How Hometown Unbelief Will Harden Your Heart

“A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown.”

Mark 6:4

Have you ever wondered, “Why don’t I love God more? Why don’t I have greater joy in Christ? Why is my heart so cold in worship?” There are three ways hardness grows in a person’s heart. First, we see that hometown unbelief can harden our hearts.

When Jesus returned to His hometown, He followed His normal pattern of teaching, and the people were amazed at His wisdom and miracles. But they were also offended, causing Jesus to say, “A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household” (6:4). The people who were most familiar with Jesus chose not to believe in Him.

Perhaps you were raised in a Christian home and were brought to church when you were young. The greatest danger is that you learned about Jesus but do not really believe what you learned. Unbelief is the besetting sin of those who are most familiar with God’s truth.

Imagine one night you can’t sleep, so you decide to go to the school sports field. It’s pitch dark, except for one spotlight that is programmed to keep moving around the field. You get in the spotlight. But the light is moving, so you have to move with it, or you find yourself in darkness.

Jesus said, “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (John 12:35). Unbelief is a choice not to follow the light you have received. Make sure you don’t make that choice. Unbelief hardens your heart.

Has God’s truth become so familiar that you have slipped into unbelief without realising it? How could you begin walking in the light you have received?