A Familiar Faith: Missing What's Right in Front of You
by Pastor Anthony Lucarini
In 2007, the Washington Post conducted a social experiment in a busy metro station in Washington, D.C. World-renowned violinist Joshua Bell disguised himself in street clothes and played his $3.5 million violin for nearly an hour. Just days earlier, he had performed a sold-out show where tickets averaged $100 each. Yet, in the subway, commuters rushed past him, dropping only a few dollars in his case.
Despite sharing space with a world-class musician, they didn’t recognize what was right in front of them.
In Luke 4, we see something similar happen in Nazareth. The people there had grown up with Jesus, yet when He stood before them, declaring that He was the fulfillment of prophecy, they couldn’t see beyond their own familiarity.
What Happens When Jesus Doesn't Fit Your Expectations?
Luke 4:14-16 tells us that Jesus, “in the power of the Spirit,” returned to Galilee and quickly gained a reputation as a teacher. But when He entered His hometown synagogue and read from Isaiah 61, He made a bold claim:
“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)
The people were amazed at His teaching, yet instead of believing, they questioned: “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” They couldn’t reconcile the Jesus they thought they knew with the Messiah standing before them.
Their familiarity bred complacency, and they missed the opportunity to truly see who Jesus was.
Has Familiarity Diminished Your Faith?
We can fall into the same trap. Our faith can become so routine—so comfortable—that we stop expecting God to move in fresh, powerful ways.
We show up at church, but do we expect to encounter God?
We open our Bibles, but do we expect Him to speak?
We pray, but do we expect answers?
Jesus wasn’t just another teacher. He was God in the flesh, standing in their midst. But the people of Nazareth rejected Him because He didn’t fit into their expectations.
How Can We Move From Familiarity to Expectation?
Does being near God mean we truly know Him?
The people of Nazareth sat with Jesus, heard Him teach—yet missed who He was.
We can go to church, read Scripture, and still lack real faith.
True faith is about a living relationship with Jesus, not just routine.
Have we let familiarity breed complacency?
It’s easy to treat faith like a checklist—just another part of life.
God is always moving, always working—are we watching for it?
Are we living with expectant faith?
Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God can do far more than we ask or imagine.
Psalm 5:3 says, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
Let’s not just go through the motions. Let’s be a people who show up expecting God to work—not just on Sundays, but every day.
Jesus is here. Let’s not miss Him.