Too Close To See

Jesus, the Son of Man as portrayed in Mark 6:1–6, let Mark’s readers know that even he had those most familiar with him bring personal struggles to everyday life. “But the people of Nazareth despised him because they knew his family. Thomas Campbell was a very considerable poet. His father had no sense of poetry at all. When Thomas’ first book emerged with his name on it, he sent a copy to his father. The old man took it up and looked at it. It was really the binding and not the contents at all that he was looking at. ‘Who would have thought,’ he said in wonder, ‘that our Tom could have made a book like that?’ Sometimes when familiarity should breed a growing respect it breeds an increasing and easy-going familiarity. Sometimes we are too near people to see their greatness” (William Barclay, “Commentary on Mark 6:1–6,” William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible.