HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
Opening Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to your glory. Deliver me from distraction and overfamiliarity. Clean the lens of my spiritual vision.
Read MARK 6:1–13
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
A Prophet Without Honor
6 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? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Footnotes
- Mark 6:3 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Who are people you know that grew up in the church, but no longer show any interest in Jesus? How do you pray for them?It isn’t often that you read of Jesus being surprised, but the lack of faith he found in his hometown amazed him. Overfamiliarity made the Son of God invisible. People saw the local carpenter; the brother to a large group of siblings; the son of Mary, whose husband seems to have died. ‘We all know Jesus.’ So today, many people have ‘moved on’ from Jesus to try more exotic spiritualities.
Jesus always resisted self-advertisement. Because of the reality of the incarnation, of God truly becoming fully human in Jesus, anyone could look at him and see ‘just another bloke.’ But these stories show that the problem lies with the observer. When people lack faith to approach Jesus for help, his true identity remains hidden from them.
By contrast, Christians are often tempted to impress and, in so doing, they actually conceal the work of God. Jesus sent the disciples without bread, money, spare clothes, or begging bowls. Their evident lack of resources, and being so unimpressive, would make the power of God more evident when they preached, cast out demons, and anointed people for healing.
Apply
What do you find to be your best tools in sharing with others who Jesus is?
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, only you can rekindle faith in the hearts of those who have grown cold toward Jesus; only you can bring faith to those who have never known him. Help them to see Jesus in ways that they find him irresistible; draw them to lasting faith.
Book and Author Intros
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