Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”  Mark 6:4

Marami sa atin ang parang laging naghihintay ng approval ng ibang tao. Kaya maraming Pinoy hindi nagtatagumpay dahil palaging hinihintay ang papuri at pag sangayon ng iba. I have read some inspiring news about famous Bruno Mars, Melissa Reece of Guns and Roses, who were born out of wedlock but went to prove their worth in the international arena of music. Meron last week na nabasa ako, Romnick Blanco, anak ng magsasaka na naging scholar ng Harvard University sa Amerika. From a humble beginning, and maybe suffered from social prejudice and discrimination, but they did not bother about it. They understood the principle of ‘shaking off the dust’.

In the book of St. Matthew 6, Jesus was amazed of people’s unbelief. Imagine si Hesus na Diyos, mabuting Diyos yan ha pero hindi pa din naniwala ang mga tao. Basahin natin ang Matthew 6:1-6 AMP

Jesus left there and came to His hometown [Nazareth]; and His disciples followed Him. ² When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things [this knowledge and spiritual insight]? What is this wisdom [this confident understanding of the Scripture] that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? ³ Is this not the carpenter, ^[a]the son of Mary, and the brother of ^[b]James and Joses and ^[c]Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. ⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” ⁵ And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ He wondered at their unbelief.

You see, people are mocking Jesus Christ na kesyo anak lang daw sya ni Mang Jose, panday lang at ni Aling Maria. Basahin natin ang verse 5: “He could not do a miracle there at all…”

Let’s pause for a moment here. Ibig sabihin the only time when we disempower God is when people do not believe! Yan ang kahinaan ng Diyos pag hindi na tayo naniniwala sa Kanya, He may not have the time to prove it to you who He is.

One time, nagtanong si Moses sa Diyos: “Lord, anong pangalan Mo ang sasabihin ko sa kanila. Paano kita ipapakilala.?” God replied: “I am who I am”. It is implied that God was saying: “I am the Most High God. I don’t have to prove anything.”

You see when you are the best, you don’t need to prove it. Your track records will speak for yourself – the reputation. Remember when the Israelite were entering the Promised Land in the book of Joshua 2:9

“I know that the LORD has given you this land [the Promised Land] and that the fear of you has fallen on us,so that all the inhabitants of the land are melting in fear of you.For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.…

You are who you are. You don’t have to always prove your worth dahil sa mga tao na naniniwala at nagmamahal sa iyo, wala kang dapat patunayan. You don’t have a duty to prove anything because they know you and they like you. But to those who do not like you, whatever you do, is useless and does not matter.

One time at the cross, Jesus was being mocked by people.

“Kung ikaw talaga ang tagapagligtas ng buong mundo, patunayan mo nga na kaya mong iligtas ang iyong sarili”?

Do you recognise how people put you to the test to the level of your expertise?

In book of St Matthew 27: 12

And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?” But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.

Sometimes. being silent is an answer on its own. Silence is also an answer to a fool.  And sometimes silence is really a good answer.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

—Galatians 1:10

Many of us would try to please others but compromise his own identity and compromise the will of God. Nakikisama na lang kahit hindi naman dapat at kahit labag na utos ng Diyos.

Palagi nating hinahanap ang approval ng iba. Tingnan mo sa selfie tinitingnan mo palagi ilan na naglike sa post mo.

“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” —Matthew 16:26

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men Colossians 3:23

Hanapin natin kung paano magustuhan ng Diyos hindi palagi maging mabango sa iba. Dahil pag sa tao ka tumingin tama ang kasabihan:

You can do 99 good thing for someone and all they remember is that one bad thing you did.

Sa tao palaging may kulang. Pero pag Diyos ang ginawan natin ng mabuti, He always remember it.

Matthew 6:1-34 ESV 

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. …

Colossians 3:24 ESV  

Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

In Mark 6 again, after being rejected in Nazareth, Jesus gathered His disciples to preach the Gospel:

⁷ And He called the twelve [disciples] and began to send them out [as His special messengers] two by two, and gave them authority and power over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He told them to take nothing for the journey except a mere walking stick—no bread, no [traveler’s] bag, no money in their belts— ⁹ but to wear sandals; and [He told them] not to wear ^[d]two tunics. ¹⁰ And He told them, “Wherever you go into a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ Any place that does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, ^[e]shake the dust off…

Learn to shake off the dust. Do not bother when people try to put you down and challenge your being good. Remember who you are. You are good, whether they believe you or not. You are good in the eyes of God and their bad impression about you does not make you a lesser person. You’ve got nothing to prove.