July 6, 2018
Mark 6:1-3 …“‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.” vs. 3
We don’t know what Jesus was expecting when he brought his teaching and healing ministry back to his hometown. Obviously, word of what he’d been up to had filtered back to his family and old friends and you’d think they would have been impressed. But they weren’t! They took offense. It wasn’t that they weren’t astounded by his power and wisdom, he just didn’t have the proper credentials! His pedigree was too ordinary. He was a carpenter! What could he possibly know about the kingdom of God and salvation? He hadn’t even been to rabbinical school! Some of us still have a thing about these issues. We’re quick to discount the testimony of the ordinary people around us. In this age of televangelists countless pastors have been discounted for their ordinariness. Why listen to a fumbling preacher who reads sermons when we can tune in handsome eloquent charmers backed by a chorus of beautiful talented musicians? Some of them have even written books! A few even produce daily devotionals! Oh what we miss by blocking out the words of grace that come through our un-credentialed neighbors and acquaintances. It’s in their presence that we can experience the workshop of the Carpenter and are touched by the unvarnished love and power of God.
Thought for the Day: An ordinary person in whom I smell the grace of God.
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