DAY SIXTEEN – Saturday, March 11, 2023
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus said “a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” Despite overwhelming evidence of his miracles, the people of Nazareth refused to believe Jesus. He was so ordinary and not the Messiah who they expected would save them ought to be like. They scoffed “isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, don’t his sisters live right here among us?” Because they’d grown up with him and considered him one of their own, he lacked credibility.
Most of us have felt taken for granted by the people we’re closest to, or felt that people don’t listen to our ideas, at some point, so we can relate to Jesus experiencing this feeling of being rejected by the people in his hometown. Relationships are built on trust, yet as you get to know someone, you discover both the good as well as the bad, and risk losing some respect. It’s hard discerning matters of heart and soul, and we base our decisions on the best evidence available, but the truth is we tend to believe the “algorithms in our own minds telling us what we already know to be true.”
Faith is trusting God, and believing in what Jesus has done for us. The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus based on what he did for a living and who his family were. Rather than discount those we think we already know we could try to see each other through “God’s eyes,” and believe God is at work, not just in our own lives, but also in the lives of those around us, so we can work together to make things better.
Carolynn Chasse
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus said “a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” Despite overwhelming evidence of his miracles, the people of Nazareth refused to believe Jesus. He was so ordinary and not the Messiah who they expected would save them ought to be like. They scoffed “isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, don’t his sisters live right here among us?” Because they’d grown up with him and considered him one of their own, he lacked credibility.
Most of us have felt taken for granted by the people we’re closest to, or felt that people don’t listen to our ideas, at some point, so we can relate to Jesus experiencing this feeling of being rejected by the people in his hometown. Relationships are built on trust, yet as you get to know someone, you discover both the good as well as the bad, and risk losing some respect. It’s hard discerning matters of heart and soul, and we base our decisions on the best evidence available, but the truth is we tend to believe the “algorithms in our own minds telling us what we already know to be true.”
Faith is trusting God, and believing in what Jesus has done for us. The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus based on what he did for a living and who his family were. Rather than discount those we think we already know we could try to see each other through “God’s eyes,” and believe God is at work, not just in our own lives, but also in the lives of those around us, so we can work together to make things better.
Carolynn Chasse
