Ready:
“He also said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.’” – Luke 4:24
Set:
If an athlete ever makes it to the pro and elite level, they’ll quickly tell you the hometown is usually the first to renounce their support. Not in all cases of course, but in many. In Jesus’ case, this was so. People in the town of Nazareth had watched Him grow up as a young boy, a teenager and now as a man in the mundane things of life. They were proud of Him at first. Luke 4:22 tells us, “They were all speaking well of him and were amazed by the gracious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Later in John 6:42, the Jews said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven?”
Their acceptance of Jesus was based on their own opinion and understanding, not the reality of who Jesus was. The Jews watched Jesus grow up; there was no way He could be the Savior of the universe. But if you look at it in a different way, they watched Him grow up. What a beautiful privilege they had to see the Savior of the universe grow up in the flesh and never sin as He walked through the same temptations we daily walk through. They witnessed that with their own eyes, something the rest of the world had no access to!
It's a beautiful thing to watch a prophet grow up and work through the development of His character and live out His chosen identity. It’s quite the stretch, but similarly, what a beautiful thing it is to watch a pro or elite athlete grow up into the talent he or she has been given by God.
As members of the hometown crowd, we should learn from the crowds of Jesus’ time and choose to see the beauty of good coming from our Nazareth. To celebrate the plan, purpose and talent of those whom He has gifted to go further than a normal high school or college sport career. Let us not join the voice of the critical crowd, furthering the doubts and fears of those who are destined for a greater platform.
As Christian athletes who have been trusted with playing on the bigger stage, let us look to Christ for our firm foundation so we won’t be shaken by the negative comments of the crowd.
Go:
Does your voice join the voices of the negative crowd when a fellow hometown athlete moves onto a bigger field, role, or opportunity?
How much confidence are you placing in the voice of the crowd?
What platform has the Lord given you and how are you using it for the Kingdom?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Dear Heavenly Father, I want to be like the few who believed and supported Christ as He grew up into the plan You had prepared for Him. I pray you will show me places in my heart where I’ve joined the critical voice of the crowd in doubting your plan for other teammates’ lives and maybe even doubting your plan for my own life as well. May I truly mean it when I say, 'Thy will be done, not mine.'”