A Clear Perception (Part V)

Nathanael was not the only one who had a wrong perception of Jesus based on His background (See Part IV).

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, 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 this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 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 13:53-57

When Jesus went to Nazareth, His own people were offended by Him and did not believe that He was anyone special. They were familiar with His parents Mary and Joseph, the carpenter. They also knew His brothers and sisters.  Some of His countrymen may have known Jesus since He was a child and could not believe that somehow he be in a position to teach them. Some of His peers may have been jealous of Him. They knew He had wisdom and had done mighty works, but they could not accept His works. Consequently, His countrymen did not receive Him because of their perception problem. The scripture tells us that Jesus did not do many miracles there and the book of Mark tells that he only healed a few sick people in Nazareth (See Mark 6:5). 

The people’s pride, jealousy, and their sense of familiarity with Jesus caused them not to honor Him. Their lack of acceptance was a detriment to their lives as they missed what Jesus could have done among them.

If we have been a Christian for any length of time, we can also develop a perception problem. We may see young people who grow spiritually and begin to take on leadership roles. In our eyes, they were just a kid a few years ago! There are others who walked in our church with many issues years ago, but God is using them doing to do mighty work in His kingdom. However, we continue to see them the way they were when we first met them. There are others that we are too familiar with, and when God speaks through them, we want to ignore it because it cannot be that important!

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  Matthew 10:40-41

We all need perception adjustment from time to time. If we find it hard to receive from certain people or accept their ministry, we should examine our hearts. We need to find out if we have pride, jealousy, or familiarity with this person that causes us not to take them seriously. God rewards people when they receive His representatives for His intended purpose! God’s representatives are going to bring a blessing to those who receive them if we welcome their anointing in our lives.