Who Will Receive Jesus Messiah?

Introduction

Last week we introduced a number of miracles which occurred as two people, Jairus and the woman in the crowd, cast themselves before Jesus in faith because they rightly identify that He is capable and willing to save.

Yet, as Jesus heals many people throughout chapter 5, the reactions of the crowds and bystanders are telling.

In 5:1-19, Jesus heals the demon possessed man and shows himself to be a great healer. Yet, the people of the region beg Jesus to leave because of the pigs.

In the remainder of the chapter, which we studied last week, we see a similar thing: Jesus heals, but the crowd laughs at Jesus when he instructs Jairus to take heart.

Jesus consistently hears mockers in his ministry. We talked about that as well last week.

This week, we will continue to unpack Mark 6:1-6. I expect that you will find this text very familiar.

Central Point:

Exposition

V.1

Jesus leaves the region of Capernaum (i.e. “from there”) and comes to his hometown (Nazareth).

Jesus is identified as being from Nazareth in Mark 1:9, but the location of Jesus performing this teaching in Nazareth is supported by Luke 4:16-30 which seems to align in terms of the details of the story. All of the gospels affirm that Jesus’s hometown was Nazareth nonetheless.

His disciples follow him

Part of being a disciple is going where Jesus takes you or sends you.

I suspect that these past several moments of faithlessness in Israel and this present section of similar faithlessness was awfully striking to the disciples who were standing by. One thing I notice about Jesus in each of these stories though is that He isn’t provoked. The disciples might have had some sort of “I’ll show them” kind of attitude. Just think about how you might act when people laugh at you. Maybe this kind of proud and arrogant spirit is what holds you back from blessing.

There is likely an arc here between what Jesus’s disciples witness and what He calls them to in the next verses.

V.2

And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue

There is a contrast here. In the previous chapter we saw how a ruler of the Jews came and implored Jesus to come and save his daughter. We might be stirred up with a wonder: will these people respond in the same way?

And many who heard him were astonished saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?”

These questions actually relay important information. The crowd is stunned by Jesus’s teaching. What Luke reveals is that Jesus read from Isaiah and told them that “this passage” (Is. 61:1-2) (Luke 4:18-19) was fulfilled in their presence. In other words, the gospel of Luke indicates that Jesus was teaching about who he was and that the kingdom had come in himself. If you recall, this is actually not terribly new information. Mark 1:15 indicates that this was the nature of Jesus’s message.

So, the questions that the people seem to be asking are: A - Where did Jesus get the idea that the Kingdom of God was at hand (or, that he was the Messiah)? B - What is the source of Jesus’s insight? C - How could Jesus do the things that Jesus did?

NOTE - It is quite possible that in the questions about the source of Jesus’s power, there are some within the synagogue who are thinking along the lines of Mark 3:22. That is to say that there could be some in this crowd who, in their questions, are ascribing to Jesus a kind of darkness which is actually true of their own hearts.

Part C above indicates that these people heard about the miracles that Jesus had performed in other places like Capernaum.

V.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?

If the first questions were earnest, it is this set of questions which truly informs us about the doubt of the people hearing Jesus. Built within their question is a statement: “You are the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James...”

The reason that the people took offense at Jesus was because they believe that he is merely a man. They do not understand that when he preaches and teaches saying “the kingdom of God is at hand, repent!” that he has every right to say so and they must respond.

V.4

And Jesus said to them “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

(A Prophet)

On a biblical theological level, Jesus’s response is significant. Specifically, one could take note about how Jesus identifies himself here as a prophet. The reason this matters goes beyond the fact that prophets are God’s mouthpieces and speak to the people. The significance is that in Deuteronomy 18:15-22, Moses tells the people of Israel to pay attention because there will be a prophet like himself who will come and the people of Israel must listen to him!

As you spend time in this section, the reason that Moses’s words are significant is that what he sets up is likely not a law for a long string of prophets, but rather is looking forward to what might be called a “covenant mediating prophet.” When you pair the material of Deuteronomy 18:15-22 with Deuteronomy 30:6, what one gets is a vision: there will come a time when God will perform a New Covenant work in restoring the people of Israel. This New Covenant work will be done through a new and better Moses — a covenant mediating prophet — and the people of Israel must listen to him!

It is clear that the early church believed that this interpretation of material was correct. Stephen in Acts 7:37 as he’s giving his last speech before he is martyred points to Deuteronomy 18:15-22 and indicates that this was fulfilled in Jesus whom the people of Israel killed in their evil rebellion.

(Remaining Verse)

There is practicality to Jesus’s proverb, but let’s leave it there for now.

V.5

And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

The first clause should not strike us in the sense that Jesus’s power was somehow reduced in the midst of faithless people. This reading would view confuse power with will. Specifically, the gospels affirm that Jesus heals and performs miracles in a way that was always in concert with the father’s will (John 6:38) and that He either acted in such a way as to provoke faith (think of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12) or as a response to faith (remember just a few verses ago: Mark 5:34).

Perhaps a simple example of this would be to ask: “Hey can you buy this very expensive car?” To which a person says, no I cannot. Now, in reality, they possess the purchasing power to acquire the car, but they don’t want to be overly leveraged in the purchase or they know that it is not in keeping with wisdom to do such a thing.

If we were to apply such a logic to this passage, what seems to be at play here is a matter of relationship. Specifically, one could ask the question: “What would it mean to us if Jesus continued to perform widespread miracle in the midst of a people who didn’t believe him?” What might such a situation connote?

At bare minimum, we can see from the gospels that Jesus values the faith response. He is not compelled by criticism. In fact, when the Pharisees challenge Jesus later on with the directive: “Give us a sign from heaven that we may believe you” Jesus responds with a resolute “no.” (See Mark 8:11-12)

I think that Mark really wants to stress this point to us. Specifically, that faith in Jesus produces a kind of fruit that matters and that comes from the hand of God.

How might we understand the “except that he...” clause? In my mind, I see continuity here between the qualifier of verse 2 “MANY” and the FEW healings that happened in Nazareth. That is to say that for those who did receive Jesus in Nazareth, they were legitimately healed. This is to say that Jesus’s response is not location based — it is faith based.

V.6

And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

The “marveling” here is likely related to the disturbing nature of the lack of faith of his people.

Jesus goes on to the villages teaching.

Arcing into other Passages

Note that Jesus is going to call his disciples into different places in the next six verses. In fact, if you were to follow chapter 5 all the way through 6:6, you would see that Jesus modeled for his disciples what they would then be working out.

Q. What does it do for you as a disciple if you see that the all sovereign Lord Jesus get rejected and mocked?

Q. How is this passage a preparation for you as a believer?

Q. Thinking about family ministry — speaking to those we know and love about the gospel — what does this passage seem to communicate?

Recall: Jesus’s preaching on the different soils of Mark 4 is playing out for us in Jesus’s own ministry.

Hearts that are ready - Jairus, woman with a blood disease, man who was delivered from demons

Hearts that have shallow faith - crowds that follow Jesus but laugh when he says something they think is impossible — these are loaves lovers! (John 6:26-27)

Hearts that are consumed by the loves of the world — pig folk. We welcome you Jesus unless you mess with our pigs!

Hearts that don’t want anything to do with Jesus. These hearts are concrete to the Word of God.

Principles of the Passage

Do not be shocked when you are reviled, mocked, or persecuted for preaching the name of Jesus. This happened to Jesus himself. Remember that this mocking is not a reflection of the truth that you proclaim but the hard-heartedness of those you speak to.

Subsidiary to this point - Many will have different names for Jesus and who he is. The thing about Jesus is that He responds to one name: Messiah, Lord. (Mark 8:29)

(Qualify this that we are purchased by the blood of Jesus) Faith is the currency of Christ’s Kingdom.

When we return to the question: why is Jesus not healing and performing signs? We might answer this by pointing out certain passages like Hebrews 11:6 which tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Jesus is instructing us and everybody connected to this moment in this vital truth.

Jesus in this moment is working to undo the work of the Fall. Or, in other words, he is trying to cleanse us of a sort of “snake think” which has plagued humanity since the fall. What does this snake think say?

“I retain authority!”

“Answer to me!”

“I am sufficient of myself!”

“I’ll decide what is right and wrong!”

Jesus is actually being supremely gracious in his withholding of signs to this generation. They haven’t hit the bottom. They haven’t reached the point of humility which says: “My heart is willing to yield to your instruction and is prepared to say ‘amen’ to the things which you decree.”

Exhortation from the Passage

There is room for exhortation all over this passage. If I were to transfer this passage to pleading, I would exhort you to a couple of things:

Do not assume that this passage has nothing to do with you. Or, in other words, be exceedingly careful in having an attitude that looks at what these people said about Jesus and thinking to yourself: “I never do that.” This passage is just as much warning as it is story.

If you find yourself, in your heart, ascribing to Jesus anything less than Lordship — this passage is for you! Be instructed by this passage and act with a knowing that healing, signs, miracles, and deliverance stand on the other side of faith.

I think of Augustine who famously admitted in his Confessions to praying as a young man struggling with lust “give me chastity and continence, but not yet.”

The power of this prayer and admission is that Augustine felt so gripped by lust that he was unwilling to set down what was obviously killing him and embrace the one who would obviously give him life.

Perhaps you have felt the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in your life to set one part of your life down and take up the mantle of faith. This would be to repent of a way of living and to embrace the clear call of Christ.

Embrace the life of faith. Be instructed in your heart to say

“Teach me Lord!”

“Let my heart know you entirely!”

“Shape and mold me so that I am a person who reflects the boundless glory of who you are!”

“Heal me!”

“Heal my afflictions and mend my broken heart, my broken mind, my broken soul so that I can walk in the life that you so clearly offer!”

“Your Kingdom come!”

“Your will be done!”

“Place in me a heart to love what you love and hate what you hate!”

“Don’t let me be like a dog who returns to eat its old vomit.”

“Work in me a sort of hunger for righteousness that kills sloth and sluggard-ness!”

“Don’t let me be overcome by any sense of worry or fear!”

“Don’t let my own insecurities block me from stepping into the life you’re giving me in full!”

“Help me to realize that my relationship with you does not ride on my own intelligence and cleverness.”

“Give me a passion for your word that overrides any sense of insecurity and let me be reminded that every disciple of yours in the history of forever has been a novice in the Kingdom of Heaven and had to undergo training.”

“Remove excuses in me.”

“Work in me because I am dependent on you and I desire to be dependent on you.”

“Return me to the garden where I eat from the fruit that you provide in your timing and trust that you will not let me starve.”