In this episode, J. Mark teaches from Mark 6:1-6, where Jesus returns to His hometown and is met with rejection. In this example of unbelief, we see the effects of unbelief on those who reject Jesus as Messiah. This episode highlights three effects of unbelief and reveals the danger of an unbelieving heart. It reminds us that when doubt arises, we are not called to reject Jesus, but to bring our doubts to Him so He can bring clarity and truth.
Hello, and welcome. It is a privilege to open the Word and study it with you. In scripture, there are many examples of what we should do and the kind of people we should be. As God’s servants, we desire to please our master; we live for the day when we will hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” However, not everything given in the Bible is an example of what to do; sometimes the story presented is an example of what we should not do. Today we have such a story. Please learn from Mark 6 and do not respond as the people in Jesus’ hometown did.
Our title is “Amazing Unbelief”, and J Mark will look at three effects of rejecting Jesus. Let’s learn from them and do the opposite of what they did.
A line of a song from my youth goes like this: ” There is none so blind as he who will not see.” It speaks of blindness as a matter of the will, not a matter of sight.
Highly educated and intelligent individuals who design complex systems and procedures for various applications generally accept the theory of evolution without question. The evidence for a Creator is right in front of their eyes and under their microscopes every day, but they close their minds to the evidence and refuse to believe it.
This rejection of truth is almost as old as humanity. There are countless examples of unbelief in the Bible. One of those examples shows up in our text for today, Mark 6:1-6. I’ve titled my teaching, “Amazing Unbelief.”
1Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed.
2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that His hands perform such mighty works!
3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”
5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
In this text, we see the EFFECTS of unbelief on the lives of those who reject Jesus as Messiah.
The First EFFECT of Unbelief is,
A Surprising Reaction
Immediately after the healing of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus returns to His hometown. Bringing His disciples with Him demonstrated His position as a Rabbi; He had a following.
During His visit, the Sabbath arrives, and Jesus attends the synagogue, where he is asked to teach. As He taught, the people were astonished. Later in this text, we’ll encounter the word amazed. To be astonished suggests a state of shock or disbelief. To be amazed is to be filled with wonder, to be awed, in either a positive or negative way.
The people who heard Jesus teach expressed their shock by saying, “Whence these things to this fellow?” Calling Jesus “this fellow” was degrading. They didn’t have the common courtesy to use His name. They were skeptical.
The people questioned His wisdom and works. In their minds, He’s one of them, so how could he be so different? They knew Jesus had never studied in the rabbinical schools. Where did He learn to teach? And how are such mighty deeds done through His hands? Isn’t He the builder, whose work we’ve seen? Isn’t He the son of Mary? Don’t we know His brothers and sisters?
The local people knew His family and His trade and discounted what they now saw with their eyes and heard with their ears. Their unbelief obscured what should have been obvious. He was no ordinary Nazarene. Their astonishing unbelief blinded their hearts and minds.
Some of us have “grown up” with Jesus. We think we know Him. We have a set of assumptions about how He should work. However, He does things outside the box we created. We struggle to reconcile our perceptions of Him with His actions. At this point, some people give up and walk away. Others become openly antagonistic.
He shows His power more openly in other places than with us. He heals and saves people we think are beyond saving. His teaching makes us uncomfortable as He exposes our prejudices and our pride. When He does this, we have a choice. The people of Nazareth chose unbelief; what will we choose?
Their surprising reaction demonstrates the first effect of their unbelief.
The Next EFFECT of Unbelief is,
A Scandalous Rejection
Verse three says, “And they were offended at Him.” The English word offended is translated from the original word, skandalizo. That’s where we get our word: scandalous. It means to ensnare or trap like a wild animal. It means “to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority.”
Jesus’ fellow villagers were bound by their prejudices and failure to appreciate who He was. Perhaps they were trapped by their low self-esteem. After all, Nazareth didn’t have a good reputation. Ridiculing those who rise above their circumstances is often an attempt at self-protection. In their anger and resentment, they could only see Him as one of them, so they rejected Him.
Jesus responds to them with a well-known proverb: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his relatives, and in his own house.” So, Jesus makes a definite claim to be a prophet! We know He was a prophet and much more than that. He is the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God, Emmanuel.
The people in Jesus’ town didn’t like His message, so they did what many people do today when they hear the truth they don’t want – they attacked the messenger. They tried to demean His character. His holiness and purity made them look bad in their own eyes and the eyes of their peers. People are no different today.
Do your preconceived ideas about Jesus trap you? Do you feel like you’re not worthy of His love and attention? That’s true. None of us is worthy! We’re all sinners, and we deserve death. When we don’t feel worthy, it’s easy to transfer those feelings onto others. However, Jesus considered us worthy of His love, and He was willing to give His life on the cross for our redemption. That’s amazing, love!
Don’t be offended by Jesus because He makes you feel uncomfortable. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped by your preconceived ideas about Him. Don’t attack the messenger because you don’t like the message. Instead, come to Him in humility, acknowledge your need, and He will do mighty work for you.
The surprising reaction and the scandalous rejection demonstrate the effects of unbelief.
The Final EFFECT of Unbelief is,
A Suppressed Result
It’s easy for us to miss the pathos in the statement of verse 5. “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” What a disappointment that must have been to Jesus. These were His people. I’m sure there were many needy people in Nazareth, just like everywhere else. However, they missed out on the life-transforming power of Jesus because of their unbelief.
Jesus had the power to perform miracles in his hometown. But there was no reason for Him to do so because the miracles were designed to authenticate His message and reveal Him as Lord and Messiah. Because the people of Nazareth were settled in their rejection of Him, miracles were not necessary.
Jesus’ decision to limit His work in Nazareth has an element of mercy. If he had done mighty works there, it would have only increased the depth of their unbelief and resulted in more significant judgment. Jesus singled out the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for harsher judgment than other places because of the mighty works done in those unrepentant cities. He said Sodom and Gomorrah would fare better in the final judgment than those who witnessed His ministry and still rejected Him.
However, there is also the element of judgment in Jesus’ decision. The purpose of miracles was never to entertain the hardhearted. Instead, it was to move those open to the Gospel toward saving faith. His miracles were of no spiritual benefit to the unbelieving.
The deep-rooted faithlessness and open hostility He encountered in Nazareth jarred Jesus. Throughout his entire life, he had been the most amazing person they had ever met. They didn’t know why He was so different, but surely, they could not have missed the evidence of His divine perfection. How could those who said they knew Him so well stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the only reasonable explanation for His unique position as the Son of God? Their unbelief was amazing.
What effects does the life and ministry of Jesus have on you? Do you believe He is the Son of God? Or is He just a good teacher or a prophet to you? Does He surprise you with the people He ministers to and the places He goes? .
Does Jesus’ message offend you? Does His presence make you feel uncomfortable? Why? Are you disappointed when He doesn’t stay inside the box you’ve created for Him? Do you not like His message, so you attack His character? The solution to these problems isn’t to reject Him. Instead, open your heart to Him. Confess that you don’t understand Him and ask Him to show you how He wants you to live.
You won’t experience His miraculous power if you refuse to exercise faith. You’ll have access to the things He gives freely to everyone: the sunshine, the rain, the seasons, and the other laws of nature. However, you won’t know the life-changing power of His love and mercy. If you want to experience all the good things that Jesus has for you, there is a requirement. That requirement is faith.
The writer of Hebrews stated it this way: “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” Don’t let amazing unbelief rob you of the rewards God wants to give to you!
Thanks, J Mark, for this sobering look at Mark 6. Verse 5 is quite surprising: “Now He could do no mighty work there.” Their unbelief affected what Jesus could do! As the creator and King of the universe, His power was limited by their unbelief! This is amazing, and may the same never be said of us. Instead, let’s make it our goal to have the opposite effect. May great works and miracles be done around us because of our faith in Jesus.
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You know, today’s example was the exact opposite of the two given at the end of Mark 5. Jairus and the bleeding woman showed great faith in Jesus, and today we saw what happens when Jesus is rejected. May we learn from these examples and be people of faith, bringing the presence of Jesus everywhere we go, and see Him do mighty works because we expect it.
