Using Your Power

Mark 6:1-6 (NKJV) 

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 

And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that His hands perform such mighty works! 

Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 

Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 

One of the striking things about this passage is the phrase, “Now he could do no mighty work there.” In this famous visit to his hometown, I wonder what mighty work Jesus had in mind for his neighbors and kinfolk. 

Jesus was just beginning his ministry, but he had already made an impact on those who had seen him and those who had heard about him. He was drawing large crowds wherever he went, and the stories of the “mighty work” that he was doing were abundant. But when he arrived in his hometown, he was met with a skepticism that quickly hardened into unbelief. This unbelief was so strong and rigid that, in the words of the gospel writer, “He marveled” because of it. 

We are sure that God has the power to work in mighty and mysterious ways. In this instance, that power was checked by unbelief. Are we like these citizens of Nazareth? Do we check the power of the Holy Spirit by our inability to believe, our lack of faith? 

The story could have ended differently, but sadly, Jesus and his disciples left town, and Nazareth stayed much the same as it had always been. Jesus moved on, and the city missed its grand opportunity. 

Prayer:

Dear Lord, help us to find faith rather than skepticism when there are opportunities for you to exercise your power. Show us those opportunities where our belief can work with your power to do the mighty works that you have in mind. Amen. 

This devotional was written and read by Jim Stovall.

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