Mark 6

Mark 6

In Mark chapter 6, we see this concept of faith played out in several different situations. The thought of placing our faith in Jesus is hard for us to grasp, but Hebrews chapter 11 gives us some clarity. It says, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

We see that as Jesus went back to his hometown in Nazareth that his friends, family, and community did not believe Jesus to be who he said he was. They saw him growing up as a carpenter, not as a rabbi. How could Jesus have learned so much while he was gone? Who did he learn all of this from? In this moment the people of Nazareth chose not to put their faith in Jesus but rather in what they have seen and known.

The people of Nazareth were not willing to look beyond their expectations. They thought the Messiah was going to be a ruler in the world and deliver them from their oppressors. Jesus was the kid they knew from down the street, not the Messiah. They were not able to look beyond their expectations of how they thought the Messiah was going to come.

Having faith in Jesus looks like ditching our expectations and clinging to the reality that God is with us and is worthy of being trusted. Even when we don't know the logistics of situations, God calls us to put our faith in him. Most of the time, God is going to work in ways that we are not expecting. The disciples were very confused and even scared when Jesus walked on water. John the Baptist didn't even get the chance to witness Jesus’ glory in his resurrection but had faith to keep being obedient even to the point of being beheaded by an unjust king.

Just because Jesus isn’t working in the way or timing that we expect doesn't mean that he isn't working. Lifting our eyes and putting continued faith in Jesus that he will move is a great way to see how he is working in the lives of the people around us.

Is there an area in your life where you are expecting Jesus to move in a certain way?