Rejected Homeboy

Jesus is rejected at home as too ordinary and familiar. This is a revelation about Jesus' absolute humanity. There is an interesting bit about the interplay of their faith and Jesus' miracles, but the main point is that the people of Nazareth missed out on Jesus because they had him in a little "homeboy" box. We must expect to be surprised, baffled, ASTONISHED by Jesus, and discover Him as He actually is. As we share Jesus, we will encounter the presumption that people already "know" what Jesus and Christianity are all about. We remain faithful: Jesus is still on the throne.

The People I Grew Up With

Jonathan Mackintosh - Marketing VP, Dark Social Advocate… I don’t even know what that means. This is a big company, he’s crushing it. His birthday is this week, 41, doing great. A real professional.

But I once saw him chug a multi-colored slushy from 7-11 and then have him come back out the way it went in in all the colors of the rainbow.

I saw him try to chug a gallon of milk in under 2 minutes to win $100. Less colorful, but same outcome.

Heather, my big sister, not so much active on the LinkedIn. But she is an interior designer extraordinaire, for millionaires and pop stars, she runs a successful winery with her husband Keith, kind of a big deal.

But I once saw her put a lasagna in the microwave for the oven time and it started a fire.

It’s a bit hard to buy into the “Professional” version of people we grew up with.

There are up to 4 people in this room that have changed my diapers… that I know of. More on the live stream.

… Things you didn’t think you would hear this morning — and desperately wish that you hadn’t.

There are more than 4 people in this room who may one day have to change my diapers. Things to look forward to.

That’s a bit humbling, for sure. It certainly strips away any illusion that I could be all that great. I can be helpful, I can teach and preach, I can even lead… but no one is under any illusions that I am perfect. Certainly not Divine.

And that’s great, because I am SUPER not.

Brandon and I were talking about this last week. I love when something goes wrong and strips away any sort of “showmanship” or “performance” to what we do here. We want the real, we want the honest. We want to worship in reverence, yes, but our reverence is ALL directed to the Lord.

But now Jesus is headed home.

Not to Bethlehem, where he was born and lived maybe a couple years. A short time, infancy.

Not to Egypt where he spent a few years. Somewhere between 1 and 4, depending on your source, we don’t know for sure.

But to Nazareth, where his most formative years were. As early as 2 years old, at the outside 6. If you remember Elementary school, Middle School, High school, and maybe even your 20s… it was those years.

All of that learning time, forming friendships, maybe life-long friendships… making mistakes, trying hobbies, playing games… parties and bed times, family dinners and town festivals… all of that.

Homecoming

Matthew 13:53–58 ESV

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

Nazareth vs. Capernaum

Most of his ministry has been in Capernaum and “Galilee”, which is largely the cities around the Galilean city. Now he’s in Golden, approximately 20-24 miles away. Not a light journey, but not exactly forever away either.

Like from here, church, to downtown Golden. Head West. A bit uphill, but you’ll be alright.

Synagogue

And they are in the synagogue. Their in church, essentially. It isn’t necessarily Sabbath, they had times of prayer and, more relevant here, times of study throughout the week. Wednesday Bible Study at church. Jesus is teaching.

Astonished Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

Note that they are recognizing his wisdom and his “mighty works” and are astonished by them. They see them. They aren’t denying either his wisdom, or his works.

They are astonished. What they want to know is “where they come from.” The origin. The source of power. The source of wisdom.

What is he teaching them? Don’t know, but probably much like the things we have learned so far. The parables, the Sermon on the Mount, the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and life as it was meant to be.

What miracles? It doesn’t say, but likely many of the same things: blind men seeing, lame walking, maybe dead rising… and demons cast out.

Matthew 13:54–58 ESV

54 and coming to his hometown 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 not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

Here again, we read of Jesus’ brothers. Most of “Christendom” believe that these are his cousins because, while Greek has separate words for brothers and cousins, Hebrew does not and these are Hebrews writing Greek. However, I don’t buy it. Way too consistently are these called his brothers… and decades later James and Jude, at least, come to faith and write as leaders of the church, calling themselves Jesus’ brothers.

And here, we learn that Jesus had sisters (or female cousins). How many? Don’t know. Names? Also don’t know.

But the picture here, siblings or cousins really, is Jesus growing up in a typical Village family, little brothers and sisters running around all over the place.

And, profoundly, Jesus living in that family as a growing boy and NO ONE AROUND has any idea he is special.

Even though we see signs in Jesus’ birth, we see him teaching in the Temple at 11 years old, astounding the scribes… that was not the general impression the neighbors had.

Jesus grew up

What does it say about Jesus that the people he grew up with didn’t recognize him even as a prophet?

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas

There is this text called the “Infancy Gospel of Thomas.” No matter what Dan Brown says, this is not a reliable text of any kind. It is written in the late 2nd century, so more than a 100 years after Jesus. It is like you writing about the childhood of Abraham Lincoln without doing any research or using any sources.

It is essentially Jesus fan-fiction.

And in it, the young Jesus is doing all these miracles. He makes 12 birds from clay and brings them to life.

That’s a story the Quran that copies and incorporate, by the way.

In another story, a kid bumps into Jesus and Jesus curses him and his body withers into a corpse. Then the neighbors complain and Jesus curses them with blindness.

It’s wild.

That isn’t the gospel of Jesus.

So, I think the neighbors would remember that!

But the truth is, Jesus lived a 100% human life. He grew through childhood, he went through puberty, he entered adulthood. He ate and learned and worked alongside everyone else. He played with his siblings and the neighbor kids. He was likely apprenticed by step-Dad Joseph and learned the Builders trade working alongside him and the other men.

He lived a sinless life, so I am sure if you were paying close attention you were like “Wow, he’s a good kid.” “Such a nice young man” said the old lady next door. But NEVER “I wonder if he might be the Messiah.” “Or, perhaps the Son of God.” or even “maybe a prophet, someday?”

Jesus lived an outwardly normal human life for 30 years.

The neighbors didn’t know any different.

Jesus lived an outwardly normal human life for 30 years.

That’s important. He knows what it means to live as we actually do. To be as we actually are.

But know here he is showing Great Wisdom and doing Mighty Works. And how do the Nazareth Neighbors react?

Rejected

Matthew 13:57 ESV

57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”

Note: Jesus calls himself a prophet. And he is “forthtelling” (and elsewhere, foretelling) the Words of God. It turns out he also is the very Word, the Logos, of God. He is God incarnate. But at the very least, he is certainly a prophet pointing to God, teaching about God, declaring the words of God to the people.

Why would a prophet be without honor in his hometown?

Sometimes we assume it’s because the hometown folks know the “real person.”

Is that the case here? They know the “real” Jesus and Jesus is fooling the newbies?

No. They aren’t at all denying Jesus’ wisdom or his mighty works. They are “astonished” by them.

And they aren’t claiming that he secretly did bad stuff or used to do bad stuff. The only objection is that “This is Joseph’s boy.” We know his brothers and sisters. The objection is familiarity.

It’s just that they can’t reconcile the Jesus-in-a-box they have with someone who could do and say these things.

They took “offense.” What a strange reaction. “Who do you think you are!” they say to Jesus. From “astonished” to “offended.” That happened quick.

And it wasn’t because Jesus did or said something offensive (this time).

It was because he astonished them. Because he made them question. Because he didn’t stay in their little white box.

They rejected Jesus.

It isn’t a problem for Mary, who seems to have believed from the start. Who prods Jesus to do his very first miracle at the Wedding, who “treasured up all these things”, signs and angelic visitations at his birth.

It ultimately isn’t a problem for his siblings, James and Jude at least come to faith. That’s my favorite proof for Jesus’ divinity, by the way.

They rejected him… and thus:

No Miracles For You

Matthew 13:58 ESV

58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Was Jesus’ power made less by their “unbelief?”

It says “he did not do” many works there.

Is a miracle never ever what turns someone around from unbelief to belief?

Sermon awhile back “Faith Bucks”

It kind of seems magical, doesn’t it? “Faith-Magic.”

Do you have enough faith bucks to be healed? Redeem your faith bucks today and make God do what you want.

Faith is a vector. (For you math nerds). It has magnitude AND direction.

So take this idea to Nazareth.

Faith has direction and magnitude. In Nazareth, they don’t have faith “in” or “towards” Jesus, they have neither quantity or orientation.

They have Jesus in a box.

But, full disclosure, when Mark tells this same story, he does say “couldn’t”:

Mark 6:5 ESV

5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

I think this is “could not” as directed in obedience to the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Could not” because it wasn’t the right thing, not “incapable because of insufficient FAITH power.”

After all, he did do some healings. And the people were initially astounded at BOTH his “wisdom” and his “mighty works.”

So they had already seen mighty works, what would be the point of one or two more?

The Pharisees saw unquestionable miracles and just called it the power of Satan. The rebellious heart can and will always find a reason to rebel.

So Jesus did not do unhelpful and unwelcome magic tricks.

As much as I want to spend more time on that, we will tackle it a whole lot more in Matthew 17 where the disciples’ faith is “too small” to cast out a demon. That’s a good one. “If you only had the faith of a mustard seed,” Jesus says.

That’s not the main point here, though. It is that the neighbors, the hometown, the ones who should perhaps have known Jesus best… reject him.

Rejected

Do you think that hurt Jesus?

I know he hurts for them, he loves them with the love of the shepherd. These are lost sheep, astray, and they are offended by him being who he is.

He can’t do better than bringing them “great wisdom” and “mighty works.” And that’s offensive.

Do we ever get too familiar with Jesus?

I don’t mean in relationship. Or to critique our worship songs, though that’s a thing. There should be love and intimacy, and honor and reverence. He is our friend, and our Lord, our King.

I mean, we take for granted that “at this point” I pretty much know Jesus and all the things. I took the classes, I read the literature, I heard the speeches, I know what Jesus is about.

May we always be “astonished” by Jesus. May we Marvel at the Message. May we see his wisdom and mighty works anew, afresh. May we be open to Jesus surprising us, challenging us.

And when our pre-conceptions our challenged, what will we do?

The temptation is to Reject the new. The challenging. The troubling.

If I get a call from a number I don’t recognize, I ignore. I skip. Probably Spam, probably junk, they’ll leave a message and I can listen later if it’s important.

When Jesus shows up in places I’m not expecting. At times I’m not ready. With people I don’t like.

Jesus shows up in the company of those Republicans. Those Dems. Those independents, throwing away their votes.

Some of us are going to be tempted to argue with Jesus in heaven, or on judgment day. “No, Lord, those folks can’t get in.” “I saw that one in the Gay Pride parade.” “They had weird pronouns, Lord, straight out the door!”

“She left a shopping cart in the space, Jesus. Come on!”

He will surprise and astonish us in this life and the next. He will surprise and astonish me. We can, and the most natural human thing is to get offended and reject when that happens.

That’s what the neighbors do.

But the best thing, the right thing, the disciple thing… is to simply say “Yes, Lord.”

To follow no matter what, letting Jesus lead us into new places.

To keep our eyes open no matter what, let Jesus show us something new, teach us something new. Turn everything we know upside down… and then show us how it has all fit together with everything else he has taught us.

Faith over Familiarity

This is Faith over Familiarity. Trusting in who Jesus is rather than who we knew him to be. What we thought we understood before.

Not the Jesus in the box, but the Jesus on the throne.

First, for our own sakes, let us again and again be reminded that Jesus is bigger and better than we know. We MUST expect to be surprised, baffled, ASTONISHED by Jesus. His ways are not our ways. They are better. His plans are not our plans. They are better, and wiser, and bigger.

When we witness, when we share what Jesus has and is doing in our lives, we are going to face the Neighbors of Nazareth. People in 21st century America are pretty sure they know all about Jesus. They know his brothers and sisters.

They already have Jesus in a place, in a spot, in a category… in a box.

And you ultimately aren’t going to persuade them differently. Jesus doesn’t. Not here, at least. Not yet.

But again, we do what we see Jesus doing. Does he stop loving them? Nope. Does he stop teaching them? Nope. He is faithful to teach and do miracles as the Father commands and as the Holy Spirit leads and empowers him to.

May we be so faithful.

So I’m going to pray over us… and we are going to reflect in song… and then respond in song.

Lord, break some strongholds here. Break some patterns of thinking of believing. We all have them, boxes we have put you in, limits we have put on you.

Astonish us. Surprise us. Challenge us with who you actually are.