OCU C)HT C Devotion 03
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MATTHEW 13 – REJECTED
“So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:57)
The masses heard the words of the Lord Jesus. They witnessed his miracles; The lame became whole, the blind began to see, and the dead would be raised. How did these hearers respond?
“When they had heard these words, they marveled”…. After all, if you personally witnessed someone perform the inconceivable, what would you do? After they marveled and were amazed, Matthew writes that they “left Him (Jesus) and went their way.”
Sadly, this plays out today as much as it did when Jesus walked the earth. After all, how many times have we heard people claim that if God would only speak to them directly or if they could witness the son of God’s glory, for even a moment, they would believe and follow Jesus?
The reality is that it’s not enough to witness Christ to be converted. No, you must believe to be saved and be “born again.” After all, many witnessed Jesus’s words and ministry to only depart and go back to their lives apart from God. Why, may you ask? The truth is unsettling…because man inherently “loves darkness rather than light.”
CHALLENGE
I’m sure you are familiar with John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But have you done something about it? Will you make Jesus Lord today, or will you do as the masses did and go back to your own way?
“Behold now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
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Unfortunately, people today seek factual proof rather than the belief itself and would rather lean on more toward what has been proven to be either a hoax or not. As a man myself, i think that it is easy for men to hide in darkness because of so many opportunities that are outside our doorstep. Lust, greed, pride and all other subjects that catches men’s attention on a daily basis. I get it, its easier said than done, but i think that if one can sit down and understand the gospel and share others testimonies as to why having a relationship with Jesus is the ultimate gift you can have, i strongly believe that they will understand. All it takes is constant seeking for Christ in our everyday lives and without notice, we will begin to see that everything is changing only because our hearts are set in stone through Him, and not on this world which will only provide temporary, unsatisfied comfort. Our thirst and ache to be with Him will change our mindset and how we live our lives.
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This week’s devotional reminded me of the importance of our response to God and His Word. It is not enough to just listen or even just to understand; we must let His Word change our lives. Truly allowing God to change us is not just doing good deeds (although those are very important), it affects who we are, what we say, and what we think. The people in the verses from Matthew 13 mentioned in the devotional did hear Jesus’s message. They did not leave right away when He started talking. However, after He spoke, that is when they walked away. In some cases, it can apply to the entire message of salvation. In other cases, it can apply to some of the things God speaks to us daily. When He speaks to us, we must listen, obey, and take it to heart, instead of in our heart “walking away.” This is much easier said than done, but the change that comes from doing this will be amazing.
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This devotional reminds me of Mark 4:16 & 17. Jesus was explaining the parable of the sower to the disciples and believers because it was given to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom. Their walking away is indicative of the seed that was on stony ground. When they heard the word they were exited and received it with gladness, but as soon as the first sign of opposition for the word’s sake came, they were offended & there was no root in them. I like to say there was no stick-to-it-iveness.
In Matt. 16:4 Jesus said a evil & adulterous generation seek for a sign (James, 2019). By using the word adulterous here He is saying they were unfaithful in their worship and allegiance to God. Furthermore the only sign He said He was going to give was that of Jonah. Jonah was symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament in that he died in the belly of the whale for three days and was resurrected to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Thomas was a disciple of Jesus Christ & he didn’t believe Jesus resurrection until he saw the nail scars in His hands. Jesus told him he believed because he saw. We today are blessed because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ without having even seen Him.
This devotional reminds me to keep my faith in Jesus Christ in spite of what my natural eyes might see & continue to walk by faith and not our natural sight. It also reminds me that the Christian walk will not always be easy. Sometimes we will face persecution, many times, by the ones we love most and are the closest to us. The power of God to do the miraculous is just as strong today as it ever was & we should not lower our standards because of what people around us say, rather hold the word of God in such high esteem that we arise to the standard it calls for and continue to believe. Mark 16:17 tells us the signs that follow those that truly believe.
References
James, K. (2019). Holy Bible: King James Version, 1611 Edition.
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Reading this devotional message causes me to think of my own life and the many times I have wished that God would just speak directly to me, in a way that I can understand and can’t miss. I think of the story of Balaam and his donkey in Numbers 22. Balaam’s donkey, which he had ridden many times, rerouted him three times. Each time Balaam beat the donkey. Finally, God opened the donkey’s mouth, and he spoke to Balaam. Instead of paying attention to the out-of-character behavior of the donkey, Balaam beats the animal until his eyes are open to the angel of the Lord. This story causes me to reflect on how many times I have my head down, trudging along, ignoring what could be obvious messages, all the while moaning about how I wish the Lord would speak to me. Is it that the Lord isn’t speaking, or is it that I am not REALLY listening?
Another important consideration is HOW the Lord speaks. When you meet someone and you want to get to know them, you do so by talking with them, by spending time with them and getting to know them. By the same token, if we are to hope to hear the voice of God, we must spend time getting to know him. We do this by study and being in prayer, as well as in His Word. We must know the voice of God if we have any hope of hearing Him.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2022:21-39&version=NIV
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In Matthew 13:57, we see that Jesus was not honored in his own hometown, and because of their disbelief, he did not perform many miracles there. The people heard his teachings and saw his miracles, yet they were offended and chose to go their own way.
This situation is similar to what happens today. Many people say they would believe in God if they could see a miracle or hear him speak directly. However, witnessing miracles alone is not enough for true conversion. To be saved, one must believe in Jesus and be “born again.” Many people saw Jesus’ works and heard his words, but they still chose to live their lives apart from God. This is because, as the Bible says, people often “love darkness rather than light.”
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