Podcast (daily-devotion): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Mark 6:4-6

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus visited His hometown and took His disciples with Him. On the Sabbath, He went to the synagogue and began to teach. When you visit Nazareth today the carpenter’s shop is less than thirty yards from the modest synagogue. Whether this was the distance when Jesus lived there is unknown, but the proximity gives a good idea of just how small Nazareth was—everybody knew everybody.

Jesus’ teaching in His hometown produced two reactions. First, the people were amazed. He spoke with confidence and authority, unlike the other teachers they had heard. This amazement was followed by confusion. The people wondered how Jesus could speak with such authority. They had known Him from the time He was a boy. They asked, “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?”

Sometimes the hardest people to talk to about Jesus are those who know us well—the people we grew up with or those who watched us grow up. We shouldn’t be surprised. The same thing happened to Jesus. The ones who knew Jesus turned from amazement to cynicism. They “took offense at him.” Jesus’ response is found in today’s passage. This incident teaches us that those who know us best may not take us seriously. It also teaches us that we must not stop sharing. Allow God to open the hearts of those with whom you share—even those who know you best.

Father, sometimes it is hard sharing with those I know best. Give me Your discernment and Your message to speak. Use me as a mouthpiece to tell others—even those I know well—about salvation found in Jesus Christ alone. In His name I pray. Amen.

This Week on The Journey Broadcast:

Ziklag