In John chapter 4 verses 43-45, we see that after Jesus had spent a couple of days with the Samaritans, He continued His journey northward to his home REGION. But, there’s a glaring omission in this passage. It says He returned to His home REGION of Galilee, but it doesn’t say that He went to His home TOWN of Nazareth. But, we ARE told why He may have chosen not to go to there.
Verse 44 quotes Jesus as having said that a prophet is not honored in his “own country.” And that phrase, “own country,” is used in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark specifically as a reference to Nazareth. And in those passages, we’re told that Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there because of the unbelief of the people. And that unbelief was specifically due to their inability to accept that Jesus was more than just the local carpenter’s son, Mary’s boy, the kid down the street. Their expectations of Him were small because they had a limited definition of Him.
Now, their constrained view of Him didn’t really limit His power. But it did limit their ability to benefit from His power.
I’m in Honolulu, Hawaii on vacation. And I’ve been coming here at least once a year since 1996. That’s when I made more first trip here to speak in a conference. And I fell in love…with the people, the culture, the music, the pace, the climate, and the natural beauty. And most importantly, I found that of all the places I’ve been in this world, Hawaii is a place where I can truly rest. I’m not exactly sure why, and it may all be just in my head, but nonetheless, it’s become very important to me for that reason.
But, for the first 40 years of my life, I didn’t benefit from the power of this place. And that was specifically because of my limited definition of Hawaii. I considered it a place for surfers and sun-bathers. And since I’m not either of those, I couldn’t imagine why I would I want to come here.
So, needless to say, I’m deeply grateful to God for arranging for me to have my definition of Hawaii expanded so I could receive the blessings of this place.
And that makes me wonder, have I defined Jesus in a small, narrow, or constrained way that limits my ability to benefit from all He wants to do in my life? And the answer is, of course I have. The magnitude of our Savior is beyond description. So, any way I imagine Him is less than He truly is. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have my awareness of His greatness expanded. And THAT’S my goal for today. Jesus, help me embrace more of who you are.