GET INVOLVED
Gospel of Mark
Have you ever felt misunderstood by the people who know you best? Jesus experienced that, in his hometown, among his own family and friends. It’s difficult to feel like people don’t really see, know, or understand you. But notice how Jesus responded. He didn’t walk away. He didn’t yell at them. He didn’t reject them. He didn’t whine or complain or act like a victim. He just went about his business, doing what he came to do, with a positive and kind attitude. This story (verses 1-6) both shows us what Jesus is really like and also gives us an example of how we can live in a similar situation.
Other stories, like the one about Jesus sending out his disciples (verses 6-12), are a little different. They tell us about something that actually happened during Jesus’ life, but don’t offer a blueprint for specific things we should do. If we tried to use this story as a how-to guide for serving Jesus, we would:
That’s obviously not what the story teaches us.
There is always something to learn from the Bible, but sometimes it’s not right there on the surface. In this story, when Jesus sent his followers to do his work, they went and did it, right away, just as he said. That’s an example we can all learn from.
Mark 6:1-29
verses 1-6 (Jesus rejected in his hometown)
verse 12
General Reflection:
Jesus was known as a great teacher and a prophet. The Old Testament prophets spoke God's messages to the people. Many books in the Old Testament include stories about the prophets, including Elijah. Some books contain the actual messages of the prophets. The “major” prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The books named after them are quite long. The “minor” prophets are Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Though Elijah doesn't have a book named after him, he was one of the most important prophets of Israel. You can read about him in 2 Kings.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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