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Mark 6:1–6 (ESV)
1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 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? 3 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. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And 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. And he went about among the villages teaching.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably experienced rejection a few times in your life. Perhaps you didn’t get into the college or university you had been dreaming about attending after high school. It could be that you didn’t make the team or didn’t get the first chair for your instrument in the orchestra or the solo in the band. If you applied for a job, you could have gotten a rejection notice that the position was filled, but you were not chosen. Sometimes rejection cuts us a bit deeper as your affections are rebuffed, friendships fade away in favor of new relationships, or families fall apart.
Rejection, unfortunately, is a part of the human experience, and when I read this passage, I’m often amazed that Jesus gets rejected. I understand the rejection that Jesus is experiencing from the religious leaders. Jesus has been talking about the kingdom of God breaking into the world, but not in the way that they expected. Jesus’ teaching challenged the religious leaders’ presuppositions about the arrival of the kingdom of God, and these teachings turned everything upside down.
I get it that the religious leaders rejected Jesus, but rejection from His own community, including his family (Mark 3:21, 31-35)? That’s hard, but it’s not the end of the story.
We know that later on, many of Jesus’ family came to faith, and they became leaders in the early church. They too suffered persecution, and some even paid the ultimate price for their faith in Jesus.
What catches my attention in this passage is that the people in Jesus’ hometown acknowledge that Jesus has been teaching with amazing wisdom and has been performing mighty works, and yet they still reject Jesus.
So, in a strange way, rejection can be a sign that we’re on the right track when it comes to following Jesus. Rejection and persecution are not things for us to seek out, but it’s obvious that if you follow Jesus, you can expect to experience these things as His love and grace unfold in your life. That’s because the kingdom of God is changing us, and through us, the kingdom of God is touching and infecting others around us, not through force but through mercy and forgiveness. It’s new life breaking into the old established ways, and upset is certain to follow.
There is one other thing worth noting from the last verse, and that is the word “marveled.” As we read the Gospels, we know that the people and even the disciples marveled at what Jesus was doing and saying, but I am only aware of two instances where Jesus marveled at something. One is at the faith of a Centurion whose servant Jesus healed from a distance. The other instance is here at the unbelief of the people in Jesus’ hometown.
What do people marvel at about you and your faith in Jesus? What about your church? Are they marveling because they see the love and grace of Jesus reflected in your church and in you? Or are they marveling because they don’t see Jesus’ reflection?
The change and transformation that we long for within our communities and ourselves can only be realized as we pursue our own relationship with Jesus.
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott
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