Mark 6:4–5: “But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.’ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”

February 1st, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

“He could do no mighty work there.” The people’s unbelief did not diminish God’s power, but because of their unbelief, they simply did not come to Him for healing as those in Capernaum did. It suggests that Jesus limited His ministry to acts of mercy so that their exposure to greater light would not result in a worse hardening of their hearts and greater condemnation. Jesus certainly had the power to do more miracles, but not the will, because they rejected Him. Miracles are usually gifted to those who are ready to believe. One definition of the word omnipotence is “power bound only by its own will.” Since only a few came for healing, only a few received healing. To this day, unbelief prevents people who are hurting from coming and receiving what they need from Jesus. Hard hearts, insufficient information, and a lack of faith keep people from seeing and listening, leading to spiritual death.

Most of us recognize the name Leonard Bernstein, the famous New York Philharmonic conductor and composer. His father did not encourage him in his music career, and after his son became famous, he was asked why that was; he replied, “How was I to know that he would grow up to become Leonard Bernstein?” Leonard was too familiar to his dad. His own family could not see the greatness in this son. Many people make the same mistake.

“LORD, we chose to believe and come to You in faith. Help us to help others see who You are, so they can see and listen to Your voice.”