When Jesus arrived in his hometown of Nazareth, he began teaching the people in the synagogue. Everyone was dazed, overwhelmed with astonishment over the depth of revelation they were hearing. They said to one another, “Where did this man get such great wisdom and miraculous powers? Isn’t he just the wood-worker’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary, and his four brothers Jacob, Joseph, Simon, and Judah? And don’t his sisters all live here in Nazareth? How did he get all this revelation and power?” And the people became offended and began to turn against him. Jesus said, “There’s only one place a prophet isn’t honored—his own hometown!” And their great unbelief kept him from doing any mighty miracles in Nazareth.

Matthew 13:54-58 (NKJV)

 

Matthew narrates the story of Jesus visiting His hometown of Nazareth and being rejected not just by His own people, but also by his own brothers (cf. John 7:5).

Those who heard Jesus were two-minded. While they might accept His teaching, they could not accept Him as the Messiah prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. In their eyes, Jesus was always a carpenter, and being from Nazareth, a town with no historical or spiritual significance they couldn't imagine that there was anything more to Jesus than what they already knew. Because of their over-familiarity with Jesus, they have difficulty believing that God is in their midst.

We can become too casual in our relationship with God that we lose our awe and reverence for Him. Because we have such a low expectation of God, we are unable to receive from Him. This attitude can lead to unbelief and a loss of faith. And it is this attitude that kept Jesus from doing many mighty miracles in Nazareth. More breakthroughs and healings could have occurred, and more lives could have been saved if the people didn’t let their limited thinking hinder Jesus from doing His work.

It's not that God requires our approval to do anything, but there are times when we need to change our mindset before God can change our circumstances. Don’t be like the people of Nazareth, who never went beyond their first impression of Jesus. Learn from Paul to pray for God to give you His Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better (Ephesians 1:17). There is no limit to knowing God, therefore continue to pursue intimacy with Him through a loving and believing relationship.