Mark 6:1-3 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. 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.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Many of my townspeople refused to believe in me just because I was Joseph and Mary’s son. Being the son of a lowly carpenter meant that I could have nothing valuable to them. It meant that I could not possibly be the Son of God, that my miracles could not be explained, that my knowledge of Scripture could not be explained. They were unwilling to see anything outside of the paradigm they had constructed. They were unwilling to believe in what did not make sense to them given what they had been taught all their lives. So it is in your world today. Many do not believe in me because it does not fit into their worldview, it does not fit what they have been taught by culture and the enemy all their lives. They are unwilling, many due to fear, to open their hearts and minds to the possibility of me. They fear they will not be able to do what they want, go have what they want. They fear that everything will change. And so it would. But as my believers have discovered, these changes are always good in the long run. (2022)
Amanuensis 