Ever heard the saying that goes 'Familiarity breeds contempt? It
is a common enough saying. Phillips Brooks added to it by saying 'Familiarity
breeds contempt, only with contemptible things or among contemptible people.'
Where am I coming from or where am I going with this?
The
foundation for what I am talking about here is found in Mark 6:1-6 where we find our Lord
Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth. There he taught in the Synagogue
and those who heard him were amazed. You would think their amazement was a
positive thing but no, instead the Nazarenes were contemptuous of Jesus' wisdom
and his power to perform miracles. Why? The fact that he had lived there for 30
years made them think he was 'just a 'commoner', one of them. They referred to
him as Mary's son and as the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. For this
reason, with this familiarity with him, they took offense at him and missed out on
great blessings because their lack of faith caused him to lay hands on only a
few people for healing.
Warren Wiersbe teaches that the Contempt shown by these
Nazarenes said nothing about Jesus Christ, but it said a great deal about them.
Unfortunately, this familiarity and contempt with God and for the things of his Kingdom continues to
this day. I was amazed by one of my workmates today when she triumphed at a
mini Bible pop Quiz. She knew so much about Bible History and characters which surprised me because
before today I would have been forgiven to think that she had never heard of
Jesus or of his gospel.
The normal thing for her is to always be going on about things such as how much she
would love to be married to 'Birdman', or she would be on about how glittering Life in Hollywood is and singing
songs on how she's 'in love with the cocoa'. In other parlance, she could be called either an 'airhead' or a 'natural/carnal man'.
Never before today did she ever show even a shred of any interest in the things pertaining to God and his Kingdom.
This unfortunately is all too common amongst many people who
have grown up in the Church. They have become familiar with the Word of God,
contemptuous even, going as far as to ask what else can be taught to them? They feel they know him and there is nothing more for anyone to reveal about him to them. In so doing they have taken him for granted and lost their way. They think they are standing on firm ground when in fact the Earth has moved from under them (1 Corinthians 10:12)
.
If you know people like this join me in praying that Our
Father in Heaven may lift the veil of blindness that the enemy has covered
their eyes with, that they 'may have ears and hear, eyes and may see'.
Amen
