Mark 6:1
1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.
Home. There is nothing that feels quite like coming home. Whether you have been away for a few hours or a few years, there is no place like home. In this particular instance, Jesus’s return marked a brief respite from a very intensive yet fruitful ministry outreach. Miracles, healings, deliverance; all occurred on this junket.
Mark 6:2a
2a. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue,...
Sometimes it is nice to come home and recharge, to reconnect with family and loved ones. It’s nice to have time for quietness, prayer, and meditation. Jesus had a few days before the next Sabbath. I’m sure it was time much appreciated. Then came the Sabbath…
Mark 6:2b
2b. and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”
Herein lies the great wisdom of God: the Gospel. This message that Jesus preached, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” was accompanied by the power of God. It left those who heard and witnessed it amazed.
Mark 6:3
3. Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and the brother of James, Joseph,[b] Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Believe it or not, God is at work here.
Acts 10:15
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”
Jesus encounters opposition from his neighbors. They scoff, they criticize in unbelief. Yes, they have seen the wonders by Jesus’ hand, but no, their minds, their intellect won’t accept….
- I’m in the middle of a hard curve. Give me a minute…
Mark 16:20
20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
I was in a church service one Sunday. The Spirit was high. The minister stepped from the pulpit and proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to lay hands on the sick!” many came to be prayed for. There were two elderly women that had come in separately. Both seemed feeble and were supported by walkers. Additionally, they both were assisted by people that had accompanied them. In the case of the first sister, her two grown sons accompanied her, one on either side. When the minister made the call, she made her way to the altar, the other sister remained seated. The minister anointed her with oil and laid hands on her. After the service, that woman walked out of the service carrying that walker. When her sons approached to assist, she brushed them off. It was obvious, she got what she came for.
Mark 6:5-6
5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.
This new thing that Jesus was doing, this ‘Good News that he preached was accompanied by special miracles. The same was true for the early disciples. The onus was on the hearers of his words to simply believe the ‘Good News.’ The problem: the miracles and the bearer of the message didn’t match. Was not Jesus just a village carpenter? Were not the disciples just lowly fishermen? Has not that same complaint filled the preaching of the Gospel to this day? Israel was waiting on a King, not a carpenter. Jesus didn’t meet the description. Neither do you.
Yet, God is still using commoners to preach his Word. Jesus prepared the way for regular people like you and I to preach his Word. God is not differentiating between Jew and Greek any longer. Nor between slave or free. He does not even distinguish between male and female. All are the same in his eyes. No one is beneath the Gospel. No one is beyond salvation. Jesus showed us the way…
I Corinthians 12:31b
And yet I show you a more excellent way.
James 4:6
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
Beloved, let us be thankful that God devised a plan to redeem...us all.
Selah
wb
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