When Familiarity Blocks Miracles: Learning to Honour What God Is Doing
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
If you missed Life Groups this month, here's an opportunity to catch up on what we've been learning together, or to think it through afresh.
Can you imagine being so familiar with someone that you completely miss who they really are? That's exactly what happened when Jesus visited his hometown in Matthew 13. The people who knew him best simply missed out on his miraculous power. Their story reveals a profound truth about how our assumptions and offences can limit what God wants to do in and through us.
What happens when we think 'we already know' someone?
The people in Jesus' hometown had watched him grow up. They knew his family, his background, his trade. When he began teaching with divine wisdom and performing miracles, their initial response was amazement.
But then something shifted (somewhere between Matthew 13:54 and 55)
Instead of drawing closer to discover more, they began to question: "Isn't this just the carpenter's son?" Their familiarity became a barrier rather than a bridge.
• They moved from wonder to offence in moments
• They made assumptions about who Jesus could or couldn't be
• They limited their expectations based on what they thought they knew
• Their offence and lack of faith prevented Jesus from doing many miracles there
This reveals something startling: even Jesus, who is fully God, was limited by people's attitudes and lack of faith. When we approach God or others with predetermined ideas about what's possible, we might be closing the door on Heaven's possibilities.
Why does honouring others matter so much?
Jesus explained that the real problem was a lack of honour. To honour means to see value and glory in a person - to recognise their true worth. God often chooses to work through the most unexpected people, not because they've earned it, but because of His goodness and mercy.
Consider this: God regularly gives gifts to one person to benefit another. In the body of Christ, we're designed to need each other. His grace, love, and power flow best when we're united and working together.
• We might miss God's solutions by expecting him to work only in familiar ways
• The person sitting next to you could carry exactly what you need
• God's power often works through weakness and the unexpected
• Our western tendency to compartmentalise can blind us to how God connects things
Life application
How about asking yourself these honest questions:
Am I holding any offence towards God or others?
What assumptions have I made that might be limiting what God can do?
Challenge yourself to honour the people God has placed around you - really see them, hear them, and remain open to what God might want to do through them. Familiarity doesn't have to breed contempt; it can deepen our appreciation for God's work in and through ordinary people.
This blog post is based on our Life Group video for April, which you can watch here:
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