Devotional Thoughts: Faith is more than intellect or seeing isn't necessarily believing

Jesus' hometown was Nazareth.

In Matthew 13:53-58, he visited his hometown.

In vv. 54-56 it said, "Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? He's just a carpenter's son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers - James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?"

Faith is more than just intellectual comprehension.

Here, the people saw with their own eyes that when Jesus spoke there was something special. They saw him do amazing deeds though in v. 58 it says he didn't do many. But, be real, how many people do you need to see miraculously healed to wonder what is going on?

After seeing Him do a few mighty deeds and hearing him speak with wisdom, they even said, what makes him so great?

There was no denying there was something special about Jesus. They even acknowledged it despite the dissonance with his humble family background.

But what happened?

Verse 57, "They were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him."

Faith is more than just using one's mind to grasp something. It is placing one's trust in that something or someone.

As the cliche says: you can bring a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Christians should do their utmost to be people of truthfulness and grace and living right and meeting needs but in the end, it is still up to people to decide for themselves if they want to trust in Jesus.