Matthew 13:53-58 English Standard Version
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 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? 55 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? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 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.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
What attracts the lost to Jesus? What in us reveals Jesus? The perception of others during our witnessing to the lost is vital. They see us as men, common, nothing special and if they are looking at us, they will find us. We cannot control the perceptions of others. If salvation is going to come to the lost, it will be that they seek God and not us.
It is not that Jesus could not do mighty works among them, it was an example of the need for faith to initiate belief. These people of Nazareth believed they knew this Jesus before His ministry began. They would not allow their perceptions to be changed.
They had all the elements required to believe for they saw that this Jesus was no longer a child and that something was unbelievably different about Him. The same should be said about each of us. We are not as before, we are new creations in Christ and as such should be seen as different.
What makes us different?