But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."
--Mark 6:4 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 30, 2013 of Psalm 81; Mark 6:1-29; Judges 9.
Jesus had been traveling about the region of Galilee, preaching and teaching and healing the masses, and had now returned to his hometown of Nazareth. As He normally did in His travels, Jesus began teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. But this time a stir arose as the people slowly recognized this Man addressing them. They were astonished, but not in a good way. "Isn't this the carpenter", they asked, "the Son of Joseph and Mary? Don't we know personally His brothers and sisters?" (Please see verses 2 and 3.) Because they knew Jesus and His family and His background, they were unable to believe He was anything more than a simple carpenter, trying perhaps to seem more than He really is. Because of their disbelief, Jesus "could do no mighty work there" other than to heal a few that were ill (verses 5 and 6).
There's an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. Sadly, there is much truth in this statement. The more familiar we become with someone or something, the more of their faults we see. As we spend more time with someone, we can see all their warts and scars and blemishes. If we watch them grow from childhood, we may fail to see the adult they've become. The longer we know someone, the easier it is to think we know everything about them, having seen all their antics, all their mistakes, all their indiscretions, all their trials and tribulations. And it just seems human nature that we are more likely to remember anything bad about a person than anything good. This is what Jesus experienced when He returned to Nazareth, this prejudice born of familiarity. The people described Him as just a carpenter because that was how they last knew Him, a carpenter and the Son of a carpenter, His (earthly) father Joseph. They did not know what Jesus had become, they did not know that He had stepped into His intended profession and inheritance of His true Father in heaven.
Many preachers and lay leaders face similar situations, where they are not accepted in their home churches for what they have become. Because they grew up there or the members knew them before they came into their calling, the congregations have trouble recognizing that they are not who they once were, that God has called them and anointed them to their new life serving Christ. God has forgiven them any sin they may have committed before, but the people of the church seem to have a little trouble letting go of that past. Because of this disbelief, they cannot be effective in their home church. When the opportunity presents itself, we must put aside any prejudices we hold for a person because we knew them when, and only look at who they are now. Amen.
Gracious Father, You can work a miracle in a person's heart and change them from what they were to what You intended for them to be. You can take the worst of us and make us Your truest servant. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to look by a person's past to see what they have become through Your loving kindness and mercy. Forgive us when we allow our personal prejudices to blind us to one You called standing before us. Help us realize the true potential in one touched by Christ. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
There's an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. Sadly, there is much truth in this statement. The more familiar we become with someone or something, the more of their faults we see. As we spend more time with someone, we can see all their warts and scars and blemishes. If we watch them grow from childhood, we may fail to see the adult they've become. The longer we know someone, the easier it is to think we know everything about them, having seen all their antics, all their mistakes, all their indiscretions, all their trials and tribulations. And it just seems human nature that we are more likely to remember anything bad about a person than anything good. This is what Jesus experienced when He returned to Nazareth, this prejudice born of familiarity. The people described Him as just a carpenter because that was how they last knew Him, a carpenter and the Son of a carpenter, His (earthly) father Joseph. They did not know what Jesus had become, they did not know that He had stepped into His intended profession and inheritance of His true Father in heaven.
Many preachers and lay leaders face similar situations, where they are not accepted in their home churches for what they have become. Because they grew up there or the members knew them before they came into their calling, the congregations have trouble recognizing that they are not who they once were, that God has called them and anointed them to their new life serving Christ. God has forgiven them any sin they may have committed before, but the people of the church seem to have a little trouble letting go of that past. Because of this disbelief, they cannot be effective in their home church. When the opportunity presents itself, we must put aside any prejudices we hold for a person because we knew them when, and only look at who they are now. Amen.
Gracious Father, You can work a miracle in a person's heart and change them from what they were to what You intended for them to be. You can take the worst of us and make us Your truest servant. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to look by a person's past to see what they have become through Your loving kindness and mercy. Forgive us when we allow our personal prejudices to blind us to one You called standing before us. Help us realize the true potential in one touched by Christ. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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