Today’s reading: Mark 6
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 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? 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.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith (Mark 6:1-6).
Jesus lived among the people of Nazareth for 30 years. He grew up with them, he was their neighbor and their friend. They knew him better than anyone else. Their familiarity with Jesus and their preconceived notions about him, however, kept them from accepting his message and putting their faith in him. Ultimately their unwillingness to believe Jesus was the Messiah God promised in the Old Testament, separated them from God.
In his 1961 book, The Knowledge of the Holy, AW Tozer wrote – “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”. Do you believe this? Think about it – if eternal life is only possible because God sent Jesus to die on the cross and pay the price for our sins, knowing what someone believes in his or her heart about God tells us where they will spend eternity. You might even go as far as to say – if we get it wrong about God, it really doesn’t matter what else we get right. Outside of spending eternity with God, all other roads lead to death.
According to a recent study by the Pew Research center, 80% of Americans claim to believe in God. This study found how people see God, and how they believe God interacts with them, varies greatly by religious affiliation, gender and political party. In fact, only about 56% of Americans affirm belief in God as he is described in the Bible (When Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean, 2017).
So I ask, what do YOU believe about God? This is the most important question you will ever answer.
And this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3).