Blinded By Familarity

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