Jesus said: a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house. His friends and family were sure they knew Him as the little boy who learned carpentry at His “father’s” side. How did Jesus respond? Did He “bend but not break?” No! Jesus did not “lighten” His message to accommodate His audience. There was no “bending” the gospel truth.
To illustrate this further, let’s consider another prophet, Jeremiah, who, like Christ was also rejected by his close family and friends.
· Jer. 1:17-19: When God called Jeremiah He told him people would resist him.
· Jer. 11:18-23: Early in Jeremiah’s ministry there was a conspiracy against him by the men of Anathoth. Anathoth was his hometown!
· Jer. 12:1-4: Jeremiah was shocked: “LORD, why are You letting them to this?”
· Jer. 12:5-6(-17): God answered: “If you think this is bad, it is going to get worse. And your own family is going to be part of it!!”
· Jer. 15:10: Here we find Jeremiah crying, “Woe is me! Everyone curses me!”
o 15:11-14: The LORD’s response was not to make life easier for Jeremiah. He told Jeremiah that, in addition to the rejection by his family, he would also suffer some of the same trials the wicked people of Israel would experience.
o 15:15-18: Jeremiah responded by crying to the LORD for help. “Remember me!” He also reconfirmed his commitment to God’s word: Your words were found and I ate them. And Your word was the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
15:19-21: God said, “If you return to me it will continue to be as I told you it would be.” But God also promised, “I will be with you.”
· 16:1-2: Then, again, God told Jeremiah of more difficulty he would experience. God would not permit Jeremiah to marry or have children. God would be with him, but Jeremiah would have very little earthly support.
· 17:14-18: Jeremiah’s response was to make a strong commitment to the LORD: Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, for You are my praise! … You are my hope in the day of doom. How magnificent!
· 20:7-18: The last of Jeremiah’s struggles are seen here. He regretted having been born. He recognized God’s choice of him for this difficult ministry. Mixed with this were words of encouragement, recognizing God’s presence with him.
Jesus also suffered this rejection of His own people, and cried out to His Father: who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Heb. 5:7-8; cf. Mk. 14:32-42).
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