‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? … And they took offence at him. (v.55 and 57)
Outside Nazareth, Jesus was less credible and an “underdog” in the eyes of some because He came from Nazareth. (John 1:46) Today’s reading shows us that being the local carpenter’s son (even one known to be a ‘righteous man” (Matthew 1:19) made Jesus less credible as a rabbi and healer inside Nazareth.
It’s worth pondering that Jesus’ origin, family and accent made absolutely no difference to His nature, character and capabilities. They made no difference to the anointing, power and treasures of wisdom which He bore. But they did make a huge difference to people’s abilities to receive Him and His ministry. I wonder how many of God’s blessings I have missed in my life because an ‘underdog’ in my society was the bearer of those blessings and I was unable to receive them? The people of Nazareth missed out on the ministry of the Messiah because of the prejudice of familiarity. What have I missed by virtue of my prejudices?
Heavenly Father, forgive me when I look at others and cannot see past the colour of their skin, the accent of their speech, their country of origin or even their outward personality. Please forgive me for failing to see people with Your eyes. When everyone saw a smelly shepherd, You saw King David. When others saw a fugitive from the law, You saw Moses the Lawgiver. When others saw a useless Nazarene, You saw the Saviour of the World. When others saw a carpenter, You saw the King. Please open my eyes today to see beyond the superficial. Help me to see beyond those things that make someone else an underdog in my eyes … and to see the person You created and the treasure they bear. Amen.
Dave's Diary 
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