Episode 40: When Home is Hard

Home is the place we often best known and this should be a good thing. But often, when it comes to faith, it can be the most challenging place we face due to familiarity, labels, and competitive rivalries. Many of us never progress because “home” is hard. It dictates our confidence and courage to step out and do brave things.

Jesus understood this as He returned to His hometown after launching His ministry (Matthew 13:55-58). At first the people were amazed by what He was saying to them, but soon familiarity took root and they began to ask one another, “Don’t we know His brothers and sisters? Isn’t he from the lowly carpenter’s home?” In essence, they were asking, “Who does this guy think He is? We grew up with Him… We know His family… He’s not from anywhere or anyone special…” 

From this incredible story we see that to break out of a hard home or hometown we must realize three things:

1.     Our identity is in the new assignments the Lord gives us, not in the past syllabus. This crowd only saw Jesus as He was growing up in Nazareth. They couldn’t see who He’d become and what He was called to do. They fixated on the past and held Him to that old identity, which blinded them from seeing Him for who He really was.

2.     Hard homes will question your gifts. The people in Nazareth wondered where Jesus got His wisdom and miraculous power. It’s often not in their nature for others to understand the gifts you now operate in are from God…for God.

3.     Hard homes take offense.

After questioning His gifts, the townspeople took offense at His very presence. They were offended by His claims and the presence of God He carried into their synagogue. When people “take offense” they quench the Spirit of God and disable His power. 

Jesus stated, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home” (Matthew 13:57). He understood this principle and moved on. We know He couldn’t do all the miracles He wanted to do there because of their offense to Him, but the Bible doesn’t say He did no miracles. It seems in the text that to the few people who believed, He did perform miracles for them.  To those who would not accept or believe Him, He shook the dust off His feet and moved on. We must learn to do the same!

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