WHEN THEY LIMITED JESUS
MARK 6:4-6 NKJ
MARK 6:4-6 NKJ
4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
To get the very most out of today's devotional, you will need to read verses 1-6 and verses 53-56 of this sixth chapter of Mark.
The contrast between what happened in Jesus' hometown and the towns across the lake is startling. One city had pretty much no results, and another area had amazing miracles taking place in the streets.
We know Jesus was never and is never unjust. He loves people regardless of their demographic background. The contrast was not a function of Jesus' love but rather, the massive unbelief in His hometown.
Jesus gives us a clue as to why His hometown of Nazareth responded so poorly to Him. A prophet has no honor among his own people and family. Jesus is telling us why His hometown would not receive Him. They still saw the carpenter. The son of Mary and brother to four brothers and some sisters. They saw a carpenter, not a healer, not a prophet. Certainly not the Messiah. And they were offended at Jesus. Basically, who does He think He is?
And if that offense was not enough, it was mixed with a major amount of unbelief. So, verse five is very clear when it says, "He could do no mighty works..." This is not a misprint or a product of a translator. Jesus was limited by the unbelief of the people in His town. They saw a carpenter, and that's pretty much what they received.
But the people in the land of Gennesaret saw a miracle-working healer. And that's what they received.
APPLICATION:
How we see the Lord and what we believe about Him is very important. I am so glad that Joy and I have seen Him as a strong, loving, miracle-working Savior and Lord. And we have seen His healing and help in so many areas. But we have not been perfect by any means. We have also seen areas where we have limited God's help and strength by our unbelief. Thank God for the ability to make adjustments. I don't want to limit Jesus and what He wants to do in my life.
PRAYER:
Help me, Lord, to see the truth and see how big You are and how willing and able You are to work in my life.