The True Miracle Blocker

“Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them. He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching.” (Mark‬ ‭6:3-6‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The people of Nazareth were so focused on what they knew and saw with their five senses. They walked by sight. It was easy to fall into this trap because they saw little Jesus growing up right there, seemingly ordinary, and His parents were just normal, honest folk.

Granted, Jesus would have been smarter and more well-behaved than His peers, but the townsfolk would never imagine that this boy was actually their long-awaited Messiah and the actual Son of God.

Truth is spiritually discerned. When you rely on your fleshly brain and the five senses, you may miss out on what God is trying to show you by the Spirit.

Have you ever experienced a moment where you mind and your spirit were at loggerheads? Your brain is telling you that it is a good decision and that everything looks so right, but you just have this bad feeling in your gut that says something is wrong. I experienced this many times and I’m thankful that I listened to the spirit on most of these occurrences. It saved me from suffering unnecessary losses and pain.

It is not that Jesus had no power to heal or do miracles in Nazareth. God’s power was always flowing out of Him like mighty rivers, but the Nazarenes rejected the supply because of unbelief. No matter how much water is available in the storage reservoir, you will not get any if you refuse to turn on the tap.

Those few sick people in Nazareth discerned spiritually that Jesus is the Christ, perhaps because they had an urgent need. Their minds were open to seeing possibilities—they wanted to believe that Jesus could heal them.

The sick people were definitely not perfect practitioners of the Law of Moses. They were able to receive healing simply because they believed.

Today, it is not sin that is preventing you from receiving miracles or healing. It is unbelief.

Yes, indulging in habitual sin can be a major hindrance to faith because it produces self-condemnation and thus unbelief. But it is not the sin that is blocking your miracle or healing.

Jesus did not heal anyone who was perfect in their works. None of those who were healed by Him kept the Ten Commandments perfectly.

If being perfect was a criteria to receiving healing, then no one would have been healed when they touched Jesus. Yet, the multitudes who touched Jesus freely received healing simply because they believed they would be healed.

Today, if you really want to be set free from sickness, or if you need a miracle, choose to look beyond the outward circumstances, and let go of self-condemnation which is a form of self-righteousness.

See a good God who is freely dispensing His grace (undeserved favor and kindness) because the blood of Christ paid for it. Your sins were punished at the cross—Jesus took the punishment so that you would not have to. God is righteous in being gracious to you because Jesus’ blood is an overpayment for the sin debt of the whole world, and there is much more credit to be tapped on!

There is so much to learn in the four gospels. Unlock the meanings of every parable, miracle, speech, and action of our Lord Jesus when you read “Understand the Four Gospels Through the Lens of Grace”. For a limited time only, you will also receive “Understand the Book of Acts Through the Lens of Grace” as a bonus: https://bit.ly/understandeveryparable

Escape from the Hostile Mob in Nazareth

“He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’” He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.” They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things. They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff. But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭4:16-30‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Jesus anticipated the Nazarenes’ demands for miracles but He also told them the reason most of them couldn’t receive any: they were stumbled by their memories of Him growing up and that unbelief caused them to be unable to receive from God.

Jesus then gave the examples of prophet Elijah only being sent to provide for a Gentile widow and Elisha only being sent to heal a Gentile man.
Even though the two prophets were from Israel and anointed for Israel’s sake, the nation of Israel couldn’t receive because of their unbelief.

At that time, Jews despised the Gentiles and viewed them as being unclean like dogs and pigs.
Being told that Israel was more faithless than the Gentiles was the final straw that caused the Nazarenes to lose all composure.

Being convicted of their sin of unbelief, they reacted in anger instead of repentance. The enraged mob decided to kill Jesus for supposed blasphemy.

I’ve been to that narrow brow of that hill in Nazareth. When you look down the cliff, you’ll see sharp jagged rocks below.
A fall from that height and with that landing area would lead to a bloody, fatal mess.

Just when the mob thought they had Him cornered with no way of escape, Jesus just majestically passed through the middle of them.
Jesus didn’t scream or tremble in fear. He just faced them head-on and triumphed.

“Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”” ‭‭(John‬ ‭10:17-18‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

No one could kill Jesus without His permission. At the cross, He willingly laid down His life for us.
Being without sin, Death had no right to fasten on Him.
The only way He could die is if He willingly gave up His spirit.

If you are a born-again believer who is in Christ, then you enjoy this same protection upon your life.
As a child of God who has been made righteous through Jesus’ blood, God can also deliver you safely out of fatal situations where escape seems impossible.

Do you feel cornered by enemies in your relationships, finances, health, work, ministry, family, etc.?
Jesus will make a way out for you just like how He (as Yahweh) divided the Red Sea for the children of Israel to pass through on dry land—you will live to declare His goodness!

Become a patron and receive our new series “37 Miracles of Jesus” leading up to Christmas Day, as well as other attractive rewards in return for your support: http://Patreon.com/miltongohblog

In this series, you’ll:

- Receive bold faith for miracles—stepping out from a powerless form of Christianity, into the kind that God intended!

- Understand the significance of the miracles of Jesus Christ—and why the Holy Spirit chose to feature them in the four gospels even though Jesus worked countless other miracles.

- Receive a powerful, uplifting message about Jesus and His power and goodness every day that refreshes your soul and prepares you to have a worshipful, meaningful Christmas.

#37MiraclesofJesus #BibleStudy