Mark 6:4-6

FOR FRIDAY, April 12

Passage

Jesus tells the people of the synagogue that a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, or in his family gatherings, or even in his own household.  Jesus could do no great acts of power here except to lay hands on a few sick people and heal them.  He marveled over their unbelief and went elsewhere to preach.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Familiarity breeds contempt.  This is a horrible saying, but it is true.  Familiarity destroys the pedestals upon which we put people as we see them for who they truly are.  Familiarity often makes it hard to see what God is doing in someone because we can focus too much on the nitty-gritty.  The people of Nazareth expected a carpenter.  They saw how His brothers and sisters lived and acted.  They expected the same out of Jesus.  When they didn’t get it, it was far too easy to reject Jesus as being the “odd” one.

Of whom in your life do you let experience cloud your judgment?  Through whom in your life would it be difficult to see God work – even if others tell you that God is present?

Second Thought:

Jesus could do no great acts of power except to cure some sick people.  This isn’t saying that Jesus was powerless.  Rather, it is emphasizing the importance of the role of the audience.  If a sick person refuses to take their medication, they can’t be healed.  If an audience refuses to listen, they can’t be taught.  If people refuse to bury the hatchet, there can be no peace-making.  It doesn’t mean that Jesus was incapable; it means that the people were simply not open to receiving what Jesus had to offer.

Are you open to receiving what God is trying to teach you?  What helps you become open?  What helps you stay open to God?  What prevents you from being open to God?

Third Thought:

Jesus marvels at their unbelief – and then He leaves!  That is the most tragic part of the whole story for me.  Jesus leaves.  He goes elsewhere.  The people of Nazareth miss the boat.  That doesn’t mean that they are written out of God’s will, but it does mean that if they want to find salvation they are going to have to pursue it rather than have it come graciously to them!  But here’s the brutally honest point.  If we are not open to what God is doing when God wants to do it, God will move on.  God will always go to where the ground is fertile.

If this is true, why is it important to understand the necessity to prepare now?  Why is it important to have a good spiritual relationship with the Father now?  Why is it important to be a disciple of Jesus while you have the opportunity now?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:7-9