Why No Honor for the Prophet?
If you have been a Christian for any length of time you have read the verse in Mark 6:4 which reads,
And Jesus said to them, A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.
I want to talk about this issue today because I believe it provides a great insight into who we really are as children of God. Everyone of us can identify with what Jesus is talking about here in relation to being believers in Christ. As a young man who spent several years growing up in my own hometown, there were several of my acquaintances who simply could not accept the fact that I had become a Christian. For weeks after accepting Christ, they seemed to simply be waiting for me to return to the person I once was......at least in their sight. Of course, the longer time went on and that didn't happen, they became more convinced that the old Bruce they had once known was not coming back!
Maybe you can identify with this exact thing in your own life. Old friends, family, and neighbors all want to identify you as you once were....... to them. They seem always to see you in that context and frame of reference. In other words, you are without honor in your hometown, within your old established existence. Congratulations! That can only mean one thing, and that is what Jesus was talking about in the above verse. Even Christ could do no miracles in his own hometown because of the level of unbelief present among the residents who knew Him because He grew up in their presence. They refused to see him in any other way other than through a very narrow lens.
Why am I saying this? Because that is often how we choose to see ourselves as Christians, too! We don't accept our own identity in Christ for who we truly are and have become. In Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Christ we were permanently redeemed and forgiven of our debt of sin (Colossians 2:13-14). In Christ, we are adopted into the family of God and have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father who has become our Abba or daddy (Galatians 4:6). In Christ we have been given an eternal inheritance as joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
How do you see yourself today Christian? Are you seeing and conducting yourself according to your true identity in Christ or as the old person you once were? Do you feel weak, unsure, timid, broken, discontented, sad, angry, or out of control? That's not who you are anymore! Those characteristics may attempt to dampen your spirit from time to time, but they must never be allowed to be controlling features of your new life in Christ. Jesus reminded his own disciples one day by saying,
If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed! (John 8:36). Live in your new life and your new freedom!
And Jesus said to them, A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.
I want to talk about this issue today because I believe it provides a great insight into who we really are as children of God. Everyone of us can identify with what Jesus is talking about here in relation to being believers in Christ. As a young man who spent several years growing up in my own hometown, there were several of my acquaintances who simply could not accept the fact that I had become a Christian. For weeks after accepting Christ, they seemed to simply be waiting for me to return to the person I once was......at least in their sight. Of course, the longer time went on and that didn't happen, they became more convinced that the old Bruce they had once known was not coming back!
Maybe you can identify with this exact thing in your own life. Old friends, family, and neighbors all want to identify you as you once were....... to them. They seem always to see you in that context and frame of reference. In other words, you are without honor in your hometown, within your old established existence. Congratulations! That can only mean one thing, and that is what Jesus was talking about in the above verse. Even Christ could do no miracles in his own hometown because of the level of unbelief present among the residents who knew Him because He grew up in their presence. They refused to see him in any other way other than through a very narrow lens.
Why am I saying this? Because that is often how we choose to see ourselves as Christians, too! We don't accept our own identity in Christ for who we truly are and have become. In Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Christ we were permanently redeemed and forgiven of our debt of sin (Colossians 2:13-14). In Christ, we are adopted into the family of God and have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father who has become our Abba or daddy (Galatians 4:6). In Christ we have been given an eternal inheritance as joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
How do you see yourself today Christian? Are you seeing and conducting yourself according to your true identity in Christ or as the old person you once were? Do you feel weak, unsure, timid, broken, discontented, sad, angry, or out of control? That's not who you are anymore! Those characteristics may attempt to dampen your spirit from time to time, but they must never be allowed to be controlling features of your new life in Christ. Jesus reminded his own disciples one day by saying,
If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed! (John 8:36). Live in your new life and your new freedom!
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