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1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:1-13 NIV)
Happy Monday, ConCafe Family! With it we pray God shower you, dear Friend, with blessings undeserved and unexpected! Please keep Mr. Eloy Rodriguez as he undergoes hip replacement surgery in the Valley. He goes in at 12 noon and exact time of surgery is not known. Please pray for his lovely wife, Carmen, as well. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
Home. It can, and should be, a faith-staging area where the basics of our faith is imparted to our children; prayer, worship, study, caring, love, compassion, hospitality. It is also where we are molded, shaped, and formed for life; whether we will be contributing members of society, or those who simply seek to receive. It can also be a place where famiiarity may breed contempt, or jealousy. Siblings can be treasures, helpers, supporters, and companions; or the exact opposite of each. One can look forward to coming home or will look for excuses not to. I was always told by my parents when I left for college that I could always come home. And I did, every other weekend, when I wasn't working in the school's cafeteria, I would catch a ride with someone from Houston and there like Gulfgate Mall, my parents would be waiting for me, and I'd spend the weekend and on Sunday ride back with the same friend to college. I was shocked when a classmate asked why I went home so often. The question shocked me and then said that when they called, they were told not to come home until Thanksgiving. What we read in today's passage is Jesus returning home with His disciples and on the Sabbath He was able to teach in the hometown synagogue. The Message version says, "He was a hit." The people listening to him were amazed at His ability to convey the precepts behind the Law and Torah. "Where did this man get these things?" They also asked, "What's the wisdom that has been given Him? What are these remarkable miracles He is performing?" And then the inevitable, "Isn't this the carpenter? The son of Mary and the brother to James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't His sisters here with us?" And that's when the hometown things kicked in; namely suspicion and jealousy. Aren't you from this familly? Weren't you of this type of work, a laborer, a carpenter? And you're the brother to, and your sisters are; And yet, you dare stand in that pulpit and preach the word of God? (Or in the Jewish sense, stand while reading from the scroll, and then sit in the Moses seat while preaching). This prompts Jesus to say that "A prophet is not without honor except in His own town, among His relatives and in His own home." For many, those are true words. What the words reveal was the reality of their spiritual weakness. They were not receptive to Jesus' presence, so they would not be receptive to His message. The fact He could not do any miracles there was not that He was without spiritual power; He knew they would serve no true purpose other than perhaps amaze or dazzle a few; it did not prevent Him from helping those who were in need of healing. And to make matters worse in the faith department, Jesus became aware of the lack of faith in that area.
The discovery of a faith shortage drives Jesus to visit each village and preach there, and to commission the Twelve to go and do major ministry. Jesus gave them authority to drive out evil spirits, and the main theme of His ministry, to call people to repent. His instructions stresses the urgency to do this; they were travel lightly, but with faith. They were to take no bread, no bag with which to carry anything, nor to take money; this was a faith mission in which they were to trust God and know that God would provide. The sandals they were wearing would be sufficient, and no extra shirt would be necessary. They were to stay in homes where they were welcome; and if any town did not welcome them, they were to leave and to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. The mission was a success; the Twelve preached the kingdom of God, called people to repentance, they drove out demons, and healed many people with anointing of oil and prayer.
I've often wondered what sort of home life the Twelve had before they were called into ministry with Jesus. I highly doubt that they even dreamed they would be where they found themselves; common down-to-earth people doing supernatural things in the name of the living God, working alongside the Son of God. And if we could take a survey of fhose who seek to serve God now, we might find simillar situations. In my case, I wanted very much to follow in my father's footsteps, hoping to become a milkman with a milk route. The reality was the creamery closed and my father no longer worked there and for a time, anywhere; but his move to Houston I believed opened many doors that would not have otherwise opened for me and for my family; but I never would have dreamed I would stand in front of people, on behalf of God, and speak God's word to people. But God is an awesome God, with awesome power to change, transform and re-make us to do precisely what He would have us do. Think hard about your call, and your walk with God. Your baptism was that which prepared you to follow and imitate Christ, and you defintely have a plan and purpose which to complete on earth; where do you find yourself on that path?
PRAYER: Loving Father, we thank You for Your having done all You have for us. Remind us of that call to purpose You have placed in our lives, along with love, compassion, and drive, so that we may move close to honor and glorify You. Help us in our weakness or doubt to allow You to remake, remold, and deploy us to the places where we can faithfully serve You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Seek your purpose and fulfill it!
Receive my blessings of peace and purpose,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
PS It's been some time since ConCafe has offered a t-shirt; the new one is black with white lettering that says GO AND BE, as a response to the challenge found in the gospels that say, "COME AND SEE." What better response than for us to GO AND BE? The back side says, "You shall be my witnesses in all the earth," from Acts 1:8. To view and order this click here: http://teespring.com/go-and-be. Your purchases bless the ministry of ConCafe both as a worldwide podcast and an email devotional.
