Prophets and Honor
Matthew 13:53-58 (NIV) “When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.’ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
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A unique and powerful expression of Christ lives within every person. Our ability to recognize and honor the expression of Christ in others allows us to receive His blessings flowing through them. Failure to view people through the lens of Christ prevents us from receiving from them. Love is the medium of connection in the spiritual realm.
In the above passage from Matthew, Jesus has returned to his hometown after a time of public ministry. The people are amazed at Jesus’ wisdom and miraculous powers. However, their response to His words and deeds reveals their hearts: they refuse to acknowledge God working through Him and take offense at Him. Why?
The people in Jesus’ hometown viewed Him “according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Their eyes were fixed on what was seen and visible, not on unseen realities. They were spiritually blind to the divine reality operating in their midst. These people knew Jesus when He was growing up, before He began manifesting the call of God on His life. Their way of thinking about Jesus was bound to this perspective. Their mental associations were locked up in what He had been to them, not in who He now was. Their blindness “blocked” Jesus’ ability to do miracles. Their lack of faith prevented the flow of blessing from heaven.
Jesus makes the statement, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and his own house.” This is a spiritual principle. A prophet is someone who speaks the heart and mind of God, and manifests His will into the natural realm. Honor is high regard and respect for a person. It can be difficult for those close to us to recognize the power and authority of Christ operating through our lives, especially as we begin to manifest the supernatural works God has called us to (Ephesians 2:10). This is because the mind tends to think of others naturally, not spiritually (Romans 8:7). We tend not to see others as God sees them or think about others as God thinks about them. We must renew our minds.
In Christ, we have all become “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We no longer belong to the realm of the “flesh” (the old way of thinking and being), but the realm of the Spirit (Romans 8:9). We are no longer distinguished by natural means - indicators in the seen - but by the unseen. In the unseen, we are all one in Christ, united with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places (1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 2:6). We have become clothed with Christ, and live to manifest His presence. Thus, Paul can say, “There is neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28) and “Neither circumcision nor circumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation” (Galatians 6:15).
The power of God flows freely through sincere love (agape). When we fail to respect and honor others, we fail to love. It is our own lack of love that prevents us from receiving from others. We must focus on how Jesus is manifesting His presence through others. We must fix our eyes on what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). To love others is to know the Father, because the Father is operating in all and through all (Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 4:8). As we learn to honor others through the lens of the new creation, the manifest blessings we are able to receive from them will increase.
