Bible Study - Mk. 6:1-6 Jesus at Nazareth

Mark 6:1-6 : 

Mark 6:1-6 Where did He get all this? No prophet is accepted in his own country

Slide 2: 

1 He went away from there and came to his own country; 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 all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 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. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

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5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went about among the villages teaching.

6:1-6 The Rejection at Nazareth : 

6:1-6 The Rejection at Nazareth Mark leaves a section on “great belief” to a section on “great disbelief.” In 3:20-35 we saw Jesus family thinking that he had gone crazy. In the opening verse of chapter 6 we see his entire hometown of Nazareth thinking the same thing. 20 mile walk 65 miles to Jerusalem

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2 And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue. As Jesus moved from place to place His reputation had always preceded Him. The person in charge of the synagogue would have appreciated the opportunity to have such a well known speaker lead the Saturday Service. Jesus was always willing to speak at a synagogue because it was a gathering place for large number of people. But the speaking engagement backfired for both Jesus and the leader of the Synagogue. The people in the Synagogue “took offense at him.” The people didn’t deny His wisdom, His reported mighty works BUT the townspeople knew Jesus on a personal basis and since He was a child.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt : 

Familiarity Breeds Contempt Rather than offering a welcome and expressing community pride, Jesus’ town folks were offended by His presence and His teachings. The people of Nazareth came to the conclusion that their prior knowledge of Jesus was all they needed to know. Even their amazement at the authority and truth of His teaching turned to ridicule. They refused to believe the obvious. As a result, their rejection limited His ministry.

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5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. As you read the Bible you will notice that for miracles to take place, faith needs to be a part of it. The people of Nazareth thought of Jesus as a carpenter turned travelling teacher, not as the Messiah. Had Jesus performed miracles in Nazareth the locals would have looked upon them as a kind of magic show done for entertainment rather than a demonstration of God’s power taking place in their midst. Remember the old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt.” Had Jesus resided in Bethlehem and visited Nazareth His reception would have been very different.

The Door : 

The Door The people of Nazareth looked down on Jesus because He was just a local a working man. Jesus could have be born into a rich and privileged family but he chose to be born in to an average family and to work in a trade. We must beware of the temptation to evaluate people based on externals, and not by their worth as a human beings. We have the power of free choice to either help or hinder the work of Jesus Christ. We can open the door to him—or we can slam it shut in his face. These men slammed the door on Jesus and on themselves as well.

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