Children's Reading

People's Opinions

When was the last time your family members got into a fight? Who got their feelings hurt? Did your family make up?

Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

Reader 1:

Jesus left the Sea of Galilee and went home to Nazareth with his followers. On the Sabbath, Jesus began to teach in synagogue there. The people who heard him teach were overwhelmed. "Where did this man get these teachings? What kind of wisdom has been given to him? Others have talked about such amazing thing he has done! But, isn't this the wood worker, the son of Mary? Aren't James, Joses, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don't his sisters live with us?" Clearly, they did not like what Jesus had become.

Reader 2:

"God's spokesperson has honor, except at home with his own family and relatives!" Jesus shot back. Jesus was not able to do anything powerful except to heal a few of the sick when he put his hands on them. He was surprised they didn't trust him. So, he went to the nearby village and taught.

Every family gets into fights at one time or another. Many times these fights have to do with a person's place in the family. For example, if the smart kid in the family gets a poor grade on a test, others could make fun of the smart kid. But, if the average kid gets a really good grade on a test, does his or her family praise the effort? Or, do they belittle the person? Do they seem to say that he or she cheated? Or the test was too easy? Or, it was just one of those things that happens once in a while? If a family puts a member down for something good he or she has done, it could lead to a big fight. Why? Because the family seems to say: "We know you. We don't believe you can do something so great."

When Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth, no one could believe the changes he went through. They knew him as a wandering carpenter, someone who would work on a house for a day or two here, on a wall a day or two there. People like him would never make enough money to help their family. People who worked as wandering carpenters never did very much.

But Jesus was different. He taught about God's Law and backed up his teaching with God's power. Jesus had a reputation as a preach of God's Kingdom. "How could this lowly carpenter do something so wonderful?" the people thought. In other words, they seemed to say: "We know you. We don't believe you can do something so great."

That hurt Jesus deeply. He couldn't help people that wouldn't believe in him. So he went to other villages to teach and heal in God's name.

We know that many of his family members did become his followers. His mother Mary always believed in him. But that experience still must have hurt Jesus, just like the stinging words of family members can hurt us.

Summer Ideas

Role play the scene. Discuss what Jesus must have felt like. Then replay the scene where the villagers believed in him. How was the scene different?

Play "Believe it or Not." Ask the children to tell others some of the amazing things they have seen or done. Do others believe them or not? How does the faith of others make a difference in what the children share?