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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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The Lord’s return to his hometown is drenched in irony and opposites.
By now, the Lord has cast an unclean spirit out of a man a synagogue; healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law; cleansed a leper; and stilled the stormy seas of Galilee.
Word of these things preceded him. So, one might logically imagine that when Jesus returned home, he’d receive a star’s welcome. But he receives the polar opposite. Jesus is not welcomed with open arms and amazement; rather, closed hearts and unbelief.
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Notice a few particular details Mark includes in this Gospel passage.
The villagers in Nazareth – totaling no more than a few hundred – ask the right questions about Jesus, only with the wrong attitude.
“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? … Are not his relatives here with us?”
These are the types of questions Mark wants the reader to ask. When done with the right attitude – with a heart disposed to finding the truth – then one would see that, yes, Jesus is human. He is from Nazareth.
But he is also divine, the Son of God, which has allowed him to perform such mighty deeds.
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Mark also describes the circle of rejection tightening around Jesus. As he enters his hometown, even the villagers, his relatives, and his own household question skeptically, “Who is this man?”
Such skepticism creates the greatest obstacle to the Lord’s ministry: unbelief. How ironic it is that such unbelief comes from those who knew him best.
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What are some of my own questions about Jesus? Or about my faith?
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While the practice of asking questions is a healthy thing – it’s a sign we’re actually thinking about our faith, trying to make it ever more relevant in our lives– we must always do so with a heart open to the truth.
May the Lord be “amazed,” not by our lack of faith; rather, by the abundance of it.
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Image credits: (1) PCUSA Store (2) Pantocrator, St. Catherine’s Monastery (3) Trinity Church, South Bend