The people of Nazareth were initially excited to have their hometown hero return to their humble city. After all, there was quite a stir in the region from the miracles that were flowing from His fingertips, let alone His teaching. But in a heartbeat, their expectations were crushed, and their excitement turned to rage. Before anyone could logically think through the ramifications of their actions, the mob was forcing Jesus to the edge of a cliff to cast Him over. What a swing from popularity to repudiation!
You see, Jesus had called them out. He had told them that blessing followed obedience and not the other way around. That's why He used the examples of the widow of Zarephath and Naaman (Luke4:23-27), to show them that actions bred consequences.
There is nothing new under the sun, is there? We are the same faithless people today as they were in His day. We want the blessing before the obedience. "Lord, if you would only do _______, then I would start living for you." Of course, we aren't that blatant, but it is at the heart of our request.
We're also into instant gratification. "Well, I've been submitting to my husband for four days now and there's still no change in him. How much longer do I have to do this?" Rather than set our eyes on our Savior and walk in obedience to please Him, we try to find a quick fix in the scriptures and we think the blessing comes in the form of earthly rewards, rather than the growth of our faith in the person of Jesus Christ. We put our hope in changing circumstances rather than the unchanging character of God.
It's time to stop trying to put the horse before the cart and living by faith.
Seeing is not believing.
Believing is seeing.
Nice recap of our Tues. Bible study. We really haven't changed much since Jesus day, always looking out for Me first! If only we could just learn this lesson and keep it in the forefront of our lives, we would know the true blessings God has for us.
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