Heart of Indifference – Dr. Hona Amer

Scripture:

“When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. ‘We had no idea he was this good!’ they said. ‘How did he get so wise, get such ability?’ But in the next breath they were cutting him down: ‘We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?’ They got their noses all out of joint. But Jesus said, ‘A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family.’ He didn’t do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.” Matthew 13:53-58 (MSG)

Perspective:

If you drive the same way to work everyday, the flowers at the house up the street or the sunrise each morning lose their beauty if we let them. Sometimes it is not an intentional indifference; we just get so used to our surroundings and environment that the things we used to view with awe and delight become mundane.

Jesus had traveled from town to town doing miracles – healing the lame, restoring sight to the blind, and freeing people from oppression. Yet, when he returned home, his past persona of being a carpenter’s son jaded people’s view of him. They couldn’t understand how Jesus could have the insight or authority to do what he was doing. Their expectations of him limited his ability to minister to the people in that town. They were simply indifferent. And their indifference led them to experience less than what Jesus could offer. But, the scary part is that they didn’t even know what they were missing. When we become indifferent to what God is doing in our lives, we lower our expectations to receive from him. There is something about our level of expectation and anticipation coupled with prayer that brings about change in our lives. There is no scientific formula or mathematical equation. God simply desires that we would actively pursue him versus standing back with a heart of indifference.