Mark 6:1-29

Have you ever felt misunderstood by the people who know you best? Jesus experienced that, in his hometown, among his own family and friends. It’s difficult to feel like people don’t really see, know, or understand you. But notice how Jesus responded. He didn’t walk away. He didn’t yell at them. He didn’t reject them. He didn’t whine or complain or act like a victim. He just went about his business, doing what he came to do, with a positive and kind attitude. This story (verses 1-6) both shows us what Jesus is really like and also gives us an example of how we can live in a similar situation.

Other stories, like the one about Jesus sending out his disciples (verses 6-12), are a little different. They tell us about something that actually happened during Jesus’ life, but don’t offer a blueprint for specific things we should do. If we tried to use this story as a how-to guide for serving Jesus, we would:

1. always travel in groups of exactly two
2. never pack for a journey (except a walking stick)
3. never bring food, luggage, or money when serving Jesus
4. never bring a change of clothes when serving Jesus
5. reject people who reject Jesus

That’s obviously not what the story teaches us.

There is always something to learn from the Bible, but sometimes it’s not right there on the surface. In this story, when Jesus sent his followers to do his work, they went and did it, right away, just as he said. That’s an example we can all learn from.