So, What Do You Know?

When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country. He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. [Matthew 13.53-58]

Any attempt to "figure out" Jesus in the peripheral facts is not likely to end well. Therein lies the problem with academia - even Christian academia. Untold volumes have been researched and written about Jewish culture, society norms of the day, and "other" historical data. But have these disciplines really helped Christ-followers or distracted them?

Look carefully at what is said in the passage above. The people scoffed at Jesus because they knew "the rest of the story" - they knew His family. They had done their diligent research and concluded, for whatever reason, that Jesus was not really qualified to do the things He had reportedly been doing based on who His family was. Little did they know! Consequently, as Matthew records, their "extra" knowledge of Jesus translated into unbelief and for that reason miracles were limited in their lives.

Perhaps we should break here to consider the word "ignorance." We cannot really consider "ignorance" however without considering the word, "knowledge" because "ignorance" is summed up as "the lack of knowledge." So, what is "knowledge?" 

I shall attempt here to speak by the Spirit of God: Knowledge is NOT knowing the seemingly limitless details and facts of the world, but instead knowledge is knowing God in all His character as revealed in His Word, and His Son, and confirmed by His Holy Spirit.

Knowing he details of Jesus' life and family were, and are, not enough. Knowing Jewish culture is not enough. Knowing the political environment of the day is not enough. Knowing the technological or medical advancement of the day is not enough. Knowing what was happening in Roman culture is not enough. 

The ONLY knowledge that matters is knowing Jesus. Interestingly enough, Jesus made clear that knowing Him was to know the Father.

It is not ironic that today's One Year Chronological Bible reading contains the following passages:

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. [Matthew 10.32-33]

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. [Matthew 10-39]

And then, check this out:

“Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. [Matthew 10-40]

Our lives are not to be wrapped up in academia! Our lives are to be wrapped and consumed in Jesus Christ! It's not about placing a "premium" on ignorance. But instead it's all about placing a "premium" on knowing God in Christ and thus making Him known through our lives!

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” [John 20.21]

So, what do you know?

Father, I want to know You. I want to study Jesus to learn more about You. I want to purposefully ignore the peripheral facts so that I might miss nothing of Christ. May I be found consumed with Jesus. Forgive me for allowing the facts of the world to dilute and disable my faith.