Offended or Humbled?

Yesterday I spoke form Mark 6:1-6 where Jesus returns to Nazareth to teach. In his own hometown no one has Faith that he is who he says he is. They simply see him as the kid int eh carpenter shop or as the guy who studied int he synagogue with them. They were amazed at his teaching, but offended at the same time. In this passage he famously says, "only in his hometown is a prophet without honor."

The bottom line of the talk was that we respond to Jesus in one of two ways: we get offended or we get humbled. In Mark 5 we find the story of Jairus who, as far as we know, did not know Jesus. Yet when his daughter was dying he threw himself at Jesus' feet and begged Jesus to help. In Mark 6, the people who should have known Jesus best were offended that he spoke truth into their lives. I am amazed at how easily people get when Jesus gets involved.

The main reason people get offended is pride. It is the same issue as all sin. Pride and our own selfish desires drive us to a hardness of heart and to a closed mind. We never want to hear truth if it is going to invade our space or our life.

So, how do you react to Jesus. In what areas are you offended when Jesus shows up? Are you open to humbling yourself before Christ or are you going to cling to your pride? How has that been working out for you?