Key Verses: 2, 5, 8, 16, 24, 34,
Have
you ever wondered how a particular family could have raised a child like that,
either good or bad? I have. We never expect a NASCAR fan to come from the Japanese
violin playing family next door. So when the people wonder about Jesus, and
where He got his wisdom and the ability to do miracles, they look at his family
and see the mismatch. His family was not something special. His brothers and
sisters probably got called into the principle’s office and sat through
detention.
Jesus
was limited in what He could do in his home town because they didn’t believe in
Him. I have had little impact on my own brothers and sister. I continue to pray
for them. My sister loves the Lord, but my brothers don’t in a way that reflects my influence. So I invest my
energies in fields where harvest is possible.
Jesus asks His disciples to exercise
faith as they go out for the first time and extend Jesus’ ministry. They are to
go and trust that God will provide for their needs. And they did, because God
did.
Guilt can be a very powerful tool.
Herod, the political leader of that area of the ancient world, was racked with
guilt over his own part in having John the Baptist killed. His guilt leads him
to believe that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead. Jealousy can
also be a powerful tool. It drove Herod’s wife’s jealousy to the point of
murder. Pride can also be a very powerful tool. It drove Herod to kill John to
save face before his guests. Has your jealousy or guilt or pride driven you to
act?