Mark 6:1-6
Introduction
In this passage we see astonishment by the people and astonishment by Jesus but for different reasons.
The key to understanding this passage can be found in verse 3 and the key word is ‘offence’.
Bear this in mind as we make our way through this passage.
Verse 1
In this passage we see Jesus move away from the Sea of Galilee and head home with His disciples. His home town was Nazareth. Nazareth was the village where Jesus grew up. Less than 500 people lived there. Because He grew up in such a small village, everyone knew him.
Verse 2
As we can see in this verse, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath. When they heard Him, the locals were astonished / amazed. They were astonished at His wisdom and ability to perform miracles. They had heard about the miracles He had performed elsewhere.
Verse 3
Now we come to the key verse.
In this verse we see why the townsfolk of Nazareth were really astonished. They were astonished because they have known Jesus and His family for 30 years.
Here is Jesus acting like a rabbi with a following of disciples. They knew that he hadn’t gone to theological college. They knew that He hadn’t studied under any of the great rabbis of the time. They knew that He was not qualified to teach as a rabbi.
But more than that, they show what they really think of Jesus in the question they ask. The tone of their question was one of ridicule. Bear that in mind as we look at the question in detail.
The first point that they make is that Jesus is a carpenter. Just like Joseph, His adoptive father, Jesus was a carpenter when He lived in Nazareth. The Greek word for carpenter is ‘tekton’ and usually describes someone in the building trade. He could just as easily be called a builder. Carpentry or building was regarded as a lowly trade. Jesus was a labourer.
The people called Jesus a carpenter in order to ridicule Him. They were saying that Jesus was just a carpenter.
The second point that they make is that Jesus is the son of Mary. In Jewish culture it was normal to reference someone to their father such as Jesus, son of Joseph. But the people of Nazareth called Him the son of Mary.
Again, the people called Jesus the son of Mary in order to ridicule Him. Let me explain why. They knew that Mary had become pregnant with Jesus when she was betrothed (engaged) to Joseph. Therefore, they would have seen Mary as a loose woman and Jesus as illegitimate.
The third point that they make is that Jesus has got brothers and sisters. This third point completes their description of Jesus and forms part of their desire to belittle who He was. Bear in mind that none of His brothers and sisters believed in Him at this time. As far as we know, only James came to faith after the resurrection of Jesus.
There was, however, one member of His family that did believe in Him. And that was Mary, His mother.
The fact that Jesus had brothers and sisters tells us that Mary was not a perpetual virgin. One of the Roman Catholic doctrines states that Mary was always a virgin. This verse disproves that.
At the end of verse 3, we are told that the people of Nazareth took offence at Jesus. The Greek word for offence is ‘scandalizo’. This is where we get our word ‘scandalized’ from. The people were scandalized by Jesus.
In effect the townsfolk rejected Jesus. Remember what Jesus said about Himself in Matthew 21:42. He said that He is the stone which the builders rejected. In those days a builder would reject a stone for the house they were building because it was flawed. The townsfolk of Nazareth rejected Jesus because they thought He was flawed.
Verse 4
In this verse we see Jesus respond to their rejection of Him, using an ancient Semitic saying. Imagine how Jesus must have felt. Has this ever happened to you?
Verses 5 to 6
In verse 5 we are told that Jesus could not do any miracles in Nazareth. This was not because He had lost all of His power. Jesus could not do any miracles in Nazareth because God’s judgement was upon Nazareth because the people had rejected Him. God was withholding His power. This is an important principle for us to be aware of. This could happen today. Think about how this might happen.
In verse 6 we see that Jesus was astonished by their lack of faith. It wasn’t just their lack of faith but the callousness that went with it. With unbelief comes hostility and hatred. Think about that.
And now for a theological point. Ultimately the people of Nazareth did not believe in Jesus because God, the Holy Spirit, had not opened their eyes, had not entered their hearts and had not regenerated their souls. Unless the Holy Spirit does this, no one is able to believe in Jesus.