How Labels block Faith

Scripture Reading: Mark 6: 1 - 6 (NIV)
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
Message: How Labels Block Faith
Jesus being labeled
This is a story of an unannounced homecoming
Jesus, traveling through the land, arriving in the town where He grew up
And, as He is doing in his ministry, going the synagogue on the Sabbath and teaching the Scriptures
And they just loved listening to Him - “many who heard him were amazed”
Where did this man get these things?”
“What’s this wisdom that has been given him?”
“What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?”
Until someone recognized him…
“Isn’t this the carpenter?” (As if a carpenter was not supposed to teach like this)
“Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?” (As if teaching like this cannot come from within our ranks)
“Aren’t his sisters here with us?”
Amazingly, Jesus does not try to explain Himself or to debate the merits of his teachings…
He says: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” (A saying that we have come to use, even to this day…)
And then the Gospel of Mark gives a few surprising remarks…
“He could not do any miracles there” Was it their stubborn hearts? Does miracles happen within an environment of acceptance?
“He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Did Jesus expect more of their faith? Did something change in their faith since He left town?
“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village” Jesus just left. Did He know that they were so blinded that they would not believe?
I have a theory as to what happened here…
I think that they liked what He said initially - as with many sermons - enjoying what the preacher says… until they were challenged by this teaching
I think they started thinking of excuses and ways to discredit what the appeal on their lives were
And what’s easier than to pull out the old labels?
Who’s he to come and tell us these things? Who gave him the right to come in here and tell us what to do? He grew up before us, where does this come from?
I think it is a default human reaction - when we don’t like a message, we try to find a reason not to listen to it…
And more often than not, we turn the old labels
We try to take control of the feeling of being challenged by using labels as an excuse
Labels block faith
Labels are harmful to us as it prevents us from being challenged
It is just so easy to keep the discomfort of being challenged at bay
Labels are not just the ones we put on people to discredit them
It is ideas of how things are supposed to be
It is those type of labels that we turn to when we are confronted with something we are not used to or a new idea
Labels are a threat to our faith
Labels can prevent us from hearing God speaking through others
Labels can prevent us from responding to God’s word
Labels can blind us for what God is showing us right before our eyes
Labels can numb us from the impulses of the Holy Spirit
Labels can harden us so that we are not able to love as God calls us to love
Labels can block us from believing…
Challenging the labels I employ
Labels are excuses for bad behaviour or a negative attitude or complacency or not to act
Todays message is about challenging the labels we so readily employ the moment we are confronted with anything challenging in our lives
It is about thinking twice the moment I feel challenged
It is about resisting the temptation to just fall back on what I know and on what I am familiar with
It is also about realizing the danger of turning to labels - the real danger of missing out on miracles and growing in my faith
It is about asking myself: can I really afford Jesus moving on to the next village?
Open your mind!
Don’t let your labels, your ideas of how things are supposed to be, block your faith!
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