Matthew 13:53-58, Don’t MISunderestimate Christ.

It’s been almost twenty years ago (Nov. 6, 2000) when President Bush used the term (usually called a “Bushism”) misunderestimate.  He got raked over the coals by the media, but the fact is no one misunderstood what he meant.  A double negative (mis, under) makes a positive; but no one thought this except those who had an ax to grind against the President.  “They misunderestimated me” is what he said.  What he meant by the double-negative was that people really, really misjudged him.

It is an even more serious problem if you “misunderestimate” Jesus Christ.  It’s what happened in today’s passage.  Jesus returned to Nazareth, His own country, where He grew up.  He was apparently well-thought of when He was growing up (remember, He grew in favor with man, Lk. 2:52).  But when He returned with His Messianic ministry, He was rejected by His hometown.  They missed terribly because they underestimated Him.

Jesus did not treat the people of Nazareth in a manner lower than others.  He taught in the synagogue and performed at least a few miracles there.  He did not cheat them.  His familiarity with them did not breed contempt.

It is interesting that the people of Nazareth did ask a good question: Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Where is He from?  All they could think was that this was the little kid that grew up here and we know His family well.  If, like me, you did not stay in your growing-up hometown as an adult you probably know what happened.  Every time I go back “home” I am no more Ron but “Ronnie.”  I don’t really mind so much.  It’s just an observation.  And it’s not so much my family that is still in the area as people I just see occasionally.  So I am not offended.

But the problem here is this is not “Ronnie.”  This is Jesus!  Jesus of Nazareth!  The Messiah.  Their contempt for Him resulted in unbelief.  This failure to think rightly about Jesus’ earthly life, and His connection to real places (Nazareth, Capernaum, Galilee) was a common problem in His days of ministry, enough of a problem that we should be warned not to “misunderestimate” Jesus!  Consider:

·        Jn. 6:41-42: The Jews complained that Jesus could not be the bread from heaven since he was the son of Joseph and they knew His father and mother.

·        Jn. 7:40-42: Others said He could not be “the Prophet” because He came from Galilee, and not from the seed of David and Bethlehem.  Nicodemus heard the same complain in John 7:52 when his fellow-Pharisees rebuked him because no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.  Nathaniel, who became a discipled, assumed that nothing good could come from Galilee (John 1:46).

·        Acts 4:13: The Apostles, who were witnesses of Jesus, were ridiculed because they were Galileans and thus uneducated men.

With respect to all this, can we make a couple of words of encouragement.  First, don’t be discouraged by this kind of contempt as you seek to minister to people.  Remember Paul’s advice to Timothy: let no one despise your youth (1 Tim. 4:12).  And second, don’t misunderestimate Christ.  How easy it is for people in the West, who get time off for the birth of Christ and sometimes the death and resurrection of Christ, to have a familiarity with Christ that will condemn them to the furnace of fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teach.  Be warned!