The Offense of the Gospel
(or, Familiarity, Faith, and Fear)
Mark 6:1-6
Introduction: Friday of this week was Veterans Day. We are thankful for those who served! When the military personnel returned to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War, they were not, for the most part, received with respect and thanksgiving for their service and sacrifices… Unlike their fathers from WW2 and the Korean war, they were viewed as representing an unpopular war and were essentially rejected by many, certainly not received as heroes. Thankfully that has largely changed over the last 20 years or so… But we see the truth that homecomings are not always joyful!
In our passage today, Jesus returns for
a second time to His home in Nazareth. We read about an earlier visit not in
Mark, but in Luke 4, immediately after the temptation in the wilderness, essentially
announcing the beginning of His public ministry. There He spoke in the synagogue
in Nazareth, reading from the prophet Isaiah (Lk 4:18,19; cf. Isa 61:1,2) He
makes what was certainly a startling messianic claim: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). How was
He received? Not so well… Yes, initially “…all spoke well of him and
marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth…” (Lk 4:22). But just a
few verses later, especially after He alludes to the lack of faith among the
Jews in times past and the purposes of God including the gentiles…
28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with
wrath. 29 And they rose up
and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which
their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their
midst, he went away… (Luke 4:28-30).
They moved quickly from acceptance to
absolute rejection and even attempted murder! This points ahead to to the
passion, Jesus’ experience the last week of His life, as things move from the
Triumphal Entry, to betrayal, desertion, and ultimately the Cross. “He came unto His own, but His own received
Him not…” (Jn 1:11). But His time was not yet, and so in that first visit
home recorded in Luke, He passed through their midst and left. We know from
John 7:5, that “even His own brothers
were not believing in Him” for a time (only after the resurrection are they
among the disciples). Recall Mark 3:21, we read that “some of his own”
came out to seize him, thinking he was out of his mind!
Now, perhaps a year after the first return to Nazareth, things
had changed. The news of the crowds that had come to hear him preach and among
whom signs, miracles, and wonders were being done had spread throughout Galilee
and had certainly come back to Nazareth.
Would the people of His hometown, where He had spent nearly thirty
years, from childhood to adulthood, finally be ready to receive Him? Or, would
they refuse to believe that Jesus could be the Messiah?
Unbelief is not simply the absence of faith, but the determined
rejection of Jesus. It is saying with the crowd, “We’ll not have this man to
be our king!” People are offended by Him because they are afraid of what acknowledging
Him would mean. They are afraid of letting go of their perceived autonomy, the
idea that they are the master of their own lives. That would be to admit that
they owe allegiance to another! People resist Jesus because they are afraid
that they will need to surrender their life to another Master!
The BIG Idea: Despite the clear evidence of His
works and words, unbelievers will be offended by the message of Jesus… until
God opens their heart…
I. Unbelievers struggle with the identity of Jesus (1-2). Astonishing
words and works won’t convince fallen people to trust Christ. Notice the questions they begin to
ask…
He went away from there and came to
his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and
many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these
things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his
hands?
Unbelief
struggles to make sense of His works and words (1,2). Who is this? Jesus
returned to his hometown, along with a group of His disciples, and as was His
custom went to the synagogue. Nazareth at that time appears to have been a
small and largely insignificant village. With probably only a few hundred
people, it was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone, and probably
knew everything about them. We live in and around a big city, you may or may
not know your neighbors. But as a member of a small church for a long time,
your may have an idea of what I mean!
As Jesus arrived in the village, He went to the synagogue on the
Sabbath, along with His disciples, and began to teach. We are not told about
the content of what He was saying, but most likely He is preaching the Gospel
of the Kingdom and calling people to repent of their sins and trust in God.
Mark says the people were “astonished” at His teaching. The word used
here can have the sense of being dumbfounded, flabbergasted, without an ability
to explain something. How could Jesus, a carpenter, suddenly be transformed
into a rabbi? Notice the questions they ask. This is not an honest
investigation, a consideration of the evidence. Rather, it shows a desperate
search for a reason NOT to believe…
Where did this man get these
things? They knew that Jesus hadn’t studied under a rabbi, nor did He
have a learned father. Where did He get
the training to stand up and teach? How
could He suddenly return to town with a group of followers and begin teaching
with such authority? It wasn’t what Jesus was saying that they are
objecting to, but rather, His lack of a résumé that
would quality Him as a spiritual teacher. The next “objection” is similar…
What is the wisdom given to Him?
Remember that in Judaism “wisdom” has spiritual connotations… “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom…” (Psalm 111:10; Prov
9:10). It seems Jesus did the trade he learned from Joseph well, but did not
reveal much about himself to his neighbors during the 30 years or so before the
start of His public ministry. There was that one trip to Jerusalem when He was
12 years old, about which we read in Luke 2:41-47. Then He amazed the rabbis
and others present with His under-standing and His questions. Still, here in
Nazareth, this was Jesus, Mary’s son. How did He get this understanding and
wisdom?
How are such mighty works done
by His hands? It wasn’t only
Jesus’ words, but His works that raised questions in the minds of His town
folk. We are later told that Jesus only healed “a few” people during this time
in Nazareth. Was that enough to astound them?
I would be pretty astounded by people being immediately healed through
the laying on of hands! More likely, they are referring to the stories that
were circulating about the widespread miracles and works of power Jesus was
doing through Galilee. Stories like cleansing
a leper, or delivering the demon possessed man, or healing a paralytic, or even
raising a young girl to life. Probably
some of both. Remember, some people had seen the miracles He did and attributed
them to the devil, refusing to believe! It seems now His own people were
looking for reasons to ignore the evidence.
“…His own did not receive Him.” Do people you talk to seem to recoil when subject
turns to Jesus? Don’t take it personally! Despite the clear evidence of His
works and words, unbelievers will be offended by the message of Jesus… until
God opens their heart…
II. Unbelievers are "scandalized" by Jesus and His message (3-4).
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and
Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they
took offense at him. “And Jesus said to them, "A
prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
Is not this… the son of Mary…
It was highly unusual for someone to be described as the son of his mother even
if his father had already passed. Remember, Nazareth was a small town, probably
just a few hundred souls. The kind of place where everyone knows all about
everyone and their family. It may be that the rumors about Mary getting
pregnant before she married Joseph had persisted, and they are bringing up that
story by referring to Jesus as “Mary’s
son” (rather than the son of Joseph). It was one more way of attempting to
discredit Jesus as someone worthy of a hearing. “He’s got all these brothers
and sisters… or at least half
brothers and sisters… we’re not even sure who this guy’s father was!” How could
someone born as he was possibly be the messiah? Yes, “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him!” (John 1:11).
Unbelief is offended by the
humility of His incarnation (3). Is this not the carpenter? Though
we traditionally translate the word here as “carpenter,” tekton, has the broader sense of a “builder.” It could refer to someone
that worked with wood or stone, probably some of both. It was a respectable
trade, but not a rabbi or spiritual leader. There is some irony in this
statement… Jesus a builder? Only the master-builder! He is building His
church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it! We are looking
for a city, whose architect and builder is God! They are saying, this man is
a common worker with no training! Who did He think He was to stand and teach in
the synagogue? They would certainly not
entertain the idea of the Messiah coming from such a humble background!
By the way, His humble background was also a stumbling block to other
Jews as well. When told by Philip in John 1 that they had found the Messiah,
Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael asked, “Can
anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). “That poor, little town in
Galilee? I don’t think so!” The nation was looking for the Messiah then, but
most envisioned an impressive military leader, someone like Saul, or David. or
Solomon. Not a suffering Servant, a wandering rabbi who had basically the
clothes on his back, a handful of followers, and, by His own admission, not
even a place to lay his own head (Mt 8:20)! And so, they took offense at Him. The word is the
root from which we get the word “scandal” or “scandalize.” It may be that
Isaiah envisioned this when he wrote,
12 "Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do
not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.
13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy. Let
him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense
and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15
And many shall stumble on it… (Isaiah 8:12-15).
Jesus, who had shown only kindness, truth, and love, became an offense,
people were “scandalized” by the idea that he could be the messiah!
It’s the second time Jesus goes home to the village where he grew up and
worked as a young adult, and for a second time He is rejected by his own
people. Let me ask: How did it go for you when you first put your trust in
Christ and tried to speak to the people you knew about Him? What about now, do
you find it difficult to witness to the people closest to you? You are not
alone! It isn’t personal. People in their fallenness are already resistant to
spiritual things. As a result, they will embrace any “smokescreen” they can
find to avoid the truth. It is particularly easy to get personal, and to say
hurtful things we would never say to a stranger or to someone we don’t know as
well to those who are closest to us, our family, life-long acquaintances and
the like.
At first this may seem a little contradictory. For a couple of years
we’ve been talking about our primary mission being the people right around us.
On one hand, statistics consistently show that 95% of those who come to faith
and are eventually discipled, active church attenders, came primarily because
of the influence of someone in their oikos,
their close sphere of influence. Yet it
is also true that it can be more difficult to talk to those same people, not
because they get upset or hysterical,
but because they get historical! They
know the stories about us in our youth (or stories from last week!) that
demonstrated our weakness and vulnerability, and yes, our fallenness. They know
the times we acted in the flesh and were inconsistent with the faith we
professed. And so, they attack. It may be laughter or mockery. It may be anger,
it may be dismissal. Jesus says don’t be
surprised by rejection… the world hated Him first! He also says that His word
will not return void, but will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent.
So then, what do we do? First of
all, it is good to admit that there is probably at least a little truth in what
people say about us! I know my younger brothers, and sometimes even my sister and
parents, would say something like “is that how a Christian would act?” Not
that they cared about my soul necessarily since they weren’t believers, but
they liked to remind me that I was giving them an excuse not to believe! We read some admonitions about that in I
Peter, about living in such a way before the world that rather than giving them
an excuse not to believe, we are offering a testimony to the transforming
power of the grace of God (see for example I Peter 1:14f.; 2:1ff.;
3:14-16). We are His witnesses, may our lives consistently reflect the
reality of our faith! So, don’t give
up, keep loving them, keep praying for them, stay open to opportunities to
point them to Jesus. Yes, despite the clear evidence of His works and
words, people will be offended by the message of Jesus, that is, until God
opens their heart!
III. Unbelief separates us from the blessing of God, the blessing
He would give (5,6).
“And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a
few sick people and healed them. 6
And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages
teaching.”
Matthew more explicitly connects unbelief and the relative sparsity of
miracles in Nazareth: “And He did not do
many miracles their because of their unbelief…” (Mt 13:58). Mark uses language that is perhaps more difficult: “And he could do no mighty work there…”
The phrase would seem to imply that the lack of faith among the inhabitants of
Nazareth limited Jesus’ ability to do
miracles there. Does that mean that His power is limited by human unbelief? I
don’t think so, since we see many cases where Jesus does miracles with no
reference to the faith of the person who is healed. In John 9, at the beginning of the story, the
blind man did not even know who it was that healed him. In Luke 17:12-19, Jesus
heals ten lepers, but only one returns to give thanks and is commended for his
faith. The dead daughter of Jairus certainly didn’t have faith, nor did the man
across the lake possessed by the Legion! It seems in some cases the miracles
Jesus did evoked faith, but they were
not enabled by faith. What then is Mark’s point? What was so different in
Nazareth as compared to the earlier ministry in Galilee? In what sense does
unbelief limit the work of God? We read in John 2:24, “…He
did not entrust [the same verb, pisteuo,
“believe”] himself to them because He
knows all people…”
Jesus knew their hearts, they rejected the light that they had, so He
moved on. In other areas of Galilee, the crowds poured in, people told
people and they brought the sick and the lame and the demon possessed to Him
for healing. A year earlier, when Jesus first made a messianic claim in the
synagogue in Nazareth, they took him to the edge of town and were ready to
throw him off a cliff! Now it seems they dismiss him. “Who is speaking at synagogue? Oh, it’s only Jesus… never mind…” How
could they even consider a common craftsman, a carpenter, as a serious teacher…
much less as the promised messiah? Elsewhere, people brought to Him the sick,
the lame, the oppressed, and He healed them all (eg. Matt 12:15)! Here,
they dismissed the One who could meet their deepest needs. “He came to His own, but His own did not
receive Him…”
Only twice
is Jesus said to “marvel” or “be amazed” about something. One was positive,
involving a gentile, where Jesus “marvels” at the faith of a centurion (Lk
7:8,9). The other is here, in Nazareth, His hometown. Here, He “marvels” at
their unbelief!
What is God saying to me in this passage? Despite the clear evidence of His works and words,
unbelievers will be offended by the message of Jesus… until God opens their
heart…
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? He came unto His own, and His own
received Him not... Such is the depravity of the fallen human heart. Paul
said, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
discerned.” NB., “Does not receive, cannot understand.” That
is the state of fallen humans. Like Lazarus in the tomb, they are dead!
1) Remember who
He is. Let’s not get so familiar with Jesus, that we forget He is The
Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, Emmanuel, God incarnate, the Master-builder
of the church. Our God is an awesome God! The battle is the Lords! And
yes, Jesus wins!
2) Remember why He came: To live a sinless life, and to die on
the cross for our sins, to purchase a place of us in heaven, which He offers as
a free gift (Rom 6:23).
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