Mark 6:1-13
1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When 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, that he even does miracles!
3Isn'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 rejected (NIV: ‘took offense at’) him.
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
8These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."
12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Lord, please give me humility to listen to you, regardless of whom you use to speak to me.
Amen.
What would it be like to have Jesus as a guest preacher?
How would you react to having Jesus speak to you, here in our worship service?
Would you welcome him, or reject him?
Surely we
would welcome him?! The greatest man who ever lived! He healed the sick,
delivered people from evil spiritual oppression (unclean spirits), made a storm
stop, and even restored a girl to life who’d died. His teaching was fresh and
powerful. Crowds flocked to him, disciples left everything to follow him, and on
this occasion, the synagogue in his hometown of
How did they receive him?
At first, they were amazed. Stunned. In Mark 1:22, Mark makes the same observation as .Matthew when he recorded at the end of the sermon on the mount (Matthew 7:28-29): “the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
A wonderful man, full of life, kind, wise, strong yet also gentle, steeped in the holy Scriptures, principled, utterly committed to the Lord God, a man of remarkable power, able to do amazing things, but always exercising compassion. A man who spoke God’s forgiveness and also demonstrated this forgiveness in the way he related to people.
This man, they rejected.
Why?!!?
Verse 3 of our text tells us what went through their minds: “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 rejected (NIV: ‘took offense at’, lit. tripped up/hit a snag [in their minds]) him.”
They chose to reject Jesus and what he had to say because they thought they knew him. They knew his family. He was a local!
But why was this a problem?
Jesus responded with the observation that a prophet is not appreciated in his hometown, and among his relatives.
Why not?
Why are people more likely to respect and pay attention to a visiting speaker than someone from their own town or family?
One reason could be that they know the local person’s faults, and this undermines credibility.
Did Jesus have faults? No, not at all. He was sinless. He –alone of all human beings- consistently, lovingly, and gladly kept God’s law. loving God and his neighbour perfectly.
So what did they have against him?
Let’s consider what they said in verse 3: ‘Isn’t this the carpenter?’
Can a carpenter preach? What would a “tradie” (as we might call him today) know about God’s Word?
‘Isn’t this Mary’s son…’ They didn’t say ‘Joseph’s son’ but ‘Mary’s son.’ This could refer to the question about his legitimacy. You will remember that Mary was pregnant with Jesus before she married Joseph.
We know that Jesus’ conception was a miracle of the Holy Spirit. He was ‘conceived by the holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.’ There was no need for shame about his birth and origins. But even if a preacher had been conceived out of wedlock, what does that have to do with whether or not his message is reliable?!
A person’s family background, occupation, ethnic origins, or any other aspect of their life should not determine whether or not we listen to what he or she has to say.
The people of
A few sick people getting healed is something we would celebrate! But the passage suggests Jesus could have, and would have done more… but their lack of faith prevented it.
Their rejection of Jesus and his preaching meant they missed out.
Rejection of God’s Word is a theme that is continued in the second half of our passage (Mark 6:7-13). We heard there how Jesus sent out his 12 apostles, 2 by 2. They were given spiritual authority and told to travel very light. Listen again to verse 11: “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."
In Luke 10:16 Jesus also says this to his disciples: "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
The context is the same as Mark 6: Jesus sending out his disciples, to preach the good news of the kingdom. Let me expand the message they had to proclaim, a message we too are called to proclaim:
God’s time for taking charge of the world again is near. But don’t be afraid, because he is not an oppressive king; he will not put you down. Instead, he wants to lift you up. He welcomes all people into his kingdom of peace. So turn away from your sin, give up your rebellion, and humbly receive from God, his personal forgiveness of your sins. God’s loving promise is that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but instead can look forward to eternal life.
This is the gospel, the message of the cross which is the power of God for salvation. Romans 10:16 says ‘faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the preaching of Christ.’ That is, Christ himself preaching, proclaiming, communicating through his people.
When the gospel is proclaimed, the Spirit of God uses it as the living word. It goes deep, and brings to our hearts – to all who hear- the work of the cross: God’s forgiveness. God puts us right with himself, and through this word, this gospel, a relationship of faith and love is created between us and God.
But not when the message is rejected.
The people at
Will we miss out?
Let us not reject Christ.
Christ speaks to us wherever his word is proclaimed. He speaks to us through his word, regardless of who the person is who is proclaiming it! It might be someone in your family. It could be someone of a different ethnic background. It could be someone you might be tempted to dismiss, or ignore, or write off as someone you are sure doesn’t have anything to tell you. May God free us from any prejudice and take away any obstacle that is stopping us from listening to His Word.
We are not bound to accept anything and everything people want to say to us. But rather than close our ears and harden our hearts through fear or pride or self-sufficiency, let us humble ourselves, and listen to each other. For God is a God who speaks, and he may well choose the least members of our congregation or community, to be his messengers.
Amen.
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