Main Passage: Mark 6:1-29
Memory Verse
And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
Mark 6:4
Devotion
Throughout the history of scripture people didn’t always like the words of the prophets. The prophets had the unique responsibility of communicating the words of God to the people. God words were often challenging and difficult. Yet in spite of their hard message, most people valued and respected the prophets. They were honored everywhere they went with one exception… their hometown. Jesus had a similar experience. Most of the places that Jesus went were full of people who could not wait to see Jesus. When Jesus went to his own town the people didn’t react this way. At first the people were impressed with his teaching but they quickly changed their tone when they realized that he was the same Jesus that they had seen grow up. Wasn’t he just a carpenter? How could he possibly have the authority to teach? It was hard for the people to see Jesus as anyone other than just the son of Mary. They had no idea that he was actually the Son of God. Jesus highlighted something that is still true today. People often get stuck in their view of others. Perhaps you’ve had a friend who has known you for a long time. Maybe you’ve reinvented yourself or moved on from your old life. And perhaps your friend still looks at you and sees the person you used to be. The people looked at Jesus and just saw the kid from their hometown who used to work in the shop with his dad. The last thing they wanted to do was to listen to his message. For some of us, we face this same challenge. Perhaps people don’t want to hear about your faith because they don’t know that side of you. Or maybe you’re more like the people who rejected Jesus. Maybe you’ve been in church so long and you’re so familiar with his words that you easily dismiss them because you’ve “heard it before.” We have to approach the scriptures with fresh eyes and ears every day eager to hear the message of Jesus for our lives.
Questions to Ponder
Are there people in your life who have known you for a long time that you have a hard time sharing your faith with?
Have you ever found yourself in a place of rejection like Jesus?
How do you see Jesus? Are you so familiar with scripture that you quickly dismiss it?