"1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3 Then 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. 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief." ~ Mark 6:1-6
Today, we transition into Mark 6 which has as its emphasis the message of Christ. This chapter divides into three sections: the first is found in v.1-20, the second in v.21-34, and the third is in v.35-43. The emphasis on this first section is on the fact that the unbelief of the people limited the work the Lord Jesus could do in that area.
After healing the woman with the twelve year issue of blood, and, raising from the dead the twelve year old daughter of the synagogue ruler, the Lord Jesus has traveled back home to Nazareth, from the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee which was about 22 miles away.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?"
The people of Jesus’ hometown naturally had difficulty with this "hometown" boy. In fact, on that first Sabbath the Lord Jesus had returned home, the townsfolk let Him know what they thought about Him. Literally, they were perplexed by the Lord Jesus for they had always known Him to be a lowly carpenter. They had no idea that He could be the Savior of the world.
Interestingly, the church going folks should have recognized the Lord Jesus for who He was since there are so many passages in the Old Testament that tells us about Him. Yet, the people there in Nazareth were not in the habit of looking for God through the Scriptures. Thus, when the Lord Jesus began His ministry, they mislabeled Him as a lowly educated person.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Then 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."
The Greek word translated "carpenter" literally means a craftsman. This was typically somebody who was a blue-collar worker. In ancient times a carpenter was somebody who could build anything from a chicken coop to a home. Since most of the buildings were made of stone, it is believed the Lord Jesus was primarily a stonemason.
The hometown folk did not see the Lord Jesus as a Rabbi, for He did not jump through the hoops of their system. The people saw Him as a man who worked with his hands. After all, He got His hands dirty. They thought He could not be the Messiah because He did not fit their definition of Messiah. And, they had been "deeply offended" just a few weeks earlier when He subtly claimed to be the Messiah after His reading in the synagogue.
The Lord Jesus refused to allow the flawed perception of sinful man to define Him. He set a real good precedent here for you and me. Sadly, most people are defined too much by what others think rather than what God thinks. The Lord Jesus illustrated for us well what it looks like to be defined by the Father in heaven. We are best defined by Him when we obey His word.
In v.4 of today's passage we read, "Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family."
Whereas the people in the hometown of the Lord Jesus were astonished by His teaching, they remained in their unbelief regarding His identity. And, although faith in the God of the Bible is tremendously powerful, unbelief is equally as powerful. The power of unbelief was and is so great that it cast all humankind into a separated state with reference to God. And, its impact will also extend throughout all eternity for those who resist the luring of God to believe in Him.
In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief."
In this moment, the Lord Jesus accentuated the people’s inability to believe. It was unbelief in the God of the Bible that brought the curse upon all of humanity. And, it is unbelief in the Son of God that catapults people into eternal hell. When we are defined by our unbelief in the God of the Bible, we will be defined by something else. Most are most often defined by their fallen understanding of life.
The Lord Jesus could not work any miracles in Nazareth because the people lacked faith in Him. There is a very serious relationship between His work in this world and our faith in Him. Indicated here is the idea that the Lord Jesus desired and would have done much more, but the people's lack of belief in Him prevented it. In fact, "He was totally blown away by their unbelief."
In the same way that faith is contagious, unbelief is contagious.
Adam and Eve failed to enter into God's promise because of their unbelief. The world at large failed at the preaching of Noah, only eight people got into that boat. The results of the Flood was an incredible example of the power of unbelief. Pharaoh hardened his heart against God in unbelief and the firstborn of his household died. When our view of the Lord Jesus fails to bring us to our knees, we painstakingly fall short of His power.
