The greatest obstacle – and opportunity – for Jesus.

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Gospel: Mark 6: 1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. 
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished. 
They said, “Where did this man get all this? 
What kind of wisdom has been given him? 
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? 
And are not his sisters here with us?” 
And they took offense at him. 
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.” 
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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By the end of chapter five in Mark’s Gospel, enormous momentum has been created in Jesus’ ministry.

Consider the things that he has already done: he’s calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee; cast an unclean spirit out of a tortured man; cured a woman who was hemorrhaging for twelve years; and raised a twelve-year-old girl from the dead.

Despite fierce opposition from the religious authorities, the kingdom of God is unfolding. However, today that momentum comes to a temporary halt as Jesus encounters the greatest obstacle to his ministry:

Unbelief.

“Where did this man get all this?” the local townspeople ask. “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?”

The idea that Jesus, an ordinary carpenter whom many of these people grew up with, could be ushering in God’s kingdom seemed impossible.

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It’s easy for us to criticize these locals for failing to recognize all of who Jesus is. God appearing as an ordinary human being – as a baby, a teenager, a carpenter living in Nazareth – is still a stumbling block for many today.

But this is the beauty of God: nothing is too small.

The same God who created the cosmos, takes on flesh. The same God who stilled the stormy seas on Galilee is fully present in the Eucharist.

The same God who lives eternally listens to the beat of our heart, knows the number of hairs on our head, and listens to the cry of our voice.

The same God who raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead can go great things for us.

But access to that power only comes through faith.

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Image credits: (1) LoveThisPic (2) Alarm Capital Alliance (3) Etsy