Jesus Couldn't Do It?

Jesus Couldn’t do it?

Most good managers and parents know that if you want top performance and over the top results that you must express confidence in the other’s ability to perform. Have faith in them. A child or an employee works better when they know that someone believes in them. When that is missing performance is diminished. A pattern of criticism, corrections, reprimands etc. destroys morale and can lead a person to believe what they hear from management or a parent. When this occurs, discouragement follows, and performance is less than acceptable. It is poor supervision that erodes the quality performance in both children and adults.

When God was sending Ezkiel to speak words of warning to Israel, He said they were “hard of face and obstinate of heart.“ God is shooting straight from the hip, calling a spade a spade. His chosen people were hard headed and stubborn. How many times had he sent them a prophet to warn them and instruct them on how to remain faithful to the covenant with God.

A few hundred years later. St. Mark records that while teaching in the synagogue of his hometown. Jesus was not able to perform any mighty deeds or miracles. Did Jesus lose his powers? Not likely. So, what were the obstacles preventing him from healing or raising someone from the dead?

In another place Jesus exhorted his disciples to ask for what is needed but often it seems we pray for something, and our prayers don’t appear to be answered. Or perhaps it seems to be taking a terribly long time for them to be answered so we assume that God doesn’t really care. The fault isn’t with God (for sure). He said that if you had even a tiny bit of faith you could move mountains with your prayer.

Sure, we believe that God can do miracles so why were his powers seemingly blocked in his hometown synagogue? Lack of faith! It’s that simple. People were saying that they knew who Jesus was. He’s just that carpenter’s son from Nazareth and everybody knows that nothing good comes from there! After all, their kids had played with Jesus as a boy. They knew his parents were just simple folks. His childhood neighbors did not believe his words, his teaching nor the testimonies of others who had witnessed his miracles. Their pride and arrogance blocked any supernatural event from happening in their midst. Knowing only what you can observe does not mean that you know everything.

So, when prayers don’t seem to be answered the way you want maybe it’s because your faith in Him is too small or you believe that God doesn’t really care about your issues. Dump these false beliefs. Their origin is not from God. Be like a persistent little child—Please, please may I have this prayer answered? I know you can do it. God listens to the humble and the child-like.

 The scripture doesn’t say whether anyone actually asked for healing only that Jesus laid his hands on a few people. Ask and you will receive. Asking is in itself, an expression of faith in the one being asked to give, faith that he actually has the ability to deliver on your request. Ask with confidence and trust not doubt.

God’s love for us is so vast, so beyond anything you’ve ever experienced that it is difficult to grasp. But let us not allow our family or our country be without faith so that God can work wonders on our behalf. Come to Him humbly and with confidence that he will hear and answer our prayer. Remember, Jesus was amazed at the lack of faith among those in his hometown.

We too can be our own worst enemy when we petition without confidence. It is the lack of faith that ties God’s hands from performing signs and wonders for us. Be not unbelieving but believing. Ask for an increase in faith.