Universal Utterings
for February 4, 2026
A Godcast
UniversalUtterings.Com
02-04-2026 Mark 6 v0106 They Took Offense at Him
The Gospel of Mark Chapter 6 Verse One thru Six
1 He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 3 Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” 5 So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Mark 6:1-6 recounts a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry as He returns to His hometown of Nazareth. Despite performing miracles and teaching with authority in other regions, His neighbors react with skepticism and offense. They question, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” Their familiarity with Jesus hinders their ability to see Him for who He truly is—the Son of God, imbued with divine power and grace. This passage vividly illustrates a crucial truth: the world will often take offense at Jesus and His message.
The offense stems not from His miracles or wisdom, but from the way Jesus embodies grace and challenges the status quo. His goodness exposes the shortcomings of those clinging to their own notions of righteousness and entitlement. People prefer a version of faith that aligns with their desires, one that permits them to live as they please. Jesus’ radical call to repentance and transformation disrupts this comfort, revealing that true grace demands change and humility.
In our contemporary world, this tension remains. The idea that one must relinquish control and submit to a higher authority clashes with the cultural narrative of individual autonomy. Many find the teachings of Christ, which encompass love, humility, and self-denial, to be counterintuitive or even offensive. This is not a new phenomenon; throughout history, those who encounter the goodness of Jesus are faced with a choice: to embrace His grace, which requires surrender, or to cling to their own way of life, which often leads to disillusionment.
As followers of Christ, we must remember that the world may never fully understand or accept the transformative power of Jesus. Yet, we are called to stand firm in our witness, knowing that His grace shines brightest amidst offense. Amen.
Join me as we pray our daily prayer of forgiveness. The Lord’s Prayer.
At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.
I am sorry Lord. I believe You died and rose for me. Please forgive me as I forgive others. I share You as my Lord and Savior seeking to live your Will in all things. Prayers for wife Toni and my mother Betty pray for our children especially our two oldest Alexandra & Allen Son in Law Mark Stern; Julian, Gabriel and Jeffrey and our grandchildren Oliver, Julian and Elliott. We pray for those we’ve said we’d pray for and those who’ve asked us to pray for them. We pray for the dying as we do each day Lord give them peace in their last breath. We pray for Holy Mother Church. Our prayers for our niece Brittany. In Jesus Precious Blood by His Name we pray. Amen.
I am a poet obedient to Christ,
Catholic Evangelist Thomas Cruz†Wiggins
†Spirit led God inspired Christ fed†®
Ephesians 6:17-20
02-04-2026 Mark 6 v0106
**They Took Offense at Him**
In Nazareth, the townsfolk gaze,
At Jesus, boy from humble ways,
With carpenter’s hands, He grew so wise,
Yet now their doubts, like shadows, rise.
“Is this not Mary’s son?” they sneer,
With questions laced by doubt and fear,
“Where comes this wisdom? How can it be,
That miracles flow from a heart we see?”
In synagogue halls, His voice did ring,
Yet their hearts were closed to the hope He’d bring,
Belief, a seed, they failed to sow,
Their hearts were hard, their spirits low.
He marveled then at their disbelief,
Their scornful words, a heavy grief,
For prophets find honor not in their native land,
Where kin and friends cannot understand.
Yet healing still whispered on the breeze,
For with faith, even doubters can believe,
For though He tread where they turned away,
His grace would shine like dawn’s first ray.
So let not hearts, like theirs, grow cold,
In faith, the treasures of heaven unfold,
For where belief finds fertile ground,
The love of God in truth is found. Amen.
© Thomas Joe Cruz†Wiggins
February 4, 2026 @ 04:33 AM EST
® Universal Utterings ® is brought to you by;
**† God First Ministries, Inc. is a Roman Catholic Lay Ministry not sponsored by The Church but is accepted by the IRS as a Religious Charitable Org. and is exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations made through PayPal using GodFirstforJesus@gmail.com, or given to GFM are tax deductible. †**
Leave a Reply