Belonging - Day 8
Mark 2:1
When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,
Jesus was clearly getting famous at this point. This is a particular situation is especially interesting when it comes to going back to the area where you grew up. It is not so easy to be famous at home, with people who know who you are. They are much less impressed and much more likely to hold what you say with a grain of salt. However, Jesus seemed to overcome that and so many people were interested in hearing what he had to say that they packed the house to the point that there was no room for anyone else.
One thing that we don’t see in this particular narrative is that Jesus was healing at this house. While we well may have been, what we do know is that he was teaching and he was a popular speaker as he was preaching God’s word to those who were around.
People love a new preacher. They always do. Having had the opportunity to travel to new places, it is always great to be the new preacher in a place where you haven’t preached before. You can use your best sermons and they usually go over quite well. It is much harder to be a preacher who grew up in the area, because when people know you, they have a difficult time taking you seriously.
I will never forget preaching in the church I grew up in as a young pastor. It was horrible. They couldn’t take me seriously, and I wasn’t super coherent. It was probably a disaster for all of us. I think it took another 10 years before I preached there again, which was probably good for all of us.
Jesus was preaching the words that God had given him, and clearly, they were resonating with everyone who was in the room. However, there would have been many who were not able to hear him, to get close to him, or be healed by him. Even a full room can be problem when you don’t have enough space for all who want to enter.
You probably know what is coming next in the story, but if you don’t, I won’t spoil it for you!
When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,
Jesus was clearly getting famous at this point. This is a particular situation is especially interesting when it comes to going back to the area where you grew up. It is not so easy to be famous at home, with people who know who you are. They are much less impressed and much more likely to hold what you say with a grain of salt. However, Jesus seemed to overcome that and so many people were interested in hearing what he had to say that they packed the house to the point that there was no room for anyone else.
One thing that we don’t see in this particular narrative is that Jesus was healing at this house. While we well may have been, what we do know is that he was teaching and he was a popular speaker as he was preaching God’s word to those who were around.
People love a new preacher. They always do. Having had the opportunity to travel to new places, it is always great to be the new preacher in a place where you haven’t preached before. You can use your best sermons and they usually go over quite well. It is much harder to be a preacher who grew up in the area, because when people know you, they have a difficult time taking you seriously.
I will never forget preaching in the church I grew up in as a young pastor. It was horrible. They couldn’t take me seriously, and I wasn’t super coherent. It was probably a disaster for all of us. I think it took another 10 years before I preached there again, which was probably good for all of us.
Jesus was preaching the words that God had given him, and clearly, they were resonating with everyone who was in the room. However, there would have been many who were not able to hear him, to get close to him, or be healed by him. Even a full room can be problem when you don’t have enough space for all who want to enter.
You probably know what is coming next in the story, but if you don’t, I won’t spoil it for you!
- Who is your favorite preacher? And have you traveled to go hear them before?
- With the advent of the internet, you can hear all the greatest sermons from all the preachers you love, how has that made you experience church lately?
- What would you do if you couldn’t get into the church to hear the preacher that you love?
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