Mark 6:1-6
[Jesus] departed from there and came to His native place, accompanied by His disciples. When the sabbath came He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given Him? What mighty deeds are wrought by His hands! Is He not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So He was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying His hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
The WORD
As God, Jesus should be beyond the influence and consequence of anything earthly, including changing times and moods. After portraying Jesus as wielding almighty power – ordering unclean spirits out of the Gerasene demoniac, healing a woman long afflicted with hemorrhages, and bringing Jairus’s daughter back to life – Mark now portrays Jesus as one who is distressed by the lack of faith of the people in Nazareth. Hence, He could do no miracles among them.
In the same way that good seed needs good soil and favorable climate so that its goodness will be brought to fruition, so also the best of ourselves can only shine forth when there is the encouraging and supportive climate generated by people around us.
SOURCE: "365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
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