Mark 6:1-6 (MSG). He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He stole the show, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?”
But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?” They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
Jesus told them, “A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child.” Jesus wasn’t able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that’s all. He couldn’t get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.
What are some of your first reactions when you read this story?
How does this story resonate with you?
What questions does the story raise for you?
“Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is opposed. Third, it is regarded as self-evident.” – Arthur Schopenhauer (19th Century Philosopher)
Research on adult transformational learning, where a person truly experiences, embraces, and embodies a major paradigm shift in their lives note that if people are open to a new thought, they may first be very excited about it and engage it, referencing the “new” ideas using their held mental schema (the way they have previously understood things). Eventually, they will struggle as the new idea cannot fit well into the old paradigm, which leads to some level of tension. Most of the time, due to the level of difficulty inherent in truly letting go of the former paradigm for the newer, people give up and revert back to their former vision. The overwhelming majority of people who successfully move into the new paradigm only do so with the support of a community who are witnesses and mutual adherents to the new way of seeing and being in the world.
Jesus was right when he said that you cannot put new wine into old wineskins – the old will burst and the wine lost. – Mark 2:22
“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponent and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die.” – Max Plank (Quantum Physics Pioneer)
God does not override our will. We can accept or reject God. How can we prevent limiting the work of God in our lives due to our struggle to desire and adopt new insights?
May we be grateful for what we know, and open to learn what we don’t.
A Request from a Former Caterpillar
by Rich Orloff
Recently I imagined I was in a cocoon
About to transform
With my family yelling at me
“When are you going to come out of that cocoon already?
“Stop acting like a baby and metamorphosize!”
I don’t know much about metamorphosis
But my gut tells me that no butterfly
Would feel safe emerging from a cocoon
If you yelled at it to come out
So if you see my cocoon cracking a bit
My antennas peering out of the crack
My thin, fragile body starting to emerge
My wings still crumpled and wet
Do me a favor and shut up!
I’ll still be getting used to the newness of it all
My whole training has been as a caterpillar
And as much as I look forward to flying
I doubt I’ll ever be able to do so in a straight line
And if you want me to land on you
Be patient
Don’t make sudden moves
Recognize the sacredness of the moment
And if you wish
You may weep with joy