Living in the Spirit
July 3, 2021
Scripture Reading:
Mark 6:1-13
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 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 offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. –Mark 6:1-6
I think the above scripture is about people’s self-worth. When someone is comfortable in their skin, they usually have no problem appreciating the skills and abilities of others. The closer one person’s life and background mirror another’s, the more apt they are to make comparisons, perhaps get into mental if not real competition. Siblings do this all the time. Some try to carve out an area in which they can shine and not be in competition. Others try to excel outside the competition. My brother and sister both excelled at math. I never had any interest in math beyond what was required in a specific class. I made OK grades but only took the required math course in high school. In college, I got my math requirement by taking a course in logic. English and history were my favorite subjects. I wonder if my choices had as much to do with not competing with my siblings.
Lack of self-worth is a significant problem in our world today. We live in a competitive world where people’s worth is often measured in money. Money also usually dictates what schools one attends, the toys they have, the food they eat, whether they receive health care. All of these realities mold people’s lives into classifications that result in a hard-to-break caste system. That is not the way of being Jesus taught. Perhaps these early experiences opened his eyes to seeing the real potential in each person and striving to strengthen people’s gifts rather than toss them aside like bruised fruit.
The worst thing we can do to someone is convincing them that they are better than everybody else. Such people know that is not true and do not know how to deal with that fact. We see the anger and resistance among such people in many aspects of our lives today. While we try to repair the breaches of racism and sexism and how we treat people with physical and mental traits deferring from the majority, we must deal with these self-worth issues. There is no hierarchy of worth among God’s children; only beautiful diversities of potential needing to be supported.
Prayer: Lord, help us recognize and celebrate the gifts in all people while fully supporting them in reaching their full potential. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.