Lacking Faith or a Misunderstood Prophet

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

LACKING FAITH

OR A MISUNDERSTOOD PROPHET

Mark 6:1-6

6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."  5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

NIV

If you ever what to amaze Jesus, just lack faith. Yet the story here is about not being considered who you really are in your own hometown. Although Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, whose mother, Mary, was visited by an Angel and who the Holy Spirit had come upon and made her with Child, Jesus, this hometown crowd could not get past his being raised in town as a carpenter, one of many children of Joseph and Mary. It might be the same as with us in a certain sense. When we get saved, and we begin to understand the truths of God and we start sharing them with others, they can only think of us as whom they have always known us to be.  They know all our little idiosyncrasies, our quirks and certainly all our shortcomings and faults. Comments like “You should practice what you preach” and “Get the log out of your own eye” or “What gives you the right to say that” might be common responses to spoken truths. Yet if we find ourselves among total strangers we are lifted up to the status of being a Spiritual leader. We do that to those traveling evangelists and entertainers, or should we say those traveling around ministering in music. We think them to be so spiritual and full of truth, but we do not know them, we do not live with them and see all their idiosyncrasies, quirks and faults. Jesus was not accepted for who he was because people could not get past who they thought he was. We must be able to accept people we have known for years, who have the Spirit of God resting on them for who they are, called by God to a special purpose, and get past who we thought they were. The other truth which resides in this narrative is about having a lack of faith. Jesus could not do any miracles there because of their lack of faith. He only healed a sick people. IF we ever what to except to see a miracle, we need to start believing in faith. It might well be our lack of faith which keeps us from experiencing miracles. So we are back to the beginning statement. The way to amaze Jesus is simply have a lack of faith.