Believing:Faithand Fearwhom they have not heard?" These people were unbelieversin that they had never heard the Word ofGod so that they could believe.Matthew 13:53-58:And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finishedthese parables, he departed thence.And when he was come into his own country, hetaught them in their synagogue, insomuch thatthey were astonished, and said, Whence hath thisman this wisdom, and these mighty works?Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mothercalled Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses,and Simon, and Judas?And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whencethen hath this man all these things?And they were offended in him. But Jesus saidunto them, A prophet is not without honour,save in his own country, and in his own house.And he did not many mighty works there becauseof their unbelief.He could not do much in Nazareth because of thepeople's unbelief, apistia. Although Jesus tried to55
The <strong>Power</strong> of Believingteach, the community would not hear enough to believebecause they did not think He could know anythingsince He was illegitimate, and thus they couldnot believe. Do you know what the people of Jesus'community said to Him? "Is this the carpenter's son?He is illegitimate because everyone knows that Marywas pregnant be<strong>for</strong>e she and Joseph came together inmarriage." Contrary to what they thought, however,Jesus was not the carpenter's, son; He was the Son ofGod by divine conception, born of Mary but conceivedby the Holy Ghost, as the Word of God says."Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mothercalled Mary and his brethren, James, and Joses, andSimon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not allwith us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"The original text gives emphasis as follows: "Is notthis the carpenter's son and his mother called Mary(You remember her.), and his brethren, James, andJoses, and Simon, and that Judas (Was he wild!), andhis sisters, (Weren't they something.), Are they not allwith us? Whence then hath this man all thesethings?"The community said that Jesus could nothave such power because they looked at the familyand said, "Nothing good can come out of this man.We know that family." There<strong>for</strong>e, they would nothear enough to believe. They had unbelief (apistia).56"But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not with-
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