriptures to find the truth, they could have been enlightened to who Jesus really was; much more than “just the carpenter’s son”.
Apply: (How can I apply this to my life?)
Real religion requires a relationship with the real God. The One True God is found in His word, the bible; which was given to us by Him. Many people today have created their own “god” and don’t even know that they are worshiping something of their own making. A self made idol. They will look at other believers and say “they are doing it all wrong”, or “their worship has no power” or “I wasn’t raised that way so it must be wrong”, but they are only judging from their own eyes. The key ingredient missing is the Word of God. What does the bible say, should be our question whenever we see something that doesn’t make sense. And we should use the whole bible and not just pieces that support our way of thinking. Remember, the bible never contradicts itself, we only misinterpret it.
Seeking truth must go deep. It must come from a heart that wants to know the Truth above all else. Truth is not affected by prejudice, it does not bend to the will of man, it does not change shape or meaning over time. Truth is immovable and unchangeable…so why do we keep trying to change it?
Prayer: (Let God know what is on your heart)
Dear Creator of Truth,
Lord I know that You can never lie. Only truth comes from You. Help me to be a better seeker of truth and help me to implement it. This world has such a way of bringing me down and all of it is with lies. Help me to more and more realize that I cannot bend truth to my will…it is unbendable. Help me instead to be the one that bends and changes.
Thank you for always being there; now I ask you to forgive my sin. Help me to do Your will today. Be with my family…keep them all safe. Thank You for all that You provide. Amen.
A Common Mans Bible Journey 