Word for the day:” Handling rejection in your life and leadership.”
Mark 6:3 (NKJV) 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. 4 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.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
BELOVED LEADERS,
Today’s message is vital to your leadership development. We can see how Jesus handles rejection of his family and those from his hometown.
The Gospel of Mark highlights how Jesus is rejected by the people of his own town. For as he says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.” But he astounded crowds throughout Galilee because he taught with authority.
As far as we can determine, Jesus was not formally trained in a rabbinic school, nor was he educated to be a temple priest or a scribe, nor was he a devotee of the Pharisees, the Sadducees. He was in simplistic terms a layman. And this made his arrival on the public scene even more astounding.
I believe leaders show up in various sectors of life. Leaders are not always the ones with positions and titles or at least that’s been my experience. As we see in today’s message with Jesus, we can miss opportunities of a lifetime looking for gifts and blessings for our lives to arrive packaged a certain way.
For this Nazarene carpenter with no formal religious education or affiliation began to speak and act with an unprecedented authority. To the crowds who listened to him preach, he boldly declared, “You have heard it said, but I say” He was referring, of course, to the Torah, the teaching of Moses, the court of final appeal to any faithful rabbi; and therefore, he was claiming for himself an authority greater than that of Israel’s most significant teacher and lawgiver.
POINT TO PONDER
The gospel of Mark chapter 6 gives all of us some food for thought as we live out our lives. Be mindful of how we treat and receive people in our families and close relationships. Don’t allow familiarity to taint and miss the amazing things God has for your life.
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Kingdom Blessings,