Embracing the Real Jesus: Transforming Familiarity into Faith
Summary
In today's passage from Mark's Gospel, we witness a profound encounter as Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth. Despite His teachings and miracles in Capernaum, the people of Nazareth, who knew Him as a carpenter and the son of Mary, were astonished and offended by His wisdom and authority. This reaction underscores a timeless truth: familiarity often breeds contempt. We tend to dismiss the advice and insights of those we know well, preferring the voices of strangers or distant figures, much like how the people of Nazareth dismissed Jesus because they thought they knew Him too well.
This passage challenges us to examine our own perceptions of Jesus. Do we truly see Him as He is revealed in Scripture, or have we crafted a version of Jesus that fits our preferences and comforts? The people of Nazareth couldn't accept Jesus' authority because they saw Him as one of their own, not as the Son of God. Similarly, we often try to mold Jesus into our image, aligning Him with our desires and causes, rather than allowing Him to transform us into His likeness.
Jesus' mission was to glorify God, and His greatest desire for us is to live in a way that glorifies God in everything we do. This is a stark contrast to the prosperity gospel and other diluted versions of Christianity that focus on self-fulfillment and personal gain. True discipleship involves recognizing Jesus as Lord, obeying His commands, and allowing Him to change us from the inside out.
The people of Nazareth's lack of faith limited Jesus' miracles among them. This teaches us that our perception of Jesus directly impacts His activity in our lives. If we place our faith in the real Jesus, as revealed in Scripture, we open ourselves to His transformative power. However, if we cling to a comfortable, self-made version of Jesus, we miss out on the fullness of His work in our lives.
In conclusion, we must resist the temptation to sanitize Jesus and instead embrace Him as He truly is. This involves immersing ourselves in Scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the real Jesus to us, and surrounding ourselves with a community that challenges and encourages us in our faith. Only then can we experience the true transformation that comes from following Jesus wholeheartedly.
### Key Takeaways
- Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Just as the people of Nazareth dismissed Jesus because they thought they knew Him, we often reject the wisdom and insights of those close to us. This familiarity can blind us to the profound truths they offer. We must be open to receiving God's message, regardless of the messenger's familiarity. [01:05]
- Crafting Our Own Jesus: We often create a version of Jesus that aligns with our desires and comforts, rather than accepting Him as He is revealed in Scripture. This self-made Jesus demands nothing and challenges nothing, leading us into idolatry. True discipleship requires us to let Jesus transform us into His likeness, not the other way around. [10:48]
- Jesus' Mission to Glorify God: Jesus' primary purpose was to glorify God, and His greatest desire for us is to live in a way that glorifies God in everything we do. This contrasts sharply with the prosperity gospel and other diluted versions of Christianity that focus on self-fulfillment. We must align our lives with Jesus' mission to truly follow Him. [12:52]
- Faith and Jesus' Activity: The lack of faith in Nazareth limited Jesus' miracles among them. Similarly, our perception of Jesus directly impacts His activity in our lives. Placing our faith in the real Jesus, as revealed in Scripture, opens us to His transformative power. We must seek the true Jesus to experience His full work in our lives. [29:22]
- Embracing the Real Jesus: To truly follow Jesus, we must immerse ourselves in Scripture, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real Jesus to us, and surround ourselves with a community that challenges and encourages us in our faith. This involves resisting the temptation to sanitize Jesus and instead embracing Him as He truly is. [44:43]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:05] - Familiarity Breeds Contempt
[02:13] - Rejecting Advice from the Familiar
[04:06] - Jesus' Boyhood and Profession
[05:33] - Jesus in the Synagogue
[07:05] - Offense at Jesus' Authority
[09:01] - Conviction and Shooting the Messenger
[10:48] - Casting Jesus in Our Own Image
[12:52] - Jesus' Mission to Glorify God
[14:43] - True Fulfillment in Jesus
[16:45] - The Danger of a Self-Made Jesus
[18:05] - Misunderstanding Jesus' Forgiveness
[19:45] - Jesus' Transformative Power
[22:06] - Jesus' Love and Authority
[23:44] - Zacchaeus' Transformation
[25:19] - Nicodemus' Encounter with Jesus
[27:22] - The Idol of a Comfortable Jesus
[29:22] - Faith and Jesus' Activity
[31:49] - Jesus as Lord
[34:25] - The Church: Cruise Ship vs. Battleship
[37:30] - Everyone Has a Battle Station
[39:25] - Serving Jesus as Lord
[41:40] - Offense and Unbelief
[44:43] - Embracing the Real Jesus
[45:31] - The Wounds of a Friend
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. Mark 6:1-6 (Jesus Rejected at Nazareth)
2. John 3:1-21 (Nicodemus Visits Jesus)
3. Luke 19:1-10 (Jesus and Zacchaeus)
### Observation Questions
1. What was the reaction of the people of Nazareth to Jesus' teachings and miracles? ([07:05])
2. How did the people of Nazareth refer to Jesus, and why was this significant? ([09:01])
3. What did Jesus say to Nicodemus about being born again, and how did Nicodemus initially respond? ([25:19])
4. What transformation did Zacchaeus undergo after his encounter with Jesus? ([23:44])
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think familiarity with Jesus led the people of Nazareth to reject Him? How does this reflect our own tendencies to dismiss those we know well? ([01:05])
2. How does crafting a version of Jesus that aligns with our desires lead to idolatry? What are some modern examples of this? ([10:48])
3. In what ways does Jesus' mission to glorify God contrast with the prosperity gospel? How should this understanding shape our lives? ([12:52])
4. How does our perception of Jesus impact His activity in our lives? What does it mean to place our faith in the "real Jesus"? ([29:22])
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you dismissed advice from someone close to you. How can you be more open to receiving wisdom from familiar sources? ([01:05])
2. Have you ever found yourself creating a version of Jesus that fits your preferences? What steps can you take to align your understanding of Jesus with Scripture? ([10:48])
3. How can you ensure that your life glorifies God in everything you do, rather than seeking self-fulfillment? What specific changes might this require? ([12:52])
4. Think about a situation where your lack of faith might have limited Jesus' work in your life. How can you cultivate a deeper, more authentic faith in the real Jesus? ([29:22])
5. What are some practical ways you can immerse yourself in Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real Jesus to you? ([44:43])
6. Identify a community or group that challenges and encourages you in your faith. How can you engage more deeply with this community to grow in your understanding of Jesus? ([44:43])
7. Consider a friend who needs to hear the truth about Jesus. How can you lovingly and courageously share this truth with them, even if it risks offending them? ([45:31])
Devotional
Day 1: Familiarity Breeds Contempt
The people of Nazareth dismissed Jesus because they thought they knew Him too well. This reaction highlights a common human tendency: we often reject the wisdom and insights of those who are familiar to us. This familiarity can blind us to the profound truths they offer. We must be open to receiving God's message, regardless of the messenger's familiarity. Jesus' experience in Nazareth serves as a reminder to examine our own hearts and attitudes towards those close to us. Are we dismissing valuable insights simply because they come from familiar sources? [01:05]
Mark 6:4 (ESV): "And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.'"
Reflection: Think of someone close to you whose advice or insights you have dismissed. How can you open your heart to receive God's message through them today?
Day 2: Crafting Our Own Jesus
We often create a version of Jesus that aligns with our desires and comforts, rather than accepting Him as He is revealed in Scripture. This self-made Jesus demands nothing and challenges nothing, leading us into idolatry. True discipleship requires us to let Jesus transform us into His likeness, not the other way around. The people of Nazareth couldn't accept Jesus' authority because they saw Him as one of their own, not as the Son of God. Similarly, we must resist the temptation to mold Jesus into our image and instead allow Him to transform us. [10:48]
2 Corinthians 11:4 (ESV): "For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough."
Reflection: Reflect on your understanding of Jesus. Are there ways in which you have crafted a version of Jesus that aligns with your own desires? How can you seek the true Jesus as revealed in Scripture?
Day 3: Jesus' Mission to Glorify God
Jesus' primary purpose was to glorify God, and His greatest desire for us is to live in a way that glorifies God in everything we do. This contrasts sharply with the prosperity gospel and other diluted versions of Christianity that focus on self-fulfillment. True discipleship involves recognizing Jesus as Lord, obeying His commands, and allowing Him to change us from the inside out. We must align our lives with Jesus' mission to truly follow Him. [12:52]
John 17:4 (ESV): "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do."
Reflection: Consider your daily actions and decisions. Are they aligned with the mission to glorify God? What changes can you make to ensure that your life reflects Jesus' purpose?
Day 4: Faith and Jesus' Activity
The lack of faith in Nazareth limited Jesus' miracles among them. Similarly, our perception of Jesus directly impacts His activity in our lives. Placing our faith in the real Jesus, as revealed in Scripture, opens us to His transformative power. We must seek the true Jesus to experience His full work in our lives. Our faith and understanding of Jesus play a crucial role in how we experience His presence and power. [29:22]
Matthew 13:58 (ESV): "And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief."
Reflection: Reflect on your faith in Jesus. Are there areas of unbelief or misconceptions that might be limiting His work in your life? How can you deepen your faith and understanding of the true Jesus?
Day 5: Embracing the Real Jesus
To truly follow Jesus, we must immerse ourselves in Scripture, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real Jesus to us, and surround ourselves with a community that challenges and encourages us in our faith. This involves resisting the temptation to sanitize Jesus and instead embracing Him as He truly is. Only then can we experience the true transformation that comes from following Jesus wholeheartedly. [44:43]
Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV): "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
Reflection: How can you immerse yourself more deeply in Scripture and community to know the real Jesus? What steps can you take today to embrace Jesus as He truly is, rather than a sanitized version?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "You know, we are often apt to receive life advice from people we don't know very well, or maybe not even at all. And in our day, that most probably happens on social media. Well, receive it. That life advice from those people that we don't know very well, rather than the ones that we do know well. A lot of times when someone we know well tries to give us advice about a situation, often we will reject it, maybe not to their face, but while they're talking, we'll be sitting there thinking, yeah, who are you to say that to me? Because you see, I know you." [01:05] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "You see, the people of Nazareth were incapable of appreciating who Jesus was because, like Jesus, his own family, oddly. They identified him with themselves too closely. He's one of us. How dare he say these things because he is like us. And you see, I'm afraid we live in a day that we do the same thing with Jesus. We try to make him like us. We've got to be careful, though, that we don't try to bring Jesus down to us. We must let him raise us to him." [10:48] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "You don't have to be a Christian to be a Christian. You don't have to be a Christian to be a Christian. You do know that Jesus just wants you to be happy. Jesus just wants you to be self-fulfilled. Jesus really wants you to have the desires of your heart. You know, Jesus really, really just, he lives and breathes so that you can self-actualize yourself into the version you point to that makes you the very best version. You can be. That's what we've done a lot of times with the word of God." [12:52] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "You see, Jesus had one purpose, and that was to glorify God. Everything Jesus did in his earthly form had one purpose, and that was to glorify his father in heaven. And friends, I'm going to tell you a secret. It's only a secret because we don't want to deal with it. And so we don't talk about it a lot. But you do understand that Jesus's greatest desire for you is that you live your life in such a way that you glorify God in everything you do." [14:43] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "You see, it's the pattern of Scripture. When we meet Jesus, he changes our lives. So you see the danger in creating a version of Jesus that you're comfortable with? I'm going to say a shocking, scandalizing statement right now. If you're comfortable with the Jesus that you've crafted in your mind, you're an idolater. You've created an idol. And you're bowing down to an idol just as the people in the Old Testament used to bow down to the bales in their day. Because you are worshiping a Jesus that is not Jesus." [27:22] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Friends, that's the problem. We don't want to accept Jesus for how he reveals himself to be in scripture. We'll listen to just about anything else to tell us about Jesus, but, but we won't let scripture tell us all about Jesus. You know, we've turned Jesus in our minds. We've turned Jesus in our minds. We've turned Jesus in our minds. We've turned Jesus into this really soft guy who will accept just about everything or anything. And I'm so tired of people using the woman caught in adultery to justify staying in their sin." [19:45] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "You see, when we accept Jesus for who he reveals himself to be in scripture, we understand that he truly does have our best at heart. But his best is very different from our best. You know, we've concluded that we're going to live our lives in such a way that we a lot of times that we have these certain things that have to happen in our lives. And if these things happen, we'll truly be happy and fulfilled. If I can just get that degree, if I can just buy that house, if I can just move into that prestigious community, if I can just have that particular vehicle, if I can just have this circle of friends or be accepted into this circle of friends, if I can just not be sick, if I can be healthy, if I can just have money in the bank so I don't have any money problems and don't have any struggles, if I can just have life go the way I want it to go all the time, then I'll be happy. It's a lie." [14:43] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Friends, don't settle for some veneered version of Jesus in your life. Get in the Word of God. Let the Holy Spirit teach you about the real Jesus. Surround yourself with people that are spurring you along in your faith. Don't surround yourself with a symphony of voices that are simply going to tell you what you want to hear. Surround yourself with people who love you enough to tell you the truth. Risk being that kind of friend." [44:43] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "We must understand that how we see Jesus in our lives, will determine his activity in our lives. Let me say that again. We must understand that how we see Jesus will determine his activity in our lives. Many folks wonder why Jesus doesn't seem to be doing anything in their lives. Friends, have you placed your faith in Jesus? Have you placed your faith in the real Jesus? Have you said, I want to follow him? Not some version that I've created of him. I want to follow him. I want Jesus, the real Jesus." [29:22] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Friends, that's kind of what we've turned the modern church into. We're a cruise ship. We think we're supposed to be comfortable. We think that everybody's supposed to make sure all of our needs are met when we are there. Notice nobody put a lay around your neck when you came to church this morning. You are not on a cruise ship. I am not the captain who desired, you know, I'm the captain of the ship, and my goal is to make sure your experience on the SS Riverbend is supposed to be one where you're always happy, you're always smiling, and you're never challenged about anything." [35:56] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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