Curious, Contemptuous, or Certain

Intro

Good morning - it is good to be with you today Turn in your Bible with me to Mark 6:1-6 As you turn there, I want to ask you a couple of questions:

(Q) Who is Jesus Christ to you?

This question can certainly generate a number of different responses If you don’t quite know how to answer this question, by the time we’re through this morning, I believe you will be able to answer this question with more certainty Let me ask you a follow-up question…. (Q) What is your response to the person and work of Jesus Christ? Leading up to chapter 6, there were a number of key events that occurred that highlight one of the overarching themes of the book - that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is Lord

He traveled from city to city and engaged with scores of people Jesus performed miracle after miracle and everywhere that He went, crowds of people would follow As Jesus traveled around, performing miracles, He received several different responses

The events in Mark 5 demonstrate this for us There are three different cases of incurable diseases that Jesus is confronted with In each specific case, we find an individual exercising faith in Christ by them coming to Him and subsequently being healed But not everyone responded that way during Jesus’ ministry AIM: In the account that we’re going to read this morning, we’re going to find three different responses that people can have to the person and work of Christ

These three responses were true back then and they are still true today READ Mark 6:1-6

~ I want you to notice with me the first response found in v. 2…

Some are curious of the person and work of Christ

Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, His teaching and works have always left people perplexed

It was no different here in Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown As Jesus arrived back home from a trip to Capernaum (about 40 miles away), He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day, as was His custom

Being a guest teacher, it was typical in this day to allow them to read and speak form the Scriptures So, Jesus proceeded to do just that While we don’t know the content of Jesus’ teaching on this particular occasion, we do know that as He taught, people were “astonished”

In other words, they were amazed - they were taken back Their amazement resulted in curiosity… Listen to how they responded in v. 2, “From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?” You see, Jesus had a way of teaching that struck the hearts of all those who listened to Him

Oftentimes, He made statements that would step on the toes of His critics, correct false teaching, address prevailing views of their day, but He always did so authoritatively and exemplifying great wisdom In fact, earlier in the book of Mark, we read of how people claimed that Jesus taught like no other person they’ve ever heard Jesus spoke and they were amazed…they were taken back…they were dumbfounded by what He said You have experienced this type of thing before

Someone said something and you didn’t quite know how to take it It left you thinking…which subsequently left you searching…searching for answers…so that you can make sense of what was said You searched because you had a deep desire to know or learn about something There are some of you here this morning that have been exposed to teaching and preaching that maybe has left you in the same disposition as Jesus’ audience in this passage

You’ve heard some things that has challenged your thinking… Maybe you’ve received a tract or an invite to church…maybe someone has been talking to you about Jesus Christ and how He died on the cross for your sins and the sins of mankind… And you are simply curious… Being in a state of curiosity is not wrong, but an individual does not remain in a neutral position when they are curious

A person’s curiosity will either drive them to or away from the truth This is specifically true when it come to Jesus Christ Let me illustrate this:

In the previous section of Mark (Mark 5:25-34), we read about a woman who had a blood-hemorrhaging issue for 12 years

This woman heard about Christ… Being a citizen of Capernaum, she heard of His teaching…she heard about many people’s lives that were changed by this Man…even people in her hometown, after all it was a small town In the book of Mark, we read about Jesus being in Capernaum on four separate occasions:

In Mark 1, Jesus was in the synagogue in Capernaum where He met a man who was demon-possessed and ultimately freed this man by casting out the demon In Mark 2, Jesus healed a paralytic man who was so desperate to get to Jesus that his friends cut a whole in the roof of a house where Jesus was teaching and they lowered him down before Christ Then, in Mark 3, Jesus returned to Capernaum and once again was in the synagogue…this time, He met a hand who was debilitated with a withered hand, and Christ miraculously healed the man of his ailment In Mark 5:21, after traveling east over the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes, where Jesus healed another demon-possessed man, Jesus was back in Capernaum…

It was here where He met Jairus, the synagogue official, whose 12 year old daughter was about to die It was during this time when Jesus met this woman who had the blood-hemorrhaging issue Jesus not only visited Capernaum, but Matthew calls it “His city” because Jesus lived their for a period after He left Nazareth This woman heard of Jesus…heard of His teaching…heard of His compassion…heard of His miracle-working power, and her curiosity drove her to Jesus

No one and nothing else could help her, so she went to Christ The same can be said of Jairus, the synagogue official

In each of the instances that I just recounted with you, Jairus would have been very familiar with You see, as a synagogue official, he was responsible for the affairs of the synagogue in Capernaum Therefore, in chapters 1 and 3 of Mark, when Jesus was in the synagogue and healed the demon-possessed man, as well as the man with a withered hand, Jairus would have more than likely have been present These works of Christ certainly would have left Jairus in a state of curiosity - “How did this man do such a thing? And when tragedy struck his house, Jairus’ curiosity led him to Jesus Back in Mark 6, when Jesus taught in the synagogue, people were amazed…they were curious…but in contrast to the people in Capernaum, rather than going to Jesus, they pushed Him away

Curiosity will either bring you towards the truth or away from the truth… It will bring you to Jesus or drive you from Jesus

~ This brings us to the 2nd response…some are curious, but some are…

Some are contemptuous of the person and work of Christ

The response of some in the synagogue that day was contempt - they took offense - they despised Him

(Q) But why? (Q) Why would they be offended? (Q) Was it His teaching? (Q) Was it the miracle He performed? First: People took offense because of who Jesus claimed to be

In a parallel account (Luke 4:16-21), Luke shares with us Jesus’ first visit to His hometown and how His initial visit to the synagogue went When Jesus was given the opportunity to speak, He opened up the scroll from Isaiah the prophet and read a prophecy (found in Isaiah 61:1)

READ Luke 4:18-21 By claiming that this prophecy was fulfilled on the very day that Jesus read it, He was making an explicit claim that He was the promised Messiah If Jesus were not the Messiah, then this claim was blasphemous… This isn’t the only time that Jesus made these kinds of claims - claims of divinity - that He was more than just a man, but “of the Father” Jesus claimed oneness with God Now, this did not sit very well with the Jews and so they ran Him off

You see, they could not look past and accept that Jesus was more than just a man Despite His claims and actions that supported His claims, people still rejected Him

Look with me again at Mark 6:2-3 (READ) This is a great reminder of how familiarity breeds contempt They knew Jesus, many of them watched Him grow up And even though they could not find a single negative thing to say about Him, they still refused to accept Him It is truly sad how unbelief can overlook even the most convincing facts Sadly, this has never changed…

There are many today that are familiar with Christ…

If there is one thing we can say for certain, that is that America has been exposed to Jesus Christ… They have heard about Him for years… They have seen and heard countless messages that have highlighted the person and work of Christ Thousands and thousands of tracts have been dispersed… Doors have been knocked upon… Yet, people continue to reject Christ People may even intellectually agree that historically there was a man named Jesus that lived and was crucified on the cross, but their familiarity with Him never progressed to faith and true acceptance of Him…and they are still in a state of unbelief They believe in the person of Jesus but not the deity of Jesus This was true of the crowd in the synagogue that day…listen to what Jesus said (READ vv. 4-5a) Secondly: People took offense because of His message

(Q) What was it that Jesus said that bothered them?

All we need to do is look at the surrounding context to determine the answer

In Mark 1:14, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel, saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” In Mark 1:22, as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, He was noted for teaching with authority and truth (objective truth not subjective) In Mark 2:5, 10, the religious leaders were furious at Jesus because He claimed to be able to do what only God could do, forgive sins and then He forgave the sins of the paralytic man In Mark 2:17, Jesus stated that His purpose for coming to this earth was to be a Physician for the sick

In another place He said He came to seek and save the lost In Mark 2:28, Jesus claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath - which was the equivalent of claiming to be God In Mark 3:14, Jesus commissioned and gave His disciples the authority to and preach the gospel and to cast out demons Looking forward to Mark 6:7-13, Jesus sent His disciples out again to preach the message of repentance The message of Jesus was clear - The time has come, you need to repent of your sins and place your trust in Me

Jesus wasted no time tip-toeing around the truth, or worrying about being politically correct, and He certainly did not acquiesce to the cultural expectations He preached the need for people to trust in Him or else, die in their sins and suffer the consequence of eternal damnation in Hell The message of Jesus has always been rejected

Its rejected because it confronts man and paints a picture of themselves that no one likes to look at

Every individual - that’s you and me - has sinned and because of their sin has fallen short of God’s standard Because of sin, man has to pay the consequence for His sin That consequence is spiritual death Spiritual death separates man now and for all eternity God, however, loves you so much, that He sent Christ to be your Substitute Jesus came, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and paid the penalty for your sin He was then buried but arose from the grave three days later On the cross, Jesus defeated the power and penalty of sin…by resurrecting from the grave, Jesus defeated death The Bible says that when you place your trust in what Christ has done for you, God will forgive you of your sins and grant you eternal life This was the emphasis of Jesus’ message But, people reject it because it is foolishness to them to think that a man who was crucified on a cross 2,000 yrs ago could save them People took offense at who He claimed to be and His message

Now, we have to stop and consider these things… If Jesus was just a man, one would have to come up with a reasonable explanation for how Jesus did all that He did

(Q) How could this man heal the diseased? (Q) How could this man raise the dead? (Q) How could this man cast out demons? (Q) How could this man have power over nature? (Q) How could He resurrect from the grave and be seen of over 500 witnesses? (Q) If Jesus more than a man, and everything He claimed He was how and why is it that people would reject Him?

(Q) Why were people then and why are people today incensed at Hs claims of being God in flesh? Part of the issue that people had then and still have today is that Jesus and His message exposes who they really are

Their sins are exposed Their motives are exposed Their pride is exposed Their self-effort or attempts to go to heaven through other means are exposed That day in the synagogue, the Jewish audience was faced with a dilemma…

Here stands Jesus, a carpenter…the son of Mary, whose fame was on the rise because of His miraculous works and bold claims…and here He is claiming to be the Son of God…the long-awaited and promised Messiah Today, you face the same dilemma…

(Q) How is it that so many lives from Jesus’ day until the present have been miraculously transformed? (Q) How is it that someone who used to have terrible anger issues, but since claiming to come to faith in Jesus, they are a new person? (Q) How is it that a person who was formerly addicted to drugs or alcohol, and tried every rehab known to man only to have no success, gave their lives to Christ and have been victorious ever since? You see, every individual at some point in their lives, whether they want to or not, must face and answer these questions You have to choose your response to Jesus and know that your choice has incredible and eternal consequences

~ Some were curious about Christ, others were contemptuous, but lastly…

Some were certain that Jesus is the Christ

Look with me at v. 5 (READ) While there were many who rejected Christ and demonstrated their unbelief, there were still some who believed in Him

It was these individuals that Jesus was able to heal Now, Jesus had complete ability to heal - He is all-powerful, but His ability to work was in response to their faith

In other words, there is a direct correlation between one’s faith and Jesus working Christ is and has always been willing to work, but it is the absence or presence of faith that serves as a catalyst

This passage is on the heels of Jesus performing numerous works in Capernaum He did so there because there was a great amount of faith Sadly, the same could not be said in His hometown Where there is faith, Jesus works

Conclusion

Let me conclude this morning by asking you the same questions that I began with…

(Q) Who is Jesus Christ to you?

In this message, I just shared with you who He claimed to be and how is actions affirmed and backed up His claims (Q) So, what is your response to Christ?

Maybe you’re curious

Maybe you’re wrestling with what you just heard,,, Maybe you have some questions… Maybe you have been uncertain for quite some time with who Christ is or what the big deal is with Christianity Maybe you have experienced a deep sense of guilt because you know you’re not living right…you know you struggle with sin and feel the guilt and weight of that sin and you can’t get rid of it Maybe you’ve struggled with doubts or have questions about how you can know for sure that your sins can be forgiven… Remember, you will not remain in a neutral state forever… Your curiosity will either lead you to or away from Christ Maybe you’re contemptuous…

(Q) What is it that you have an issue with? Maybe you too have some questions that you have no answers for (Q) If you have some issue or questions, why don’t you flesh it out with someone? Or, maybe you’re here and you believe that Jesus is the Christ

If you have already placed your faith in Christ at some point in your life - Amen If you have not, but today is the day that you want to step forward and embrace what He has done for you on the cross - paying the price that you deserve for your sin…then I invite you to come this morning As the piano plays softly, I invite you to come this morning…