These words come from Luke 4 and speak about what our scripture is describing. We are told that Jesus was becoming more and more popular. People from his own hometown were excited because he was one of their own. They heard about his preaching, his teaching, and his healing. Then the day came for him to return home. We are told he went to the front of the synagogue, opened up the Scroll of Isaiah to where it is written that the “Spirit of the Lord is upon me” from Isaiah 61, read the first verse, and said, “‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing'” (21 ESV). Suddenly, the excitement passed; in fact, it turned into anger. He had just created an unforgivable sin known as blasphemy. In this case, what he did was to claim that he was God. While people in other towns and villages may have believed that he was, the people who raised him knew he was special, but they were unwilling to take it as far as he did.

Try to place their shoes on your feet. You have known Jesus since he was a child. He was the one who went to your church on the Sabbath, who played with your children, you were friends with his parents. He may have been the one you taught in Sunday school, vacation Bible school, Boy Scouts or other activities. Maybe he played baseball or soccer with your kids. Now he wants you to believe that he is God’s Son, the one the scriptures talk about, the one who is going to save the world. How stupid does he think you are?

Many of us have our own interpretation of scriptures and the way it is going to be. We picture the way we see things coming together. Few of us would be accepting of one who was making the claim that he is the Messiah.

In Matthew’s account, it says, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief” (13:58 ASV). Sometimes our own reasoning gets in the way of receiving the blessing. Had the people that day believed in him and who he was, the synagogue in his hometown could have really been blessed.

I believe that Jesus is coming back as a child so that what we are speaking about here is something we could experience. However, I am also saying that while we have to be on our guard for false prophets, in the process of interpreting things through our own lens, we may sometimes miss a blessing we could have received.

A scripture that I sometimes think of in situations like this is “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” or capstone, and “it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-25 NIV). Sometimes that very thing we reject may be exactly who or what we need. So how do we know? We read and study God’s word. We open our minds to the possibility that God can speak and act outside of our boundaries or limitations and still do miraculous things today.

Rev. James Behrens, Loyalsock United Methodist Charge (Bethel of Loyalsock, Mill Creek, and Third Street United Methodist Churches).