I’m finishing Matthew 13 this week and read a verse this morning that brought back an old memory.

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.” Mt. 13:57 ESV

The people in Jesus hometown who saw Him grow up and knew about Him and His family took offense at what God was doing through Him and refused to believe in Him. Therefore, verse 58 says he did not do many miracles there.

As I read this, I thought back to when Jesus changed my life as a 19 year old young man. I began serving Him immediately and a year later He called me to serve Him in ministry (to serve Him in a full-time capacity for the rest of my life).

Several years later I bumped into an old friend (who is a Christian) at a wedding. I’ll never forget what he said to me: “I could never come to your church because I know too much about you.”

In essence, he was not allowing for the fact that God could (and did) change my life. He didn’t have the faith that God could not only change me, but change the dynamic of our relationship.

Jesus couldn’t do many miracles in His hometown, because the people there decided to push back on faith. They chose to dwell in the past and missed out on the miracles God could have done among them.