Day 157: Family Matters

Mark 6:1-29; 2 Samuel 15; Daniel 9

When Jesus visits his hometown, they have a parade, square dancing, a potluck...wait, they don't? You would think that Jesus would be a hometown hero and his friends and family would be thrilled to have such an amazing person come and visit. Instead, they start wondering how he got this power, and couldn't believe that he was real, since they knew the family he came from. "Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary?" they ask. They don't like what he is doing. I think they were probably partly afraid, partly skeptical.The people that know us the best are often our biggest critics. They may think that we aren't capable of something, that because of how we were raised that we shouldn't be doing that, that we are breaking the tradition of the family, etc. If our family members are following Christ, then we need to be supportive of them, even if what they are doing seems to be crazy. If we are the one doing something crazy, don't be surprised if you get the most judgment from your family. That's how it worked for Jesus, but it didn't keep him from his purpose. He still went there and taught. He didn't skip over meeting with his family and friends despite their differing attitudes. He could have passed right by and ignored the skeptic cousins, but he didn't, he took the time to teach and heal.

There is a line in here that say "Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them. He was surprised that the people did not have any faith." My question is, could he NOT HEAL them BECAUSE they didn't have faith? Or did he CHOOSE not to heal them because they didn't have faith? Part of what makes Christ so awesome is that there is no forcing himself into our lives. He can't make us love him. He can't make us have faith in him. That's the only thing we have total control over. So I suppose that either way, the people limited what Jesus did.

When Jesus sends out his disciples, there are a couple of interesting factors. First, he sends them out in pairs. They were not expected to do ministry alone--neither are we. As a group, even a small one, there is support that allows for us to be encouraged, strengthened, held accountable. He says to take a walking stick: this is a tool for helping with the journey, for fending off lions, to help keep our footing. To me, for the 21st century follower of Christ, this is God's word. What else helps us with our journey, allows us to fend off evil, and keeps us from slipping into sin? Then Jesus tells them what NOT to take: food, bag, and money. What? Most of us, if we were going on a trip, would skip the stick/bible, and grab some snacks, clothes, and definitely money. Why were they not suppose to take that stuff? Because, God wants to be the one that provides. If we think that food, stuff, money are what keeps us safe and alive, we are mistaken. Now, the next time you go on vacation, I still recommend you grab some clothes and money. This mission was a special one for the disciples. I think there is another time in scripture where Jesus tells the disciples to bring money--so unless you feel like God is telling you to take your family to Disney world with just you bible and hope for the best....some clothes might be helpful. But the point of this is, TRUST IN THE LORD. HE WILL PROVIDE. I know it is sometimes hard to believe, but just like his family, Jesus couldn't work because they didn't have faith. Have faith.

Because Herod was caught up in the moment, the girl had no concept of self, and the mother had a grudge, John the Baptist was killed. Herod had to save face from his stupidity. The daughter didn't know what she wanted, had probably never thought for herself, and could have been the richest person in the kingdom, but didn't make her own decision. And Herodias, because she had been called out for her sin, was angry about it, took it out on John. Sin, sin, sin, death. Sadly, it still kind of works that way. Because of all the sin in the world, people either literally lose their lives or are persecuted by others. A boss tries to save his image at work after making a mistake, so he fires an innocent employee. A girl, in an attempt to figure out what she wants to do with her life, takes the first person's advice that she hears and finds herself in a place down the road that is unfulfilling, destructive, or lonely. Or the bitterness of a parent causes pain and hurt for their family. This stuff isn't limited to the Old Testament, we see it everyday.

In Samuel, there's another example of family not supporting one another. Absalom was a controlling man, and he spoke against David, causing people to turn from God's chosen king to this selfish young man. David trusts in the Lord's purposes and plan though, and knows that God will do with him what he wants. What is interesting is that Absalom's hurtful words and plans didn't just affect David, the entire kingdom was impacted. Hundreds fled the city and were weeping as they went. Because most people don't live isolated from the rest of the world, when a family is destroying itself, lots of people feel the pain. God  gives us our families for a reason. The wisdom they can provide can be so beautiful, but when we disrespect one another or become selfish, that's when families break, as demonstrated here.

Daniel realizes that the great disaster that fell upon the Israelites was their own doing. How much of the pain that we suffer in our lives is a result of our own choices? Daniel begs God to be merciful, not because the people deserve it, but to bring glory to God's name. Something I struggle with is remembering that life is not all about me. I'm not here on earth to make myself happy, to live a peaceful life, to just bask in the blessings of The Lord. I'm here to make a difference, to further God's kingdom, to bring glory to him. And we need to trust in God, not for what he does for us, but simply because of who he is.