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Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his
native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was
not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few
sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their
lack of faith. Mark 6:4–6
Why was Jesus “not able to perform any mighty deed” in His hometown
of Nazareth? Because the people who had known Him since He was a
youth lacked faith in Him. But why wouldn’t Jesus simply perform
awe-inspiring miracles with the hope of winning them over? Why not
try to convince them by raising someone from the dead or by
revealing His transfigured glory to His kinfolk, as He did on the
Mount of Transfiguration to three of His disciples? The answer goes
to the heart of the workings of faith in each soul.
Jesus’ goal in His hometown was not to convince the people that He
was the Son of God, the Messiah. He could have easily convinced
them of this by the most incredible of miracles and proved Who He
was. But doing so would have undermined the reason He came. He came
to ignite authentic faith in people’s hearts, not to convince them
through clever reasoning or by the proof of miracles. Miracles were
offered to those who already had faith, so as to increase their
faith and to show them mercy. But when one lacked faith, a miracle
could not increase that which was absent. It might have convinced
them on a rational level, or at least impressed them greatly, but
that is not true faith.
By analogy, say your spouse said to you, “I love you,” and your
response was “Prove it.” How would they do so? What could they do
to prove that they truly love you? Perhaps they could show charity,
kindness, compassion and the like. These qualities certainly are
manifestations of authentic love. But deep down, no one can prove
they love another. Instead, love must be offered and received in a
spiritual way. When that happens, each person somehow simply knows
they love and are loved. This is the mystery of spiritual and
authentic love.
The same is true with faith. Faith can’t be proved. It can’t be
analyzed rationally. It must be embraced and lived. If the people
in Jesus’ hometown were to have faith in Him, this gift of faith
would start within their own souls. They would look at Him and
listen to Him. By their openness and a special personal revelation
from God, they would come to know and to believe Who He was. Faith
comes first from within, when God communicates to the heart.
Reflect, today, upon your own level of faith in Jesus. When you
look into your own soul, what do you see? Do you see a heart that
knows Christ Jesus as its Lord? Have you discovered the presence of
God within you, speaking to you, revealing Himself to you? Or do
you primarily look for external signs and proofs of God’s presence
and love? Look into your soul today and ponder the depth of faith
that you discover there. When you discover this gift, gaze at it
with love, for you are seeing God’s revelation of Himself to
you.
My revealing Lord, You continuously speak to me in the depths of
my heart, revealing to me Your divine presence and love. Give me a
heart that is truly open to You on the deepest level, so that my
faith will grow and I will know for certain Your divine love.
Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: In the Villages the Sick Were Presented
to Him By James Tissot, via Brooklyn Museum
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