Rejection of Jesus
Would any of you have a hard time trusting some of the people you know a little too well with something important?
If one of your friends, who was a class clown in highschool, later became a surgeon, would it be hard to let them cut you open?
This is exactly what we see in this first section of Mark 6
Mark 6:1-3
' He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, 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? 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?” And they took offense at him. '
According to Luke 4, about a year before this, Jesus had been evicted from teaching in the synagogue. Apparently though, with Jesus' reputation growing, he was allowed back in to teach.
One thing this shows me is grace. These people rejected Jesus already, but he was willing to come back and preach to them.
Nazareth was Jesus’ home. He grew up here and these people knew him well. Just as we would, these people had a hard time acknowledging a man they grew up with as God’s son, and the Messiah. This was in spite of all the evidence. They recognized that he spoke with authority. They knew about his miracles.
To me, this passage really shows the humanity of Jesus. He had a job just like we do. He worked as a carpenter. He had 4 brothers, and at least 2 sisters, though they aren’t named. We know from elsewhere that his own brothers didn’t even believe he was who he said he was.
Mark 6:4-6
'And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. '
Why do you think it says Jesus could do no mighty work there?
Jesus wanted people to acknowledge him for who he really was, and not just to receive miracles
These people clearly lacked faith
Once again he shows his grace and mercy by healing some of the sick
The people here had trouble trusting who Jesus was, because they thought they already knew him.
Does anyone want to share a time when they judged someone too early, only to realize they weren’t as bad as you thought they were?
I think sometimes, even if someone was as bad as we thought they were, we don’t always believe God has the ability to change them
That’s one of the reasons it’s not our place to judge
There’s a maxim that says familiarity breeds contempt. Aesop wrote a fable about a fox who had never seen a lion. He was scared to death the first time he met one. Each time he met the lion he became less scared, until eventually he was able to approach him without fear. He developed contempt for how dangerous the lion could be, and eventually the lion ate him.
This story says nothing about the lion, but reflects the contempt the fox was feeling.
The familiarity of the Nazarenes said nothing of Jesus, but said a great deal about their hearts.
In another example, a tourist was eager to see everything in an art gallery. He ran from picture to picture, wanting to see all, but barely recognizing the details in each frame. On his way out, he told a guard that he didn’t see anything special here. The guard replied that “it is not the pictures that are on trial, but the visitors.”
We need to look in our hearts on how we accept others, as well as Jesus.
Moving on from Jesus’ rejection by the people of Nazareth, we will now look at Jesus’ expectations of his own disciples.
Mark 6:7-13
' And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. '
Don’t ever skip over simple things in scripture. Every word has a purpose.
Why do you think in verse 7 it says Jesus sent the disciples 2 by 2?
This basically cut in half the cities these disciples could be preaching in.
Asking questions is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to study the bible.
You don’t come up with an answer, then look for support in the scripture. That’s known as proof texting. Instead, you ask the question and see what God tells you.
Deuteronomy 19:15 says
'“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. '
I think this also speaks to Jesus acknowledging the benefits of having the support of fellow believers
Why do you think Jesus told the disciples to take nothing with them?
He expected them to live by faith
He wanted to show them God’s power to provide for them
I think it also helped the disciples make a decision about how they were received where they went. If they could rely on the people in those areas to provide for them, then it spoke to the receptiveness of those peoples hearts to God’s word
At this point, the disciples were showing faith. They were able to heal and cast out demons.
Mark 6:35-44
'And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. '
Most of us should be familiar with this part. It’s usually titled “Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand”. That’s accurate, but I think it would also be accurate to say the apostles feed the five thousand.
I want to draw your attention to verse 37. Jesus says you give them something to eat. To me, this section reads as Jesus broke the loaves and fish into 12 baskets, then the apostles took those to the people, and the baskets never ran out.
Jesus gave the disciples a portion. In faith, they took that to the people and it was multiplied. It was still Jesus’ power that multiplied the food, but the disciples had to take it in faith that God would provide.
Are there areas in our lives today that this can be applied?
