Mark 6:1-6
People of
Nazareth Do Not Believe Jesus
6:1
Jesus went out from there and came into His
hometown; and His disciples followed Him.
2 When the Sabbath came,
He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many
listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this
man get these things, and what is this wisdom given
to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His
hands?
3 "Is not this the
carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James
and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters
here with us?" And they took offense at Him.
4 Jesus said to them, "A
prophet is not without honor except in his hometown
and among his own relatives and in his own
household."
5 And He could do no
miracle there except that He laid His hands on a
few sick people and healed them.
6 And He wondered at their
unbelief. And He was going around the villages
teaching.
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
The
Home Town Boy
"I can't believe he
became successful." Ever heard anyone say these
words? I remember when I was attending college I
ran into my 6th grade principal. Not to my surprise
he was astonished that I made it to college based
on what he knew about me from grammar
school.
Now, I don't know if Jesus
was mischievous, liked or disliked growing up but
to these people he was just the son of a carpenter,
certainly not the Son of God.
Jesus Teaching in
Nazareth
Although the people of
Nazareth were amazed at his knowledge and
authority, they could not allow themselves to
believe that "one of them" could be any more than a
laborer and thus, were offended by Jesus. They
could not understand why anyone would want to
follow him.
These people knew of Jesus'
miracles and I'm sure had heard of him prior to his
coming to Nazareth but the preconceived notion of
where he came from blocked them from accepting the
important message he brought to them.
Prejudice can stop people
from accepting something wonderful at times. Let's
not let it stop us from seeing Jesus as he really
is.
The Home Town
Syndrome
"..not without honor
except in his hometown..". This is what Jesus
said about his visit to Nazareth.
Christians are not always
respected for their work, especially among friends
and family but the good news is that we don't need
respect to serve God. Jesus did not get the respect
he deserved in Nazareth but that did not keep him
from offering salvation to the world, and to
us.
So, don't let lack of respect
or pride keep you from believing or doing what God
has called you to do. The rewards will come
later.
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Verses outlining the lack of respect Jesus
received in Nazareth are from the New American
Standard Bible
Study more Lessons from the book
of Mark
Mark
4:30-34
- Jesus
Tells the Parable of the Mustard
Seed
Mark
4:35-41 - Jesus Calms the
Storm
Mark
5:1-20 - Jesus Places Demons into Herd of
Pigs
Mark
5:21-43 - Jesus Restores Life and Heals the
Bleeding Woman
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