Familiarity Breeds Contempt                                                               08-02-14

Mark 6:4 (NASB) ⁴  Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household."

John 4:44 (NASB) ⁴⁴  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
 
I listened yesterday to a world renowned preacher, now deceased, declare that a significant portion of the American church was preaching a false gospel. They were, in his wise and seasoned view, walking in apostasy. As I listened, the above scripture(s) came to mind. A chain reaction was ignited in my head as I mused about the different applications these scriptures have in our lives today. We need some context here to fully appreciate the word of the Lord. Look at the preceding verses:

Mark 6:1-3 (NASB) ¹  Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him.
²  When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?
³  "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him.

In a nutshell, Jesus returned to His hometown and His teaching was rejected by the people because they "knew" who Jesus was. They had grown up with Him. They had seen Him fall down and skin His knee. Probably had seen Him get angry from time to time. Might even had seen Him act  in a way that they personally disagreed with. For whatever reason, these people knew Jesus "in the flesh" and the Bible says they took "offense" at Him. "Who does He think He is? Sitting up there all high and mighty telling us that we should repent! Not only that, but did you here what He said? No? Well, I heard that He said that He was the Son of God ??!! Of all the nerve!!!" That is my imagined narrative but you understand don't you? THEY TOOK OFFENSE AT HIM!! Fast forward to 2014.

One of the more difficult things to do in this life is to be able to switch hats. Especially in the realm of church. Sometimes, if we are not careful, we become like the people in Nazareth. We "know" the preacher. We have seen him in his humanity. We have known him to have dropped the ball in his life. We know all too well that he is human and that he makes mistakes. He sins. So, when he walks into the pulpit Sunday morning, or sends out his message over the internet and that message steps on our toes...we allow ourselves a healthy dose of self righteousness and begin to criticize the messenger. "Who does that preacher think he is. I know for a fact that he doesn't live that holy of a life." We haven't learned to switch hats. The people in Nazareth couldn't switch hats. They couldn't get past Jesus' humanity. We still face that same problem today. Let me tell you something about preachers and men of God in general. They are all human and they all, down to the very least of them, fail on a daily basis. Let me say something else...no I will let God's Word do my talking on this.

Romans 11:29 (NASB) ²⁹  for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Now, without getting off track that word "gifts" is the same word used for the different gifts that God has bestowed on His children through His grace. Beginning with salvation, moving on through the gifts of service,teaching and so on in Romans 12. The spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and finally the ministry gifts of Ephesians. You know Apostles, prophets,pastors....  they are as Strong's says a "divine gratuity" They are IRREVOCABLE. So, yes, that man of God, that preacher, flawed as he MAY be,(I choose my words carefully here) is still called of God to deliver His message to you and me. And as in so many cases, if we choose to take offense at God's messenger then we shall surely lose out on the blessing that God has in store for us. No, He is not going to harm us or curse us if we reject the message, although there are many in the pulpit out there that would have you believe that, just so they can build their own personal kingdoms.
BUT, we do stand to lose our blessing, just like the people in Jesus' day. Look and see. 

Mark 6:5-6 (NASB) ⁵  And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
⁶  And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.

I wonder at the word "could." It doesn't say would, it says could. I will look into that later. At any rate, you get the point don't you? Because of their unbelief, which was preceded by their taking offense, Jesus, the Son Of God couldn't work in their midst. He couldn't bless them. They lost out on their encounter with the one true God. If Jesus was stymied,do you think that we can effect God's blessing when we take offense and criticize God's human agent? Brothers and sisters, I am not saying that we must believe every word proceeding out of every mouth that calls itself a messenger of God. No,no. The Bible doesn't teach that. We are to discern the spirits. However, when someone who has proved their faithfulness and mettle over time speaks "Thus saith the Lord," then we help our own cause if we listen. Amen? In a different vein, I will leave you with this thought. In the Old Testament God sent messengers to speak His Word to the people, the children of Israel. They were called shepherds, they were called judges, they were called prophets. When the people obeyed their voice they were blessed of God. When they did not, they fell under His judgment. There are God sent messengers today calling this country to wake up before it's too late. If we are smart as a nation, we will turn to God, His Son, His Holy Spirit, and His Holy Word to chart our course for the future. If we refuse and rebel, then we will suffer the same fate of those whom have chosen to reject God in times past. All sound and fury, signifying nothing.

  Psalm 40:16 (NASB) ¹⁶  Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!"



God Bless