Blinded By Familarity
Mark 6:1-5
Sometimes when I am traveling and go into various towns I will see signs telling that the town is the home of some famous person. In central City Ky, the have a sign saying it is the home of the Everly Brothers. There used to be signs on the bridge crossing the Mississippi River from Memphis to Arkansas. Going into Arkansas it said home of Bill Clinton. Going into Tennessee it said home of Al Gore. It appears that we are proud of our sons and daughters who become successful and famous, but that is not always the case. It seems that the closer one gets to home the less respect one gets who have achieved much status.
I don’t think that we are opposed to having people from our home become successful or even famous, but it is that we are so familiar with our home folk that we fail to see any potential for greatness in them. We who are the closest often have less appreciation for one of our own who has become successful than those who have no close relationship with them.
How often have we heard someone put a slur toward some successful person by stating that the know them? Instead of rejoicing in their success they seem to be surprised and even suspicious of the person’s success.
I have heard people play down the success of one of their own by saying, “I know him, He grew up over in the next holler and worked in tobacco all his life.” We should rejoice that one from among us has become successful.
If we are not careful we could miss out on much because we have a limited vision of one from among us who is successful.
Some might say that is not possible, but in our passage for today we see that a whole town flailed to experience the power of God among them because they knew where Jesus was from and knew his family.
In chapter 5 we saw where the women with the issue of blood received healing when she touched the clothes Jesus was wearing while many in the crown touched Jesus and received nothing. We saw the irony of that, but today we see and even greater irony. After casting our demons, calming the storm, healing many diseases and raising the dead Jesus went back to his hometown. I don’t know exactly what Jesus had in store for his hometown, but I believe it was something great. Have you ever wondered just what the Hometown of Jesus missed out on? You might say that they got what Jesus wanted them to have, but I do not agree. He had great things in mind for them. The reason I believe he had great things in mind is what I read in verse 5.
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.
Before we move on let us stop and take a look at this picture.
Jesus was present with them. He went to his hometown.
The presence of God.
He had already done mighty works in other places.
The power of God.
He wanted to do some mighty works among them.
The plan of God.
In Other words the Lord was willing and able to do some mighty works in his hometown.
Now we would think with all that might works would abound. They had everything there necessary for mighty works.
We should note that unless the presence, power, and plan of God are with us nothing great can happen. Thus, his presence is vital. It is sure that without Him we will see nothing. In this picture we see that every thing necessary for great things to happen was there, yet we see that not much happened there.
It is impossible to have revival or see any great things happen if the Lord
Is not present and willing. Yet it is possible for Him to be present and
Willing and no might works be done.
Before some get ready to hang me for heresy, let me remind you that is
Exactly the scene we have in this passage. They had everything required
For great things to happen in their hometown, but little happened.
When I read that I get a sick feeling thinking about what could have been. What could be and could have been are very humbling concepts to me because I realize that I can miss out on what can be in my life. We who see this from the outside can see that things could have been much different.
(** V8 vegetable juice used to have a commercial where someone would drink a soda or some other juice and then realize they could have had a V8. they would say, “Wow I could have had a V8)
That was a catchy phrase that probably sold a lot of juice, but when it is applied to life it can be very sad. I don’t want to miss any might work the Lord wants to do in my life. It is humbling to be aware of that possibility.
Jesus was present with them and like many of the others they experienced little, but that was not what Jesus intended. I believe he wanted to do great things in his hometown. We might say that he had a special place in his heart for them and wanted them to experience the great things he could offer.
The one who spoke to the wind and it obeyed, the one who raised the dead was in their mist, yet the Bible tells us that “He could do no mighty works among them, except to lay hands on a few sick people and heal them”
Before we continue let us stop here for a moment and think about what this is saying.
Physical healing seemed to be one of the minor things Jesus wanted to do. It seemed to be the least he could do, yet we often make it the most he can do and limit him in his work among us.
Jesus did a lot of physical healing and relieved a lot of suffering, but that was not his main mission. However, we often make that the main thing we seek Jesus for. Have you noticed our prayer list? Most if not all those on our list are there because they have a physical illness. Now I don’t want to play down the role and need for physical healing. We should pray for the sick. The Bible tells us that. However, we have very few requests for the Lord to do some mighty works among us. Jesus was able to heal a few sick, but they missed out on the mighty works.
I can see that the folk in his hometown were very similar to many today. They wanted physical healing but little else. Healing is good and we should pray for those who are sick, but that shouldn’t be the totality of our request. Jesus desires to do much more than physical healing. When was the last time we got serious and asked the Lord to do a mighty work among us? We can see a few small works of the Lord in church and think that is all there is, but it could be that we are not being open to the mighty works.
Notice that is does not say that he did not want to do any mighty works there, but COULD NOT.
When we think about that it should grab our attention. This verse suggest that there was something Jesus wanted to do, but couldn’t. That goes against the grain of all we know about Jesus. We know that He is God in the flesh. Through him the World was formed. He has power over the universe. What that says to me is that Jesus can do anything he wants to do, but the scripture here tells us that he could do no mighty works. There is no limit to what the Lord can do but there seems to be a limit here.
There is no limit to his power, but a limit of the faith and receptivity of the people of his hometown. While I am fully convinced that Jesus can do anything without limit, I am made aware in this passage that we can put limits on what he can do in our mist. God has give n us freedom of choice and we can stop him from doing mighty works. I believe in the sovereign power of God. There is no power anywhere greater than the power of God, yet God has limited himself when it comes to what He will do in our lives. We can stop him from doing might works in us.
(** We are planning for a series of revival meetings in August. Some might say they hope we have a good revival. Others might say that it is up to God. That is true because only God can do might works to bring revival, but did you know that we can stop God from doing great things. I am sadly convinced that God wants to do much more among us than we are willing to let Him do.)
I get chills when I think about the reality of this. I don’t want it said that Jesus came to us and he could do no might works among us.
Before we continue let us once more be reminded of where Jesus could do no mighty works.
It was among the very ones we would have thought he would have been able to do his greatest works. Do you see the irony in that? Jesus did not get to do his might works in his hometown, but had to go outside to the world. There was no outside opposition to Him doing mighty works. We do not read that the world outside hindered Jesus from doing might works. It was not the government or such. The opposition was inside. They had a limited faith which limited what they could see in Jesus. All they could see was a carpenter who used to live down the road from them. They knew his family. They seemed to be blinded by their familiarity with Jesus. It was not like he was some outsider coming with strange new ideas. The irony is that had it been an outsider he would have probably been able to do much more.
That brings us to another question. Where is the hometown of Jesus today? Where would he go to be with his People? I believe the church is Jesus’ hometown today.
If the church is Jesus’ hometown is He able to do all the mighty works he desires for us? We want to give a positive answer, saying that the world might put limits on what Jesus can do, by seeking to keep Him out of our schools and other public places. Most will probably say that Jesus can do whatever he desires in the church. I have not found that to be the case.
I have been a pastor for several years now and I must confess that I struggle with a cynical spirit at times when I think about what Jesus can do among us. I have become convinced that the greatest hindrance to a might work is within the church. I will not go into specific details, but I encourage you to think about it and see if we could be hindering to might work of our Lord here.
As a pastor and a servant of the Lord I can do no mighty works myself. He is the one who does the mighty works. I have been heart broken several times as the Lord place on my heart a vision of the mighty works he wanted to do in the church. I have caught myself at times saying, Lord you cant do that here” when He gives me a glimpse of what he wants to do. No it is not the world but those in his hometown. I must confess that often it has been my limited faith that has hindered what the Lord wants to do. I have been guilty of not looking through eyes of faith, but eyes of flesh that sees the familiar things.
(** Several months ago when the Lord started deal with me and some others about a Children’s ministry at our church. I got excited for a few days until began to feel the heat and hear the criticism. I had some harsh words said to me concerning the Children’s Church and was even accused of not liking children. Some even started praying that we would not start such a ministry. I made an executive decision that I didn’t announce. I decided that we couldn’t do a Children’s Ministry here. I basically told Jesus that he could not do that might work here. I was willing to settle for that and let that vision die. But a few weeks before Christmas someone came and ask when we were going to start the ministry and said that if we were going to start the first of the year we better get busy. I didn’t have the hear to tell her that I had decided that we could not do that here, so we had another meeting and I realized that we would probably face opposition but Jesus wanted to do a mighty work in our Children’s ministry if we would let him. God has blesses the ministry greatly. Not only are we reaching children, we are also reaching parents. Every time I think about what God is doing and am reminded that I almost didn’t let Him do it I am very humbled. Every time I see people volunteer to work in the ministry who I would have never thought would had done it, I am amazed and humbled. I also get a chill when I am reminded that I could have missed out on that blessing because I didn’t see the situation through the eyes of faith as I should.)
You might be thinking that Jesus can do whatever he wants among us. I hope that is true, I hope that we will give him full power and control among us.
But we can hinder him from doing might works. You might be think that we have never nor never will hinder Jesus in his work because he is one of us. But we must never forget that it was in his home town that he could do no mighty works.
I am reminded that they didn’t come out and tell him that he could not do any might works among them. Some who heard the words we read in Mark might have been offended at the suggestion. They might protest that they never told Jesus he could do anything among them, yet they did because they were not willing to see who was among them.
They only looked at the humanity of Jesus. They were limited in their view of his divinity.
In our day we often forget the humanity of Jesus. Some are even offended at the suggestion of his humanity.
( ***I read about one preacher who really got in hot water at this point. In his sermon he talked about Jesus working in the carpenter shop and getting dirt under his finger nails and getting sweaty and stinky. After the service he was attached by a lady who was very angry. She said that he Jesus never got sweaty and stinky)
How can we limit Jesus?
We might not realize it but we can do it in the same way people of his hometown did it. We might not realize it but we can be guilty of putting down and making light of Jesus.
The people of his home town said isn’t he the carpenter the some of Mary and aren’t his brothers and sister still with us?
Now we surely wouldn’t do it that way, but we can in another way. We can limit Jesus by looking at the things we are most familiar with and not believe he can do any might work among them.
We can limit Jesus by the way we see others we are familiar with.
- We have several taking the preaching class this semester at the
Association office. That should excite us thinking about all the possible
Mighty works God can do through those preacher boys from Trigg County. But we can become cynical when we think about the individuals because we know them. Duce and Robert, ect.
We can limit Jesus by the way we see our church.
How many might works have we kept Jesus from doing among us?
Because we are so familiar with ourselves that we can’t conceive that
He can use us to do any mighty works. How often do we say,” We are just
A small country church”? We might think that is being humble, but it is
Actually a put down to Jesus because it says He is not powerful enough to
Do any great works among us.
We can limit Jesus by the way we see ourselves
We can fail to allow Jesus to do any mighty works in and thorough us
Because we just don’t believe he could ever use us.
(** I have become a fan of John Pieper. He is a great preacher and
teacher. I have read several of his books as well as his sermons. His is
the preaching pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Hehas great ministry outside the church as well as inside. Several months ago a
couple visited our church who were members there. I went to visit them
and was talking to the wife. We talked for a while about things in general
and about the type church they were looking for. I don’t remember what I
said, but I made some comment that was a self put down about my
skill as a preacher and pastor. She stopped me and gave me a sermon. It
was a good one by the way. She proceeded to say that I had said
something in my sermon that bothered her. I thought, I don’t know this
and she has only been at my church one time and she is critiquing my
sermon. I braced myself wondering what I had said that bothered her.
She said what bothered her was a comment I made where I put myself
Down and even the message I was preaching suggestion that God could
Not do much with what he had in me. She reminded me that I needed to
Watch that attitude lest I limit Jesus from doing might works in and through
Me)
What about you? What can Jesus do in and through you? What can he do in and through our church?
(HBC 5/1/05)
