The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 25 February 2026 – Familiarity Breeds Contempt
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TOPIC: Familiarity Breeds Contempt
READ: Luke 4:23-30 (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”
24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.
26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.
27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[a] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.
30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
THE MESSAGE:
While He was in Nazareth, Jesus knew that the people expected miracles from Him. Using a proverb, He told them that He understood their expectations. However, He also informed them that no prophet is accepted in his own country. Prophet Elijah helped only a Zarephath widow miraculously during a three and half years of famine. Prophet Elisha healed only a leper from Syria in spite of the many lepers in Israel. Jesus’words enraged the people who wanted to push Him over a hilly cliff but He miraculously went away from them.
People in Nazareth were very familiar with Jesus and knew His parents and siblings. They had little respect for Him but wanted Him to perform miracles He did elsewhere. Some people do not respect their Priests or Pastors. Some wives do not respect or submit to their husbands because of familiarity. Some young people disrespect and disobey their parents, teachers, and superiors because of familiarity. Some workers disrespect, disobey, and rebel against constituted authority because they are familiar with the leaders. Christians need to live exemplary lives of respect and obedience to leaders in the home, office, place of business and in the society. Do you respect authority?
PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help me not to be too familiar with Your Word.
