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READ: Mark 6:1
CHALLENGE: Unleash God’s Power through Faith
Mark 6:1- – Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?
Jesus had experienced amazing ministry successes. Crowds had swarmed him to listen to his teaching. He had just healed a woman with an incurable blood disease and rescued a little girl from death. Now he returns to his hometown in Nazareth and can barely do anything because of their lack of faith. And that’s on them.
The meaning of the word Nazareth is “branch” or “sprout of hope”. They speculate that descendants of David settled there after returning from the exile. The word “branch” was part of the hope for a Messiah who was supposed to come in the line of David.
Isaiah 11:1-2 – A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
How ironic is it that Jesus grew up in a town named for the hope of a Messiah, yet they can’t even recognize Jesus when he grew up there. Nazareth is such a small town that it’s not mentioned in any writings other than the Bible. The population was a few hundred people. It would be a place where everyone knew everyone else and everything about everyone else.
He’s returned with his disciples indicating that he is a rabbi at this point. He’s gained renown and you would think the town would throw him a parade and be as proud as can be. They’re not. Not at all. He’s like a walking insult for some reason. How dare you become bigger than us!
So, unlike everywhere else he’s been, nothing much is happening there. We don’t read about crowds. We’re not told of any notable miracles. The only thing remarkable is their lack of faith.
He goes into the synagogue which is the only place he can get a group together. The story here is the lack of stories. It’s crickets. This is a faith problem!
(trans.) What’s the anatomy of unbelief.
- UNBELIEF DENIES SPIRITUAL REALITY
V2 – When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?
Where did this man get these things? There are two amazing things that are attributed to Jesus. His teaching and his miracles. He’s only Jesus so He shouldn’t be able to teach and heal.
Clearly, many who heard him teach were amazed. And tense of the verb means that there was a continuous amazement as he spoke. Amazed can also mean to overwhelm. Not overwhelm meaning confuse, that’s easy to do. His teaching was wow stuff. Having that level of undeniable knowledge, insight and authority was impressive.
However, instead of appreciating it, they questioned it. Their amazement didn’t lead to learning or life change. Perhaps a good way to say this was that they were shocked. As in “no way”. There’s just no way the truth can be coming through Jesus, that kid who was our neighbor. Remember, at the root of this is unbelief.
- Denial of Jesus’ Authority
Where did this man get these things? I’ll give you an obvious answer, God. When you look at the teaching plus the miracles, that spells God. Where did THIS man get this? This is a statement that is going to dismiss what’s he’s teaching. Since he was a carpenter, he can’t be a rabbi.
I mean, “Who taught and laid their hands on Jesus so that he can have ability and authority to teach others”. No one. Therefore, it should be impossible. He doesn’t have the credentials. Demolish the message by demolishing the messenger. He’s only a carpenter so he cannot be of God.
Let’s think about history. Joseph, who had been sold into slavery, got more respect than Jesus. Joseph was a brother. Then a slave in irons. A man imprisoned. Then raised up to lead Egypt. What was this shepherd boy’s authority? What did he know? God raised him up. God can do what God wants.
They could have thought about their own beloved King David. Who was he? You’re just a shepherd but the shepherd became a king. Remember the brothers – where’d you leave those few sheep. You can’t take on Goliath? Who are you?
Here’s Jesus taking a similar trajectory in a town that means sprout of hope. But the people will not recognize it in him. To look reality in the face and deny it is what unbelief looks like.
Especially when Jesus taught the truth with authority and miraculous confirmation. Get over your prejudice. They weren’t open. I don’t have a problem with questions, we should ask questions. But to deny what we perceive with two of our senses? They heard and they saw! They still deny?
It would be like denying that your husband loves you when they say it and confirm it by everything they do. But they didn’t measure up in some area so you deny all else. Careful now!
Remember the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He questioned the reality of God’s commands. Did God really say that? What’s the devil saying? It seems pretty silly that God would not allow you to eat from this tree. What kind of God is this? And then the next thing is the denial of reality – you won’t die. You’ll be as wise as God and He doesn’t want that. So there’s a denial of God’s goodness and a denial of God’s truth.
Even today you see this. Jesus is just another religious leader. He’s a great teacher. He’s a prophet. People don’t mind just propping him up a little but it falls short of his true identity which is as the Son of God. They don’t want to admit that he’s from God or that He’s the Lord!
Obviously Jesus, being God, knows all things. The fact that he was not officially trained should not make you ignore him. It should make you stand up and take notice even more.
The first attack is where did this man get this wisdom. Next they question what he’s teaching.
- Denial of the Message
Maybe the truth is new to their ears but they question it. What is this wisdom? Wisdom is the practical knowledge of how to best live and the Bible is full of it. Look at the Sermon on the Mount. What is this – don’t look lustfully. What is this – don’t call names. What is this? We can’t get divorced for any reason. He had no right to say those things!!
There are some who dismiss the biblical message today – what is this stuff in the Bible? It’s old fashioned. It’s the teaching of men. I remember speaking with a minister and he told me that he could not tell his congregation if a sermon came from the Bible or they would be angry.
I’ve heard that “The Bible is obsolete”. If it is, then so are people! We haven’t changed and the 10 Commandments still has us pegged. That Bible – it’s got nothing. It’s outdated. Really? How about the verse that says, be happy and do good. Or there’s a time and place for everything.
The ethic of love, service, honesty, is epic. How could we get so unhappy about it? What’s this Bible! I see people quote biblical principles regularly not realizing where it came from. People use the words Good Samaritan so often that I think that many don’t even realize it’s from the Bible. They quote the golden rule not knowing the source.
Perhaps people balk at the fact that Jesus is the only way or because the Bible talks about marriage being between and man and a woman? What is THIS? Or something challenges them about ultimate accountability before God. Jesus did call people to repentance.
- Denial of His Power to Heal
What are these remarkable miracles he is performing
They question Jesus, His teaching, and now His power. This is the question – how can it be done by his hands! How are great miracles accomplished by Jesus? They get that the miracle is great but they won’t accept that it came from the hands of Jesus.
The religious leadership said that he was healing by the power of Satan and they didn’t give Jesus His due. They dismiss all of it and ultimately crucify him.
- UNBELIEF DISMISSES GOD’S WORK
V3 – Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
They are putting the brakes on what God can do, clearly. I’ve been in vehicles where they made it so you could only go so fast. Or that the idle can only go so far. This is exactly what they are doing here. We know Jesus. We grew up with Jesus. He can’t be this great.
- Because of Past
Isn’t this the carpenter? Base on who we know you to be, you can’t go any farther. This gives a clue as to what Jesus had spent time doing while growing up. The word carpenter means builder and he could have used wood or stone but either way he was building and constructing things. Forget any slight or barely manly image you have of Jesus Christ. He would have built yokes to door thresholds. However, he’s just a carpenter and a carpenter can’t be a rabbi. Certainly he cannot be the son of God. Again – look at David. A humble start need not hold you back.
Talk about the elevation of working with your hands. Jesus spent much of his life up to that point in working with his hands. That’s amazing to ponder and reminds us that work is a good thing. However, because he worked with his hands, he has no power to save someone spiritually.
Never allow someone to limit you based on who you were. Or anything to do with your past. Your past does not rule your future.
Why should I listen to them? I know what they were like. They won’t stick with this Christian stuff. It doesn’t matter about the past – where are you now?
- Because of Family
Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Don’t we know his mother. Mary isn’t that important. We know his brothers and his sisters. Most times they would call a son by his father, not his mother. Was it because of the rumor that he was illegitimate? Was this a slam? Hard to know. It could be that Joseph had already passed away.
They mention some of the brothers. James would later write the book of James. Judas, perhaps wrote Jude. The have the name Joseph already and when you consider the power of that name.
You cannot limit God’s work in a person because of family, race, gender, or anything else. God can raise people up.
- Because of Jealousy
I think some of this rose from jealousy. Sometimes people stuck don’t like it when others become unstuck. They cannot stand their success. When David came to take on Goliath, what did his brothers say? What happened to those few sheep you were attending. You can’t go from a shepherd boy to a hero, right? Well, with God all things are possible.
There will always be that barrel of monkeys trying to pull you back down. They can’t stand seeing someone get out, find hope and joy! Don’t let them drag you back. Jesus was rising to who He was all along. And we do the same! People love pulling others into the same hole that they’re stuck in.
Transformation is getting back to what we were supposed to be all along. Right? If you have a new found consideration for family, isn’t that what you should have been all along?
Sometimes you need to stand up and fill what God has called you to do.
- UNBELIEF GETS OFFENDED.
They took offense at him. I’m super offended. It means to cause to stumble or trip. You’d be indignant. Kind of like – how dare you! Who do you think you are? What is tripping them up? It’s their lack of faith. It’s not that the miracles are not powerful.
It’s so amazing, instead of faith, it’s offense. Do people still get offended by Jesus and the body of Christ, which is the church? I’d say yes and no. Typically the community is not offended by giving away food. They’re not offended by CR.
Are people offended by the concept of love? Of the golden rule? Of don’t call names? Of salvation by grace? Of a work ethic? Of honesty? Of the 10 Commandments? These are great concepts.
You look at two things people hate today. One is being told no on any level. You can’t dare say that obviously ridiculous things are ridiculous.
This shouldn’t surprise us. Why would evil ever want us to believe in God’s plan of salvation? In our world today, the church is attacked. Faith is mocked. We’ll get slammed and smeared. It’s a world that wants to destroy the family. It’s a world that does not believe in absolute truth. It’s like a rebellion against the very foundation that holds life strong and secure. The very truth that stabilized life. Against the very one who holds the world together. There will always be a battle against the truth. Even against the simplicity of God being good.
The truth gives you a solid foundation to build off of and there are powers that want to destroy it.
- UNBELIEF LIMITS GOD
Vv4-6 – Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Because we know you, you must not be any good. You’re from here so you can’t be better. They wrote him off. One of the things is this, you never want to write God off. This would be unwise.
Don’t write off church because you are church hurt. They might not write off the message but they do write off the church. And remember, that means writing off the body of Christ. The church is the continuation of the work of Christ.
A prophet has honor and Jesus had plenty of honor. Jesus didn’t have any honor from his hometown. His family didn’t think that he could do what he was doing.
People might line up for your advice but then your own family doesn’t want to hear you. You can have people begging for your time but your own kids think so little of it.
He was amazed. Amazed means to wonder and to “wonder”. Like mystified. Like, how in the world! You see some amazing play and you’re in wonder about it. How is the world did he make that play? How in the world was that throw or catch even possible? Wow! That’s Jesus wondering in amazement at their lack of faith! How in the world could your faith be this nil. This lacking.
Did you ever think that Jesus could be amazed.
Ex.
Jesus is amazed by their faith because of how poor it was. It was so little. Our faith has something to do with what God does. Jesus didn’t do many miracles there. No, correct that. Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there. It was impossible. He couldn’t do it because you need faith.
What if your life goes in line with your thinking? And you say – it will never work. I’ll die young. I’ll never get out of this mess. Now line that up with the fact that Jesus couldn’t do much because they didn’t believe.
Disbelief denies spiritual reality, dismisses God’s word, gets offended, and limits God’s working. Lets’ pray that we see the truth. May communion be a part of that.