Booing the home team
Only in his hometown is a prophet not honored.
When Jesus recognized that people who were most familiar with him weren’t recognizing him, He made that statement. Tragically, this phenomenon is still prevalent today. It shows up when people are more fascinated by the leaders they don't have than leaders they do have. It shows up when strangers get more of the benefit of the doubt than family. Or, when people can only go to therapists in order to feel safe with sharing their feelings. Are we honoring them more than someone who might actually be a closer, more capable person in our life?
How about when Internet bloggers get more of your attention and affections than people sitting right across from you. Or, when you quote a TV talk show host’s advice while your grandmother’s thoughts about the same thing are barely acknowledged. Or, when the ideals of a friend from school sound better to us than our parents’. Or, when a documentary is the "gospel truth" on what you believe about something. You might need to take a closer look in order to discover if the state of mind that Jesus accused his hometown people of having is living in you.
How is it that our hearts are wide open to the appealing presentation of strangers than to the up close and personal words of someone from our hometown? Hometown persons can range from trusted family members, to proven leadership in your workplace, to our faithful buddies in our places of worship, to those classmates who have been transformed for the better. Jesus was so common to the people from his hometown that they had a hard time taking him seriously. Their memories of him got in the way of the divine moments he was offering them.
Think about this...after the first strange, yet wonderful experience with Jesus happened in your life and then He addressed something He wanted you do or change, how fast did your conviction take to kick in and you get to changing it? Quick, snap, and in a hurry, right? Now that you’re not strangers anymore with him but know him well, and now when he asks you to do or change something, how fast do you get to it? Not as fast, right?
I wonder how many prophets there are that God has raised up from the places you’re most familiar with. The dilemma you'll face is that your past memories try to keep you from receiving your present divine moment. You feel safe and secure in your history. This dulls you to what you have. If God has something for you, why wouldn't He just give it to you in a way that is sure to get your attention and affections? I believe it's to keep your eyes on honor. So the wisdom of God is that He hides the rare jewel you need in a familiar package you can take for granted. Why? Because it's the last place you'll look and the kingdom you’re a part of wants us to see with eyes of honor. Eyes of honor can see past the past.
Think about what Jesus possessed and desired to give to the people He was most familiar with. He had so much power and wisdom and blessings at his disposal, but the people of His hometown rejected it because they saw more of Him than what He carried.
Our application would be to ask God to give us His eyes to see the people we see every day, eyes of honor. Like that friend who is wiser than we give them credit for, or like that prophetic leader, or that parental boss that we have grown familiar with. Strangers can be entertained, but hometown prophets should be honored. If you are looking for a miracle, pay attention to the mundane. When you treat with mystery those with whom you have history, you might discover your miracle is right in front of you.