ODJ: big toe lack of belief
August 24, 2011
They were deeply offended and refused to believe in [Jesus] (v.3).
READ: Mark 6:1-6
A co-worker was having a conversation with her son about spiritual things. Striving to express his present lack of both belief and commitment to Jesus, the young man said, “God isn’t in my life right now; He’s just in my big toe.”
Have you ever felt that way? Has doubt or lack of commitment left you with a serious dearth of belief? Jesus once encountered some people who chose not to believe in Him. What’s more, they were from His own hometown of Nazareth! (Mark 6:1). While some of the locals were “amazed” at Jesus’ powerful teaching, the unbelieving crowd was “deeply offended and refused to believe in Him” (v.3). They took offense that Jesus was acting and teaching in ways that didn’t jibe with His ordinary carpenter upbringing. It was that whole “a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown” thing (v.4).
The result of their lack of belief (“C’mon, He’s just the son of that carpenter and Mary.”) led to a lack of experiencing Jesus’ power in their lives. We read that He placed “His hands on a few sick people and [healed] them” (v.5). Those healed must have shown true belief. But the bulk of the Nazarenes didn’t get to witness the fullness of His miraculous ways.
We, like the young man with “big toe” lack of belief, can also stymie the work of God and His Holy Spirit by our nonexistent faith. As one commentator put it, “Jesus’ miracles were not performances but the partial realization of God’s kingdom; entrance to that kingdom and its benefits requires repentance and faith.”
True belief will result in a relationship with Jesus that courses through every cell of your body (not just your big “piggy”) and paves the way for Him to work in and through you. Dipping your toe in the water simply won’t do it. —Tom Felten
Why does God refuse to reveal His power to those who choose not to believe in Him? How do you balance God’s sovereignty and your need for genuine faith?
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