Unpredictable Responses to Good News--July 27, 2019

[From July 23, 2011 archive]

With great joy the church at Antioch received

their letter of exhortation from Jerusalem.

Sometimes good news is welcomed.

At other times good news is not at all appreciated.

Jesus made a triumphant return to his hometown

only to have the townsmen take offense at him.

And the man who honored King Saul's request

to kill him expected a reward from David;

but David had him executed on the spot.

O God, help us not to jump to conclusions--

the stone the builders rejected eventually

became the chief cornerstone.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 56; 149; 118; 111

2 Sam. 1:1-16

Acts 15:22-35

Mark 6:1-13

Selected Verses

Ps. 118:22

The stone that the builders rejected
          has become the chief cornerstone.

2 Sam. 1:14-15

David said to [the Amalekite], "Were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?"   Then David called one of the young men and said, "Come here and strike him down."  So he struck him down and he died.

Acts 15:30-31

So [Paul and his companions] were sent off and went down to Antioch.  When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter [from Jerusalem].  When its members read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation.

Mark 6:3

"…Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?"  And [the people of Jesus' home town] took offense at him.