“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” Mark 6:3-4 NASB
Jesus went back to His hometown of Nazareth with a desire to bring miracles, revelation, healing, and salvation to His own people. But when He gets there and begins teaching in the synagogue, His own people and family begin to question who He is and how He is capable to doing the miracles and powerful teaching. In context, there have been 400 years of silence as it pertains to a prophetic voice. Then suddenly John the Baptist and Jesus come onto the scene and the people begin wondering if Jesus is the Messiah that they have been hoping and waiting for. The same story in the gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 and tells the people that this prophecy has been fulfilled in their hearing. Jesus is declaring Himself to be the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah and the people are astonished. But they began to realize that this is Jesus; the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the sibling of those who lived with them. They were amazed one minute and then offended the next. They couldn't see how one of there very own people was seemingly special. They missed out on who Jesus was and what He was bringing because they did not honor Him. No miracles took place in Nazareth because of the people's unbelief and their lack of honor. Honor is a vital attribute in the church that is desperately lacking today. To be blunt, we do not honor one another rightly and because of that we are lacking as the church in America. To honor someone means to give "weight", worth and value. That means that whenever someone speaks or acts we pay attention to what they are saying and doing as if it actually matters and as if it has value. Honor means we see who they are (through the eyes of God) instead of what they lack. When Jesus would heal people, He would often allow the people to share what they or someone else needed healing from. He was listening to their request as if their request and petition had value; then He would act. In the same story found in Luke 4:16-30, Jesus gives two Old Testament examples of how God bypassed Israel to bring provision and healing to other nations because of Israel's lack of honor. “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. Luke 4:25-26 God's people missed out on supernatural provision during a time of drought and famine because they lacked honor of Elijah and God. Yet, a widow in the land of Sidon received supernatural provision because she honored Elijah who was sent by God to her. Her honor of Elijah, and belief in a miracle released supernatural provision. “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” Luke 4:27 Jesus also says that God's people missed out on supernatural healing during the time of Elisha because they did not honor Elisha or God rightly. Jesus says that there were many lepers in Israel, yet God healed Naaman the Syrian. Naaman (eventually) honored Elisha and the word of the Lord that Elisha spoke to him to go wash 7 times in the Jordan to be cleansed. His honor of Elisha, and belief of the word of the Lord released supernatural healing. What could be possible with us if we begin to truly honor one another simply for the Spirit living inside of us, and the gifting's that God has given to each on of us? I surely do not want to miss out on what God is doing through others because I do not honor the people that God has brought into my life. Let us develop a culture of honoring one another in our church today and see God move through His church in mighty ways. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17 NASB Questions to Consider: 1. What are ways that we can develop a culture of honor in our church today? 2. Can you think of someone that you have dishonored in the past or recently? What are some ways that you can restore that relationship through humility?
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