Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown… They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”… They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. (Mark 6:1-3)

Read: Leviticus 13:1-59, Mark 6:1-29, Psalm 39:1-13, Proverbs 10:10

Relate: It was a frustrating summer. I had spent my freshman year of college at Zion in Rhode Island and I had returned home to Rochester, New York, full of zeal and idealism. I had been changed. I had vision. After two semesters of classroom learning, I knew all about how life and ministry was supposed to happen. Then I got the what amounted to a condescending smile and a pat on the head. Nobody was willing to recognize that I was not the same person who had left nine months earlier.

I have seen the same thing happen…