Doing What's Possible | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Mark 6:1-13

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.

² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 

³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 

⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 

⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 

⁷ Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 

⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 

¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. 

¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

 

There is a phrase I think of from time to time, "familiarity breeds contempt." Basically, the longer someone is around someone else or something else, the more familiar they get with it and begin stop appreciating as much as they used to. I have some friends and family members that don't think I can preach very well, don't understand how I am on the board of directors for some of the organizations I am, and get surprised at the work I do. Why? Because they only know me as the snot-nosed, nappy head, kid with a lisp that they knew before and can't imagine him being much else besides that. We all do it.

 

Get a brand-new car, get it washed every week, inside smelling great, tire shine on it. Get a new house, everybody must take their shoes off on the way in, don't track outside inside my house. The point is when you have been around it for a long time the newness of it fades. Doesn't have to be material things though, this happens with people too, you can get a promotion on the job, and you friends start to say you are acting funny. I am sure there are some people here who don't hang around the people they used to because you changed, and they couldn't handle it. 

 

We see some familiarity causing contempt in the Gospel of Mark. The passage I read for you at the beginning of this sermon is in Matthew and Luke but there is a little more time between Jesus coming home and Jesus sending the Disciples out. In chapter 5 Jesus healed Jairus's daughter and the woman with the issue of blood and is now coming home. Jesus starts off teaching in the synagogue and later tries to perform some mighty works, but it is not going as well as it did in chapter 5. Chapter 6 is a little different because Jesus is trying to so this in his hometown. 

 

This was new Jesus was different to the people of Nazareth, a lowly carpenter teaching in the synagogue so the text says they took offense. In the Greek the phrase "took offense" can also mean they stumbled, or they fell away. Don't we know him? Isn't this Mary's boy? People are familiar with Jesus and because they are familiar, they even insult him. Watch the text they mention everyone Jesus is related to, name his mother, his brothers, mention his sisters, but they don't name his father. That is not by omission, but intentional, they are calling Jesus a fatherless child while they are talking to him. 

 

The people did not understand the source of Jesus power and wisdom and because they did not understand it, they chose to be familiar than see the move of God. The people chose what made them comfortable over what would make them conquerors. Tradition over triumph and because the people in the village went that way they missed out on miracles. What have we missed out on because, "we have never done it that way before?" The people in Nazareth thought they knew Jesus, and didn't expect anything good from him, and because they expected to nothing, they got what they expected. Jesus was only able to do a few things there and had to move on. Dejected but not distraught Jesus and the Disciples kept doing work. Don't let the little faith of others keep you from doing what God has set out for you to do. Take what you can, do what you can, while you can. If it doesn't work, shake the dust off your feet and keep pushing. Take what you need

 

Faith empowers action, faith is more than just saying I believe, it is doing something along with that belief. Are you willing to do what God says to do using only what God told you to have? Faith empowers actions, the people in Nazareth did not have much faith in Jesus, sure they were surprised but faith is more than having an emotional reaction to something. Faith empowers us to act. We should be able to exercise our faith, no matter how much or how little we must go out into the world and make a difference. God loves us and gives us power to do great things for the Kingdom of God. 

 

Jesus sent the Disciples out with power and authority to cast out demons, to heal the sick, and to do great work for the kingdom and that same power that flowed through them is the same power that flows through us. You may not want to heal the sick and cast out demons, but I bet you could help somebody in need. I bet you could volunteer a little more, I bet you could share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone you haven't talked to about it before. Doing what is possible puts us in a position where God will transform us from people who think real change is impossible, to people who are doing the work of God — even when it looks like the odds are against achieving anything. What is waiting out there for you to finish? How might your decision about that be driven by what is possible for you now? How might God be in that decision?