Refuse to Believe – Is That You?

When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country. He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, "Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?" Then they scoffed, "He's just the carpenter's son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?" And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family." And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:53-58 

Meditate on belief and unbelief.

 

Do you refuse to believe in Jesus, the miracles He did, and His promises for eternal life with Him? What do you believe?  Life is just what we have here—no miracles and when life is over…it is over? I think that is more to life than what we see here day to day. A spiritual dimension. We have the words and teachings of Jesus recorded in the Bible. There are other spiritual leaders of various religions—but none of them have died and risen to life again. To me that makes Jesus the true God—my Savior. His promise for eternal life for His followers is a hope and a joy. Do you need hope in your life?

Water Lilly - Purity and Peace

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

These words were penned by Paul in his letter to the Romans—but they are inspired by the Holy Spirit and reveal a truth to us about Jesus. The people at Nazareth were offended. Deeply offended. Why? Did they not believe Him because they’d never seen Him do miracles or just expected Him to be a carpenter like Joseph? He didn’t do miracles as a child, teenager, or even as a young adult. It wasn’t until after His ministry began, after His baptism, and after the time of temptation in the desert, that He began doing miracles. God gave Him such wisdom and His teaching ministry amazed everyone—no matter where He went.

He frequently spent time with God. Do you do that? I know I should so more. Is seven minutes in the morning enough? Well, I do spend sometimes hours writing this blog—but that may not be quality time with the Lord. It certainly does draw me closer to Him and I treasure this time of focusing on Him.

How about you? The question is still…like the people in Nazareth—do you refuse to believe? If you do believe, are you spending quality time reading, studying, and (dare I say) even memorizing His word? That is my plan—to get up a little earlier and spend that time, like Jesus, growing closer to God. Is what you want to do, too?

What do we learn about Jesus from this scripture today?

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, wake me up twenty minutes earlier tomorrow. I’m looking forward to spending time with You, God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (KJV).

 

Verse of Salvation ~ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9-10

Comments - Are you deeply offended? Chat or provide your observations below.

 

© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Authorized Version or King James Version (KJV), 1611, 1769.
Outside of the United Kingdom, the KJV is in the public domain. 

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