Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Mark 6:1-6 NLT
We have all experienced it. That person seems impossible to honor. They don’t honor you. They are rude and disrespectful and live a life that believes and lives completely opposite of you. Or perhaps the bottom line really is that we live in a culture where disrespect and lack of honor is fuel for comedians and the most powerful tools of politicians. The general rule is that no one merits honor – a person must earn it, and even then it is doled out based on each individual’s evaluation. Jesus lived in a culture that lived and behaved the same way. But He offered and lived a counter-cultural way of love that required honor.
The New Testament was written in Greek, the dominant language of the day, and the Greek word for dishonor (atimos) means to devalue and treat as ordinary, of low worth. Despite His miracles and the way He loved, this is how the people in His hometown treated Jesus. The word for honor (timao) means to assign high value, highly esteem, or treat as precious or weighty. Using those words, we are told more than 140 times to honor others. Jesus proved repeatedly that besides His Father, what He cared most about and honored most was people. He was unmistakably clear – those who would choose to follow Him were to do as He did and love others by honoring them.
Jesus honored people who did not honor Him, but He allowed us to see that a lack of honor limits God’s work. When dishonor is present in our homes, churches, and communities, the miracles of God will be hindered. When we follow the way of Jesus, loving with honor, we will find the power of God released in our relationships. Instead of competing with each other in the carnal, destructive ways of the world, we are called to “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). Wow. That takes my breath away. What would the world look like if the church started a counter-revolution of one-upping one another in honor, not revenge. If we spoke well of them and treated them with high value when they are in the room or out of the room, whether we felt they deserved it or not. That’s loving like Jesus – love through honor.
- Jesus, I choose to follow You in the way of loving honor for everyone and anyone, whether or not I believe they deserve it.