Transcend Sibling Rivalry

They scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Mark 6:3

My friend Alice Davis is a psychologist who studies what happens to relationships among coworkers when one of them is promoted to management. She describes the resulting ill will as a form of sibling rivalry.

We have trouble accepting that someone who “grew up” with us can be different from what they have always been, which is “one of us.”

Jesus faced this same dilemma, and Mark writes that Jesus “was amazed at their unbelief” (Mark 6:6).

It’s clear from Mark’s report that Jesus didn’t waste time trying to convince them otherwise. There’s no evidence that he went out of his way to win them over.

Jesus didn’t allow these folks to get in the way of his mission. He recognized the situation, dealt with it, and moved on.

Has sibling rivalry clouded your mission focus? Decide today that you’ll accept it as unavoidable human nature and move on.