Jesus, the Son of Man

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

It's wonderful to gather with you,

to worship God together.

Please turn with me in your Bibles

to Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible,

please raise your hand.

We'd love to give you a Bible

that you can have

and you can use

while you're here as well.

We're in Matthew chapter 13,

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

starting in verse 53,

going to Matthew chapter 14,

Matthew 14:12

verse 12.

Let me pray for the reading

and preaching of God's word.

Heavenly Father,

thank you for your gracious condescension

in sending your Son,

the heir and prince

of the kingdom of heaven,

to earth,

to us,

who are lowly and sinful.

that he might take on our humanity,

that he might redeem us from our sins,

that he might lift us to you,

our God.

Lord, we plead with you.

please,

let that wondrous truth

strike us afresh this morning.

Exalt the name of your Son,

Jesus Christ,

and reveal to us his compassion,

his love,

his mercy,

that we might all draw near to him

in faith.

In his precious name,

in Jesus' name,

we pray.

Amen.

Please stand,

if you are able,

and join me as I read.

Let's honor God

by standing together

as I read from God's word

from Matthew 13,

53 to 14,

12.

And when Jesus had finished

these parables,

he went away from there.

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?

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?

And are not all his sisters

with us?

Where then

did this man get

all these things?

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.

And he did not do

many mighty works there

because of their unbelief.

At that time,

Herod the Tetrarch

heard about the fame

of Jesus.

And he said to his servants,

this is John the Baptist.

He has been raised

from the dead.

That is why

these miraculous powers

are at work in him.

for Herod

had seized John

and bound him

and put him in prison

for the sake of Herodias,

his brother Philip's wife.

Because John

had been saying to him,

it is not lawful

for you to have her.

And though he wanted

to put him to death,

he feared the people

because they held him

to be a prophet.

But when Herod's birthday came,

the daughter of Herodias

danced before the company

and pleased Herod

so that he promised

with an oath

to give her

whatever she might ask.

Prompted by her mother,

she said,

give me the head

of John the Baptist

here on a platter.

And the king was sorry.

But because of his oaths

and his guests,

he commanded it to be given.

He sent

and had John

beheaded in the prison

and his head

was brought on a platter

and given to the girl.

And she brought it

to her mother.

And his disciples

came and took the body

and buried it.

And they went

and told Jesus.

God's holy

and authoritative word.

Please be seated.

Around the 10th century BC,

the nation of Israel

rejected Yahweh,

the Lord God,

as their king

and instead demanded

a human king

so that they could have

a king

like the pagan nations

around them.

They rejected theocracy

and demanded

a monarchy.

And Prophet Samuel

at that time

warned them

that a human king

would conscript

their sons

to fight and die

in his wars

and that he would

take their daughters

into service

in his palace

and that he warned them

that the king

would tax them

and take the best

of their fields

and vineyards

and olive orchards

and that one day

they would regret

clamoring for a king

when they feel

his heavy hand

upon them.

But they didn't listen

to the prophet.

They demanded a king

and they got one

and after him

they got a long line

of unfaithful,

fickle,

wicked kings

that led the nation

away from God.

Two centuries later,

in the 8th century BC,

when Prophet Isaiah

warned the northern kingdom

of Israel

of their unfaithfulness

to God

and called them

to repent

of their idolatry

that if they didn't

that God would lead

them into exile

but they didn't listen.

Their hearts were dull

and their ears were heavy

and their eyes were blind.

They were deaf

to the pleas

of the prophet Isaiah

and as a result

they were conquered

by the Assyrians

and went into exile

as well.

Two centuries later

in the southern kingdom

of Judah,

Prophet Jeremiah

brought the same message

calling them

to repentance

because the judgment

of God was coming

because of their idolatry.

once again

they brazenly

hardened their faces

like a rock

and refused

to repent.

This is the pattern

we see all throughout

the Old Testament.

A prophet

whose message

is heeded

is the exception

and not the norm

in the Bible.

And there are many reasons

why people don't listen

to prophets.

One obvious reason

is that people

don't like being confronted

about their sins

and idols.

They cling to their idols

tooth and nail.

They lash out

against all those

who seek to take

those idols away

from them.

They like being lords

of their own lives.

They don't want to submit

to the lordship of God.

But there's another reason,

a second reason

people don't often

listen to prophets

is that they despise

the prophets.

Prophets are

ordinary people

entrusted with

an extraordinary

divine message.

And the very

ordinariness

of these prophets

makes people

despise them.

You're no better

than me.

Who made you

a prince

and judge

over us?

That's what the people

of Israel said to Moses

when he came to them.

Who are you

to tell me

what to do?

In the preceding

passages,

we have seen

that Jesus

is the ultimate

prophet

who reveals

to us

the secrets

of the kingdom

of heaven.

And our passage

this morning

shows us

how some

of the people

who heard that

message

responded to Jesus.

And in doing so,

it poses to us

this most important

question,

how will you

respond to Jesus?

That's the main

point of our passage.

We must trust

in Jesus

as the ultimate

prophet

who reveals

the kingdom

of God.

And we're going

to see in the

first passage

that the kingdom

is not found

in Jesus'

household.

And in the

second passage,

that kingdom

is not found

in Herod's

palace either.

Jesus comes

in the first

passage in chapter

13,

53 to 58.

He comes to

his hometown

and he teaches

in the synagogue

in verse 54.

The hometown

is not named

here in this

chapter,

but it was named

earlier in Matthew

in chapter 2

and chapter 4,

so we know

it's Nazareth.

Nazareth was a

small,

obscure town.

so obscure

that it doesn't

get mentioned

even once

in the Old

Testament

or in the

Apocrypha

or in any

of the rabbinic

literature.

It doesn't get

a single mention

in any of those

things.

For these reasons,

up until recent

archaeological discoveries,

many skeptical

scholars doubted

that Nazareth

was even a real

place.

When Philip

tells his friend

Nathaniel that

Jesus of Nazareth

is the promised

Messiah that has

come,

Nathaniel famously

responded in

John 1.45,

can anything

good come

from Nazareth?

Nazareth is

estimated to have

had about 200

residents during

the time of

Jesus.

So it's basically

a village,

not much bigger

than our church.

It's a small

town where

everyone knows

everyone,

so everyone

would have heard

about the

homecoming of

Jesus.

This is Jesus'

only recording

return to his

hometown,

Nazareth,

after his

public ministry

began in

Matthew 4.

And as we can

see in this

passage,

Jesus was already

by this point

quite famous.

We see in

chapter 14,

verse 1,

that Herod the

Tetrarch has

heard about

Jesus' fame.

His reputation

precedes him.

The locals

have already

heard of the

mighty works

that Jesus has

done elsewhere

in Capernaum.

Jesus comes

home as what

we might call

the hometown

hero,

the local

boy makes

good,

the small

town obscure

boy that

grew up and

went into the

big city and

made it.

He comes

home as the

miracle worker

and the

esteemed teacher

acclaimed by

the crowds,

and he takes

his seat,

the honors

seat in the

synagogue,

and he starts

to teach them.

He's the

visiting scholar,

the distinguished

lecturer,

and he's no

stranger.

He's their

own child

that grew

up.

He grew up

and is going

to the

synagogue most

likely.

It's a proud

moment for

the small,

humble town

of Nazareth.

And at

first,

the reception

seems warm.

In verse 54,

it says that the

people at the

synagogue were

astonished by

his teaching.

That's the

same word that

was used to

describe the

reaction of the

crowds who

were favorable

toward Jesus

in chapter 7,

verse 28,

after he preached

the Sermon on

the Mount,

the crowd said

about him,

he teaches as

someone who has

authority,

unlike these

scribes of the

law.

So similarly

here,

the crowds are

marveling,

saying,

where did this

man get this

wisdom and

these mighty

works?

They're amazed.

However,

the sweet

reception soon

turns sour,

as wonder

and marveling

turns into

skepticism,

familiarity

turns into

cynicism,

and celebration

turns into

envy.

If you examine

the structure

of chapter 13,

verse 53 to

58,

you can see

that it's

structured as

a chiasm.

The first

half of the

passage is

mirrored by

repeated words

and phrases

in the second

half of the

passage.

And this

parallel structure

highlights the

change,

the turning

point in the

crowd's response.

First,

Jesus comes to

his hometown,

and teaches.

At the end,

Jesus says,

the prophet has

no honor in

his hometown.

Then he says,

the townspeople

are astonished

by Jesus

in verse 54.

But in verse 57,

it says,

the same townspeople

took offense

at Jesus.

In verse 54,

the people ask,

where did this

man get this

wisdom and

these mighty

works?

Astonishment,

wonder,

marveling.

And then that

turns in verse 56

to where did

this man get

all these things?

to doubt,

to cynicism,

taking offense.

Something fishy

going on here.

He's one of us.

He grew up

in our synagogue.

He didn't

apprentice under

prestigious rabbi.

He didn't have

an elite education.

Where did this

man get

all the wisdom

and power?

It doesn't add up.

He must

be a charlatan.

Aren't we

also prone

to become

envious

of people's

successes?

He's no

better than I.

If I had

the same

opportunities

that he had,

if I had

the connections

he had,

if I had

the platform

that he had,

then I can

be just as

successful.

Why does

she have

so many

friends

and get

so much

attention

and affection

from others?

She's no

better than I.

But envy

is sin.

Envy

occurs

only where

the love

of self

trumps

over the

love of

neighbor.

It is a

failure to

rejoice

with those

who rejoice

and weep

with those

who weep

as God's

word commands

us.

And envy

is not

merely

a horizontal

offense.

It is also

a vertical

offense.

Envy

resents

the sovereignty

of the God

who sovereignly

orders the

affairs of

men.

Envy

doubts

the goodness

and generosity

of God

our Father

toward us.

And the

turn

of the

crowd,

the changing

of the

crowd,

hinges

on verses

55 and

56,

which is

the center

of the

chiasm

that stands

alone.

It's the

lone part

of that

structure

that doesn't

have a

matching

element.

It's meant

to be

highlighted

and focused.

And that's

the center

right here.

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,

and are

not all

his sisters

with us?

These are

questions,

the central

questions that

surround Jesus'

identity,

his humble

origin.

Is not

this the

carpenter's

son?

Notice

that it's

the definite

article,

the carpenter's

son.

The definite

article suggests

familiarity.

Everyone knew

that Jesus'

legal father

was Joseph,

the village

carpenter.

The word

carpenter is a

general term

that means

builder,

and he likely

made wooden

plows and

yokes for

the farmers

in the

village.

He's a

tradesman.

His job,

he has a

blue-collar

profession.

It is an

honest and

respectable

profession to

be sure,

but Joseph

was a

carpenter.

He was

no rabbi.

And that

raises the

question concerning

Jesus that

the people

voiced in

John 7,

15,

how is it

that this

man has

learning when

he has

never studied?

The polemic

against Jesus

continues in

verse 55.

Is not his

mother called

Mary?

It's interesting

that they point

out that she

was called

Mary rather

than simply

saying,

is not his

mother Mary?

Mary.

I think this

might be

because Mary

was one of

the most

common and

ordinary names

in the New

Testament.

Imagine an

ordinary,

everyday,

run-of-the-mill

gal, and that

gal would be

named Mary.

Israeli

historian Tal

Elan compiled

a list of

all-known

names of

Jewish women

living in

Israel and

Palestine

between

330 B.C.

and 200 A.D.

and she

found out that

25% of the

women were

named Mary.

The

commonness of

the name

Mary is borne

out by

biblical evidence.

For example,

in addition to

Mary, the

mother of

Jesus,

mentioned here

in Matthew

13,

55,

in Matthew

27,

56,

it mentions

two other

Marys,

Mary Magdalene

and Mary,

the mother of

James and

Joseph,

who is

most likely

Mary,

the wife

of Clopas,

mentioned in

John 19,

25.

So there's

three already.

And then

there's

Mary of

Bethany,

sister of

Lazarus and

Martha,

who is

consistently

described as

being Mary

of Bethany,

distinguishing her

from Mary

of Magdala,

Mary Magdalene,

even though the

two have

historically been

conflated by

some people.

I don't think

the Bible

intentionally

distinguishes

!

them.

Paul greets

yet another

Mary,

a fifth Mary,

who lived in

Rome in

Romans 16,

16.

In Acts

Acts 12:12

12,

verse 12,

there's another

Mary who is

called the

mother of

John Mark,

the author of

the Gospel

of Mark.

His mother was

named Mary

also.

So Mary,

there's a lot

of Marys.

We don't have

as many Marys in

our church,

but we do have

lots of

Joshua's and

Daniel's.

So Mary was

the most

common,

ordinary

female name

in those

days,

and that

emphasizes

the townspeople's

point.

Is not

his mother

called

Mary?

His mother

isn't some

exotic,

otherworldly

Persephone

or Cleopatra.

No,

his mother

isn't Queen

Mary or

even Lady

Mary.

No,

it's just

plain old

Mary from

the block,

that Mary

number six.

What can

possibly be so

special about

her son?

And are

not his

brothers James

and Joseph

and Simon

and Judas?

His brothers,

they're our

childhood buddies.

We wrestled

and tussled

with them and

ran around

playing tag

with them.

We played

hopscotch

with them

growing up.

And are

not all his

sisters with

us?

Their

sisters live

among us.

They're

married to

my friends

and my

neighbors.

How can

a man

whose

pedigree,

whose family

tree is so

public and

so ordinary

be someone

so special

and extraordinary?

as Jesus

says in verse

57,

a prophet is

not without

honor except

in his

hometown and

in his own

household.

We have a

similar proverb

in English,

don't we?

Familiarity

breeds

contempt.

We often

assume that

what is near

and what is

familiar

cannot be

special,

cannot be

truly good.

good.

But don't

let your

familiarity

with Jesus

and the

claims of

Christianity

turn that

into contempt.

Maybe you

grew up in

a Christian

family and

you're tempted

to have

contempt for

what you

were taught.

Maybe someone

has told you,

well you're

only a

Christian because

you grew up

in a Christian

home and

because you

grew up in

the Christian

West in the

United States

of America.

If you were

born in Saudi

Arabia,

you'd be

Muslim.

Maybe you

feel the

sting of

that

criticism.

But if you

think about

it,

that's a

logical

sleight of

hand.

You can

say that

about any

worldview.

You're

three times

more likely

to be a

skeptical,

humanistic

atheist if

you're born

in Boston,

Massachusetts,

as opposed

to Boston,

Kentucky.

Yes,

that's a

real town

in Kentucky.

Three times

more likely.

But what

does that

say about

the merits

of atheism?

Nothing.

You have to

weigh the

merits of

the ideas

themselves.

Likewise,

you must

consider the

claims of

Christ on

its own

merit.

So what

do you

make of

Jesus?

This passage

brings into

stark relief

the scandal

of the

incarnation of

the Son of

God.

Today is the

first Sunday

of Advent,

which celebrates

the coming of

Christ to

earth,

into our

world.

And because

as Christians

we know

that Jesus

is the

risen and

ascended and

exalted

Lord,

we can

sometimes forget

the humility

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ in

his coming.

Do you

know that

Jesus learned

a trade?

Is not

this the

carpenter's

son?

Indeed,

Jesus is

himself called

a carpenter

in Mark

Mark 6:3

chapter 6,

verse 3,

because he

learned that

trade in

his father's

shop.

Do you

know that

Jesus had

a human

mother?

That's a

truly mind-boggling

fact.

Jesus had

an ordinary

human mother

in Mary.

He had a

gestation period

in her womb.

Mary went

into labor

and she gave

birth to

Jesus as a

baby.

Jesus grew

up like any

other boy.

He didn't

come out

of the

womb

running.

No,

He came

out.

He had

to crawl

first and

then cruise

and then

walk and

then run.

Jesus did

not come out

of the womb

speaking fluent

Aramaic.

He had to

learn to

speak.

It says in

Luke chapter 2,

Luke 2:52

verse 52,

Jesus increased

in wisdom and

in stature and

in favor with

God and man.

Do you

know that

Jesus had

brothers and

sisters?

Some Christian

denominations teach

that Mary is

ever virgin.

They call this the

doctrine of the

perpetual virginity

of Mary, that

she was a virgin

before and

during and

after the

birth of Jesus.

And therefore

they argue,

they insist that

Jesus could not

have had any

siblings.

Their claim is

based on two

biblical arguments.

First, they point

to John 19,

26 to 27.

As Jesus is

dying on the

cross, he

entrusts the

care of his

mother Mary,

not to his

brothers or to

his other

siblings, but

to his

disciple John.

And they

infer from

that that Jesus

could not have

had any

siblings because

if he did,

he would not

have entrusted

the care of

his mother to

his disciple.

That's, I

think, a huge

and a mistaken

assumption.

Can it simply

be the case that

Jesus' siblings

were not on the

scene?

Or that they

no longer

lived in the

same town as

his mother?

It says

explicitly in

John 7, 5

that not even

his brothers

believed in

Jesus.

Can it be that

Jesus wanted to

entrust the care

of his precious

mother not to

his unbelieving

brothers who

think he's a

crazy cook, but

rather because he

wanted to entrust

the care of his

mother to a

trusted disciple,

his beloved

disciple John?

I think that's

far more likely,

especially when

we have a

passage like

ours this

morning that

speaks explicitly

of Jesus'

siblings.

That brings up

the second

argument that

some people

make, that

they argue

that in the

biblical Hebrew

and Aramaic,

the word for

cousin or

relative is

non-existent,

so they use

instead the

word for

brother or

sister to

refer to

relatives and

kinsmen.

That's true.

However, one

major problem

with their

argument is

that the

gospel of

Matthew is

not written

in Hebrew

and Aramaic,

it's written

in Greek.

And in

Greek, there

is a word

for relative.

And in

Greek, there

is a word

for cousin.

And in the

New Testament

Greek, the

word brother

or sister is

never used

to mean

cousin, because

those words

exist.

Colossians 4.10

says that Mark

is the cousin

of Barnabas.

Luke 1.36

refers to

Mary's cousin

Elizabeth as

her relative.

Another word.

And remember

the immediate

context of our

passage here,

which speaks of

Jesus' immediate

family members,

his father and

his mother,

so it's only

natural to assume

that he's speaking

of his actual

brothers and

siblings, his

sisters.

Some argue

that the

perpetual virginity

of Mary, as

did some

denominations argue,

is a historical

doctrine that the

church has always

held.

However, that's

not true.

The doctrine of

the perpetual

virginity of

Mary does not

appear on the

scene until the

fourth century, and

most of that in

the context of

polemical debate

about the

superiority of

celibacy over

marriage.

It's not

dissimilar to

how the

doctrine of

Trinity has

been dragged

into the

debate, the

modern debate

over

complementarianism

and egalitarianism,

for some of you

who are familiar

with that, and

how some

scholars have

unwittingly

walked into

Trinitarian

heresies while

in those

polemical

contexts.

An early

church father

Tertullian from

the second

century, earlier

on, clearly

stated that Jesus

had real

biological

brothers, and

that after giving

birth to Jesus,

Mary did

consummate her

marriage once

for all.

In fact, that's

the clear biblical

implication of

Matthew 1.25,

that Mary did

not remain a

virgin after the

birth of Christ,

because it

says that

Joseph did

not know

his wife

intimately,

conjugally,

until she

had given

birth to

Jesus.

The natural

reading of

the verse

implies that

after Mary

gave birth to

Jesus, Joseph

did have

normal conjugal

relations with

her.

And why

should that

surprise us?

Because the

Bible teaches

it commands

regular conjugal

relations between

husband and

wife in 1

Corinthians 7.

the idea of

the perpetual

virginity of

Mary, that

Jesus had no

siblings, this

lessens the

radical nature of

Jesus' incarnation.

Jesus is the

Son of God,

yes, but he

really took on

human flesh.

He really was

born of woman,

born under the

law.

He really was

the Son of Man

in every way

except for sin.

He was raised

in a bustling

home with

rowdy brothers,

he knows what

it's like for

siblings to be

jerks toward

him, like in

this passage.

Hebrews 2,

14 to 18,

which we read

for our

assurance of

pardon, talks

about the

significance of

the true

humanity of

Christ.

Since

therefore the

children share

in flesh and

blood, he

himself likewise

partook of the

same things,

that through

death he

might destroy

the one who

has the power

of death, that

is the devil,

and deliver

all those who

through fear

of death

were subject

to lifelong

slavery.

For surely it

is not angels

that he helps,

but he helps

the offspring

of Abraham.

Therefore he

had to be made

like his

brothers in

every respect,

so that he

might become

a merciful and

faithful high

priest in the

service of God,

to make

propitiation for

the sins of

the people.

For because he

himself has

suffered when

tempted, he's

able to help

those who are

being tempted.

Jesus had to

be made like

his brothers in

every respect.

If Jesus is

not truly man,

he cannot rightly

represent humanity

as our high

priest.

If Jesus is not

truly man, he

cannot make

atonement for the

sins of man.

If Jesus is not

truly man, he

cannot deliver

mortal men from

the power of

death.

death.

In order to

help man, he

must become a

man.

And Matthew

13, 53 to 58

teaches us that

Jesus indeed

became a man in

every respect.

He lived as a

man, he died as

a man, so that he

might save men and

women like you and

me from sin and

death.

That's the scandal

of the incarnation.

How can the

king of kings

take the form

of a servant?

How can the

creator of the

heavens and the

earth take the

form of a

creature?

How can the

potter become

the clay?

How can the

architect of the

house become the

cornerstone of the

house that he is

building?

How can the

author of the

book become the

protagonist of the

book?

Why should Jesus

endure the

humiliation that he

endures in his

hometown of Nazareth?

He's not this, the

carpenter's son?

Well, do you not

know?

He's also the son

of God.

He's the king, the

prince of peace.

That's how we want

to tell off those

Nazarenes.

But instead, Jesus

willingly endured

that humiliation.

He did come as

the carpenter's son.

He did come as the

son of Mary, as the

brother of James and

Joseph and Judas and

Simon.

And it shows us the

humility of Christ,

our Savior.

Jesus did not go

through life, detached

from the day-to-day

realities of humanity

with a halo around his

head and floating an

inch above the ground

everywhere he went.

He was not an angel.

He was flesh and

blood.

He nursed at his

mother's breast as a

babe.

He was the eldest son

in his father's

carpentry shop.

He knew what it's

like to get sawdust in

his eyes at the shop.

He knew what it's like

to clean up after his

younger siblings.

And most importantly,

Jesus died a humiliating

death on a Roman cross

in our place to save us

from our sins.

Jesus came down to the

miry pit of humanity,

the pit of our squalor

and sin so that he might

lift us up, save us from

sin and death, and bring

us and reconcile us to

God our Father.

Jesus knew the fragility

of human life.

And because Jesus has

been tempted as we are

in every respect and yet

without sin, he's able,

it says, to sympathize

with our weaknesses.

He's able to help us

when we are being

tempted.

Do you know this morning

that Jesus knows and he

understands what you are

feeling and what you are

going through?

Do you know that you

don't have to come to

Jesus by putting on a

face, acting like

everything's perfect?

After you put all your

life together, then you

can finally come to Jesus

and meet him.

That's not what you have

to do.

Because Jesus is the

humble king.

Because he took on our

flesh.

Because he knows our

infirmities.

Because he has become

like his brothers in

every way.

The true humanity of

Jesus has made many

people throughout history

despise him.

He is a man like me.

There's no way he could

have done the miracles

recorded in the Gospels.

He's a man like me.

There's no way he rose

from the dead.

He's a man like me.

There's no way he is a

son of God.

There's no way he can be

the blameless atoning

sacrifice for sin.

But to say such things is

to make the same mistake

as the people of Nazareth

who took offense at Jesus.

So I urge you this morning

don't join the long list of

hapless people who have

perished for not listening to

the prophet of the Lord.

He says in verse 58 that

Jesus did not do many

mighty works there because

of their unbelief.

Unbelief and the

importance of faith are

recurring themes in this

Gospel of Matthew.

Actually all throughout

Scripture we see that

faith is a prerequisite

for the miraculous works

of God.

Jesus says later in

Matthew 21 21

Truly I say to you

if you have faith

and do not doubt

even if you say to this

mountain

be taken up and thrown

into the sea

it will happen.

Jesus does not do

many mighty works

in Nazareth

because of the

townspeople's unbelief.

In a more detailed

account of Jesus' visit

to Nazareth

recorded in Luke chapter 4

Luke 4 · chapter mention

the townspeople say to

Jesus

Doubtless

or Jesus says to

all of the townspeople

Doubtless you will

quote to me this

proverb

Physician heal yourself

What we have heard

you did at Capernaum

do here in your

hometown as well.

These people were

demanding that Jesus

perform the same

mighty works that he

did elsewhere in

Capernaum

but Jesus did not

indulge their

prideful unbelief.

Instead he said

to this evil and

unbelieving generation

will be given only the

sign of the prophet

Jonah.

Matthew 12

39

Jesus does

as you see in the

gospel of John

John 10

37 and 38

this is stated explicitly

he does do miracles

and signs

and wonders

to help people

who come to him

with faith

seeking understanding

who believe in him

and want to be

helped.

However

Jesus

steadfastly

refuses to

indulge

the whims of people

who question him

out of their pride

and unbelief.

Jesus will not be

reduced to a genie

in a bottle

or a cheap magician

that does tricks

upon demand.

And I think this is

important because

in order to truly

follow Christ

in order to truly

submit to God

we need humility

we need faith

that takes God

and his word

and submits to him.

only

and if people

say

people who will

only believe in God

on their own terms

if you do this

and this

and you prove this

to me

then I will believe

in you

they'll only

obey God

on their own terms

too.

Well I'll obey you

if I like what

you're saying

if I like what

you're telling me

to do

if it doesn't

cost me

that much

if I don't need

to sacrifice

too much

only those

who believe

God on his