Because of Their Unbelief

Vol 3 No 27 THEO'S DEVOS

Mark 6:4-6 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Scattered through Theo's Devos is the thought that all you sense is not all there is. There is an unseen world behind what we think of as existence. A spiritual world, in which, our world finds its meaning. Not everyone believes this and, because of this unbelief, there are serious consequences. In our verses for today it appears that Jesus did not perform many of the works He would have liked to due to the unbelief of the people. They were stymied by their limited vision. They believed what they could see and what they saw was a human being, a carpenter's son. Maybe he built some of their houses or maybe he built an addition to their house and they had given him lunch while he worked.
Whatever they thought, it did not lead them to accept who Jesus really was and what he could do. Their limited belief was tragic. Jesus, we are told healed a few of them but, in his heart was 'amazed at their unbelief.”
Now it is very easy to put our finger of criticism on those people and think that they should have known better. Didn't they see the miracles or at least hear about them? What was it about Jesus that caused them to limit their faith? You would have expected them to have been discussing this unusual man quite often. I am sure that they did but it was the content of the conversations that may have led them to look down on Jesus rather then look up to him.
In any event it doesn't matter much today what they thought or what happened in their town. What is critical is what do we think? Can we look at verses like this and examine our own belief structure? Where is you faith today? How much are you willing to risk in your service of God? Churches are made up of large numbers of people. What that local church can accomplish will be in line with the collective faith of the members. A single pastor can't overcome the lack of faith of his congregation and those full of faith can be greatly discouraged, as was Jesus, when those of limited faith voice that limitation in board meetings and public gatherings.
There was a church that was considering a needed change in government. In a crucial meeting one of the older members said that he didn't believe in fixing something that wasn't broke. It was his way of saying that the church should maintain the status quo. With that, a young man (who reads Theo's Devos) stood up and told the congregation that his father had bought a new tractor for their farm. The old tractor worked great. It didn't need to be fixed. It just didn't do what needed to be done on this modern farm. It had been purchased years before when tractors did little more than pull things. The wisdom of this young man carried the day and the church was filled with the faith it needed to take the necessary steps toward church government much more suitable for the society in which it existed.
So how about your faith? Have you been stretched lately? Or are you still doing the same things for the Lord that you have been doing for some time? Maybe it is time for a change in your life. Maybe Jesus would like to perform something nearly miraculous through you but, like the people in our verses, your unbelief is hindering him. Before you run off and start making changes, or do nothing at all, maybe you should talk to a spiritual advisor that you respect and prayerfully determine if a change is due. Checkups like this are helpful every once in a while. Just don't put it off. Don't miss the kinds of exciting things that the people of our verses missed. Life is way to short for that.
May God bless you.

Theo



Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You


SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY


Please Read: Mark 6:1-6

QUICK QUESTION: If you had the chance to witness, would you prefer it to be a friend, family member or total stranger and why?

1.Why did these people reject Jesus message?

2.What was Jesus reaction?

3.What hindered Jesus from doing some of the things He wanted to?

4.What amazed Jesus?

5.What hinders us from listening to people we know well?

6.What can we do about our response to question 5?



REFLECTION: When do you think it is necessary to seek the advice of a family member, if ever?