1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he went about among the villages teaching.
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When Jesus returned to His home town, He taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath and everyone was amazed at His wisdom and His ability to perform miracles. But they were not able to see those things for what they were. Instead, all they could see was that they knew Him as the son of Mary and brother to James, Joses, Judas (Jude), Simon and their sisters. Because they could only see Him as a common man, they took offence at Him. Jesus responded that a prophet does receive honour but not among his hometown, relatives and family. Because of their inability to see Jesus as more than a mere man, Jesus could not perform many miracles. Their lack of faith hindered His ability to work there. Many people are hindered from believing in Jesus for eternal life because they won’t see Him as more than just a man. He was more than just a good teacher. His incredible wisdom and the miracles He performed were signs to show us that He is God’s only Son, God as man, sent to save us from our sins (John 3:16).
Jesus then sent out His twelve disciples to minister in groups of two. They were to take nothing with them except the basics. When they got to a town they were to look for a place that would welcome them and stay there, but if no one welcomed them, then they should shake the dust off their feet as a sign against them (they didn’t even want to take the dust from that town with them as they left). Their ministry was to go out in faith, trusting that God would supply their needs through the generosity of others as they proclaimed the kingdom message of repentance. We can partner with those whose ministry is sharing the gospel by offering hospitality when they are with us. But our connected world allows us to help and support them even when they are far from us. What are you doing to support those who are out there sharing the gospel?
Just as Jesus gave his disciples authority, he can give us authority too and does. We then need to use this authority to his glory because He is the one who has given it to us.