Context No. 3956 of 4322 · Mark

Mark 6:1-6: in context

1He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. 2When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands? 3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching.

Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth and teaches in the synagogue, and at first the people are astonished at his wisdom. But astonishment quickly curdles into offense: isn't this just the carpenter, Mary's son, whose brothers and sisters we know? Their familiarity with him as the local carpenter blinded them to who he truly was, and they took offense at him.

And then a startling statement: he could do no great work there, except to heal a few sick people, and he marveled at their unbelief. Notice what their unbelief cost them. In other towns, faith opened the door to Jesus' healing and help; here, unbelief closed it. This does not mean their unbelief overpowered Jesus, but that unbelief shut them off from what he longed to do among them; they would not come to him in faith, and so received little. There is a sobering lesson here. Unbelief, especially the unbelief bred by over-familiarity, can close us off from what God would do in our lives. The people of Nazareth had the Son of God in their midst and, because they thought they already knew him, missed nearly all he offered.

Has a stale familiarity bred unbelief in me, closing me off from what God would do, and will I come to Jesus in fresh faith rather than assuming I already know all there is to know of him?

Sources

Mark 6:3: "Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon?... So they were offended at him."
Mark 6:5: "He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them."
Mark 6:6: "He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching."