Amazing Unbelief

Mark 6:1-6

            I once heard a story about the first automobiles in the rural United States. An older gentleman and his grandsons sat on the porch enjoying a lazy summer afternoon. He was reading a newspaper, and they were watching the swallows dipping and swooping through the humid air.

            Suddenly, a strange sound caught their attention. In the distance, the boys spied a cloud of dust. To their great delight, one of those new-fangled horseless carriages was coming down the road. They jumped up from their seats and began to exclaim, “Grandpa, Grandpa, look, look. Here comes a carriage with no horses pulling it!” Keeping his head buried behind his newspaper, the grandpa said gruffly, “I don’t believe it, I won’t believe it!”

            The grandpa’s response reminds me of the line of a song from my youth: ” There is none so blind as he who will not see.” His refusal to believe wasn’t because of poor eyesight or hearing or a lack of evidence; it was an act of his will. We may smile at his foolishness and unwillingness to accept the truth, but he isn’t alone. Many today do the same thing.

            In the 1990s, Paul Krugman wrote, “The growth of the Internet will slow drastically, as the flaw in “Metcalfe’s law” becomes apparent. By 2005, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machines.” That hasn’t aged well!

            However, there is something much more severe than this kind of blindness; it’s blindness to truth as it’s revealed to us in God’s Word and His world. Highly educated and intelligent people who design complex systems and procedures for many applications accept the theory of evolution as valid without question. The evidence for a Creator is right in front of their eyes and under their microscopes every day, but like the old grandpa and the automobile, they close their minds to the evidence and refuse to believe it.

            This rejection of truth is almost as old as the human race. There are countless examples of unbelief in the Old Testament and plenty in the New Testament. One of those examples shows up in our text for today, Mark 6:1-6. Listen as I read that text, and then we’ll look at this example of “Amazing Unbelief.”   

In this text, we see the EFFECTS of unbelief on the lives of those who reject Jesus as Messiah.

The First EFFECT of Unbelief is,

            A Surprising Reaction

            Immediately after the healing of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus leaves Capernaum and returns with His disciples to His hometown. This visit was not meant to be private. Bringing His disciples with Him demonstrated His position as a Rabbi; He had a following. Perhaps Jesus wanted to reassure His family that He valued them and hadn’t lost His rationality as they supposed. Remember, at the end of chapter three, they came to rescue Him from the rigors of His ministry.

            Luke also records a visit by Jesus to His hometown. That visit took place very early in Jesus’ ministry and almost led to His premature death. We have no record of Jesus revisiting Nazareth until this incident in Mark’s Gospel. Despite the rejection He faced there, He most likely wanted the people of His hometown to have a second chance. It was natural for Him to care about them. The setting for both of these incidents was the local synagogue.

            During His visit, the Sabbath arrives, and, as usual, Jesus attends and is asked to teach. I wonder if they forgot what happened previously or if His popularity motivated them to reconsider their conclusions.

            As Jesus began to teach in the synagogue the people were astonished. Later in this text, we’ll see the word amazed. I was curious about the difference of meaning in these two words. To be astonished suggests shock or disbelief. To be amazed is to be filled with wonder, to be awed, in either a positive or negative way.

            The people who heard Jesus teach expressed their shock by saying, “Whence these things to this fellow?” This question was curt and caustic; it was designed to sting! Calling Jesus “this fellow” was a derogatory way to address Him. They didn’t even have the common courtesy to use His name. Today, we’d say, “Who does this guy think he is?” They were skeptical.

            Remember, the town of Nazareth didn’t have a stellar reputation. In John chapter one, when Philip told Nathaniel that they had found the Messiah and that he was from Nazareth, Nathaniel’s retort was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” That may account for some of the animosity toward Jesus. He was getting the attention that no one else was getting.

            Notice that the people questioned both His wisdom and works. In their minds, He’s one of them, so they can’t figure out how He could be so different from them. They knew Jesus had never studied in the rabbinical schools. Where did He learn to teach like this? And how are such mighty deeds done through His hands? Isn’t He the carpenter, the builder, whose work we’ve seen? Isn’t He the son of Mary? Don’t we know His brothers and sisters?

            Our text refers to Jesus as “the carpenter.” The original is tekton, from which we get our English word, technician. What was probably meant as a slur unintentionally glorified Jesus as the Master Workman. His work-worn hands were strong in overthrowing the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple yet gentle in healing the sick and blessing the children.

The local people knew His family and His trade and discounted what they now saw with their eyes and heard with their ears. Their unbelief obscured what should have been obvious. He was no ordinary Nazarene. Their astonishing unbelief blinded their hearts and minds.

            Some of us have “grown up” with Jesus. We think we know Him; we have a box for Him, just like in our text. We have a set of assumptions about how He should work in different situations. However, He does things we need help understanding. He does things outside the box we created. We need clarification and find it hard to reconcile our perceptions of Him with His works. At this point, some people give up and walk away. Others become openly antagonistic.

He shows His power more openly in other places than with us. He heals and saves people we think are beyond saving. He surprises us. His teaching makes us uncomfortable as He exposes our prejudices and our pride. When He does this, we have a choice, just as the people of Nazareth. They chose unbelief; what will we choose?

Their surprising reaction demonstrates the first effect of their unbelief.

The Next EFFECT of Unbelief is,

            A Scandalous Rejection

            Do you wonder at the word scandalous? Look at the end of verse three. It says, “And they were offended at Him.” The English word offended is translated from the original word, skandalizo. That’s where we get our word: scandalous. It means to ensnare or trap like a wild animal. According to Thayer’s Greek lexicon, it means “to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority.” 

Jesus’ fellow villagers were bound by their prejudices and failure to appreciate who He was. Perhaps they were trapped by their low self-esteem. After all, Nazareth didn’t have a good reputation. Ridiculing those who rise above their circumstances is often an attempt at self-protection. In their anger and resentment, they could only see Him as one of them, so they rejected Him. They may have considered Him lower than them. Calling Him “the son of Mary” could be a veiled reference to what they saw as His illegitimate birth.

Jesus responds to them with a well-known proverb: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his relatives, and in his own house.” Today, we have a saying with a similar meaning: ” Familiarity breeds contempt.” He drew great crowds all over the region and was proclaimed and honored as a prophet, but not at home.

In this proverb, Jesus used a progression of social circles to make His point. He moved from the wider to the narrower. The lack of honor was first demonstrated by His countrymen (sad), then among His relatives (sadder), and finally, in His immediate family (saddest).  

So, Jesus makes a definite claim to be a prophet! We know He was a prophet and much more than that. He is the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God, Emmanuel. Jesus said in Matthew 10:41, “Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward…” The reverse is implied; those who do not welcome Him will face judgment.

In his first epistle, Peter wrote, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (skandalizo).” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”

The people in Jesus’ town didn’t like His message, so they did what many people do today when they hear the truth they don’t like – they attacked the messenger. They tried to demean and besmirch His character. His holiness and purity made them look bad in their own eyes and the eyes of their peers. People are no different today.  

Do your preconceived ideas about Jesus trap you? Do you feel like you’re not worthy of His love and attention? There’s a sense in which that’s true. None of us are worthy! We’re all sinners, and we deserve death. When we don’t feel worthy, it’s easy to transfer those feelings onto others. However, Jesus considered us worthy enough of His love, and He was willing to give His life on the cross for our redemption. That’s amazing, love!

Don’t be offended by Jesus because He makes you feel uncomfortable. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped by your preconceived ideas about Him. Don’t attack the messenger because you don’t like the message. Instead, come to Him in humility, acknowledge your need, and He will do mighty work for you.

The surprising reaction and the scandalous rejection demonstrate the effects of unbelief.   

The Final EFFECT of Unbelief is,

            A Suppressed Result

            It’s easy for us to miss the pathos in the statement of verse 5. “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” What a disappointment that must have been to Jesus. These were His people. I’m sure there were many needy people in Nazareth, just like everywhere else. However, they missed out on the life-transforming power of Jesus because of their unbelief.

            Jesus had the power to perform miracles in his hometown. But there was no reason for Him to do so because the miracles were designed to authenticate His message and reveal Him as Lord and Messiah. Because the people of Nazareth were settled in their rejection of Him in those roles, miracles were not necessary.

            Only two times in the New Testament is Jesus said to be “amazed.” One was positive, and the other negative. In Luke 7, He was surprised by the faith of the Roman centurion who said, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Here, He is amazed by the unbelief of His fellow Nazarenes. He is stunned by the lack of faith in a people and place where He had the right to expect it. The Hebrew Scriptures identified this suffering servant, this savior, who would come and fulfill the Messianic prophecies.

            Jesus’ decision to limit His work in Nazareth has an element of mercy. If he had done mighty works there, it would have only increased the depth of their unbelief and resulted in more significant judgment. Jesus singled out the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for harsher judgment than other places because of the mighty works done in those unrepentant cities. He said Sodom and Gomorrah would fare better in the final judgment than those who witnessed His ministry and still reject Him.

            However, there is also the element of judgment in Jesus’ decision. The purpose of miracles was never to entertain the hardhearted. Instead, it was to move those open to the Gospel toward saving faith. His miracles were of no spiritual benefit to the unbelieving, and He had no interest in indulging ungodly curiosity.

            The deep-rooted faithlessness and open hostility He encountered in Nazareth jarred Jesus. For all of His earthly life, He had been the most amazing person they had ever met. They didn’t know why He was so different, but surely, they could not have missed the evidence of His divine perfection. How could those who said they knew Him so well stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the only reasonable explanation for His unique position as the Son of God? Theirs was an amazing unbelief.

            What effects does the life and ministry of Jesus have on you? Do you believe He is who He says He is, the Son of God? Or is He just a good teacher or a prophet to you? Do you treat Him with the respect and honor He deserves? Does He surprise you with the people He ministers to and the places where He goes? We didn’t grow up with Him like the people in Nazareth, but many of us have known about Him from our earliest recollections. We must be careful not to allow our familiarity with Him to lead to contempt.

            Does Jesus’ message offend you? Does His presence make you feel uncomfortable? Why? Are you disappointed when He doesn’t stay inside the box you’ve created for Him? Do you not like His message, so you attack the character of the messenger? The solution to these problems isn’t to reject Him. Instead, open your heart to Him. Confess that you don’t understand Him and ask Him to show you how He wants you to live.

            You won’t experience His miraculous power if you refuse to exercise faith. You’ll have access to the things He gives freely to everyone: the sunshine, the rain, the seasons, and the other laws of nature. However, you won’t know the life-changing power of His love and mercy. If you want to experience all the good things that Jesus has for you, there is a requirement. That requirement is faith.

            The writer of Hebrews stated it this way: “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” Don’t let amazing unbelief rob you of the rewards God wants to give to you!