{"id":16,"date":"2012-07-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2012\/07\/07\/sunday-8th-july-2012-who-does-he-think-he-is\/"},"modified":"2012-07-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-07-07T00:00:00","slug":"sunday-8th-july-2012-who-does-he-think-he-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2012\/07\/07\/sunday-8th-july-2012-who-does-he-think-he-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday 8th July 2012 &#8211; Who does he think he is?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><font size=\"4\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">The Word This Week<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<ul style=\"\">\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=209#hebrew_reading\">2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10<\/a> and <a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=209#psalm_reading\">Psalm 48<\/a>\u00a0 OR<\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=209#hebrew_oth_reading\">Ezekiel 2:1-5<\/a> and <a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=209#psalm_oth_reading\">Psalm 123<\/a> <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=209#epistle_reading\">2 Corinthians 12:2-10<\/a>\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li style=\"\"><a title=\"\" style=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu\/texts.php?id=209#gospel_reading\">Mark 6:1-13<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><font size=\"4\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Thoughts on the Word<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><br \/><span><\/span><font size=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Mark 6:1-13 (NRSV)<\/span><br \/><\/font><font size=\"2\"><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard  him were astounded. They said, \u2018Where did this man get all this? What is  this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being  done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?\u2019 And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, \u2018Prophets are not without honour, except in  their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.\u2019 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, \u2018Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you  leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against  them.\u2019 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p><span>This week&#8217;s Gospel reading sees Jesus return home <\/span>to Nazareth, where he is rejected by friends and family.\u00a0 He suffers the fate of so many of the prophets of God, as the people listen to him, only to turn away from him saying &#8220;\u2018Where did this man get  all this? What is  this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of  power are being  done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son  of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not  his sisters here with us?\u2019 &#8221; They took offence at him &#8211; basically saying who does he think he is?! Does he think he is better than us?!<\/p>\n<p>It is something that we often overlook in Jesus ministry &#8211; he was a prophet of God as well as the Son of God &#8211; and God incarnate!.\u00a0 It is important to understand that in the Bible a prophet of God is not necessarily someone who tells the future &#8211; though they sometimes did warn of future events and consequences.\u00a0 The word prophet comes from the Greek &#8211;<em style=\"\">pro <\/em>+<em style=\"\"> ph-e  t -e  s<\/em>\u2014literally, one who speaks \u201con behalf of.\u201d\u00a0 A prophet then is not one who looks into the future, but one who has insight and an understanding of the present. The biblical prophets were\u00a0 who were called by God speak to their communities, to pass on the message of God to those who needed to hear it. \u00a0 The community would gladly accept them as a great prophet of God when their message was affirming. But when they  criticized the community and challenged it to repent and turn back to God,  the prophet was often rejected along with the message.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus was the ultimate prophet, he came bearing a message of God so important, so powerful that if we accept it then we are reconciled with our creator.\u00a0 However there were (and are) a large number of people who &#8216;take offence at him&#8217; and his message.\u00a0 The people of Jesus&#8217; home town took offense when they saw this up-start come in preaching repentance and salvation.\u00a0 Wasn&#8217;t this just the carpenter&#8217;s son? What makes him think he can come home and start telling us how to live &#8211; does he think is better than us? <br \/><span><\/span><br \/><span>I wonder how often do we as followers of Jesus get jealous of those who are gifted with God&#8217;s grace in areas that we aren&#8217;t?\u00a0 Are you on one of those who rejects or gets annoyed with people because of the way they preach, teach, talk or walk? I know I have been guilty! I am maturing slowly through much prayer and reflection &#8211; though I have a long way to go! <\/span><br \/><span style=\"\"><\/span><br \/><span style=\"\"><\/span>  In other circumstances, we might be the ones who feel unappreciated,  overlooked or rejected.\u00a0 We have our own gifts, and it can be upsetting for us if we perceive that we have been rejected when we genuinely  possess an ability or want to offer our service or advice.\u00a0 We would do well to remember the words of St Paul in today&#8217;s New Testament reading:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\">2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NRSV)<\/span><br style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\">Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, &#8220;My grace is sufficient for you, for power is  made perfect in weakness.&#8221; So, I will boast all the more gladly of my  weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.\u00a0 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,  persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am  weak, then I am strong.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"\"><\/span><span style=\"\"><\/span><br \/><span style=\"\"><\/span>Truly the Grace of God is sufficient for us in any circumstance.\u00a0 He will never abandon us, and even though we would ask for redress of our perceived injustice, if we place our faith in Christ, then truly His Grace will prevail in our lives.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p><span><\/span>As you move forward this week and you find yourself frustrated, or annoyed at some circumstance, reflect on the life of Jesus, and St Paul &#8211; and so many other saints through the ages.\u00a0 Remember if his grace was sufficent for them &#8211; it is certainly sufficent for us also<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><br \/><span><\/span><br \/><span><\/span><br \/><span><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Word This Week 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 and Psalm 48\u00a0 OR Ezekiel 2:1-5 and Psalm 123 2 Corinthians 12:2-10\u00a0 Mark 6:1-13 Thoughts on the Word Mark 6:1-13 (NRSV)He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/2012\/07\/07\/sunday-8th-july-2012-who-does-he-think-he-is\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sunday 8th July 2012 &#8211; Who does he think he is?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewordthisweek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}