1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
Jesus here graciously returns to His hometown of Nazareth and His welcome was anything but warm. I am reminded of the Prophet Isaiah’s words regarding how gracious our Lord longs to be towards us – even to the point of rising to show us compassion:
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)
We see also in our verses for today the Truth of the old adage that familiarity often breeds contempt – Scripture states wickedness does so as well:
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes disgrace. Prov 18:3 (NIV)
“Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love.” John Bunyan
Preconceived ideas of others are a commonality and can prove to be a stumbling block as evidenced by the Nazarene’s in our verses. God does not judge the vessel according to the outside of a person or their lineage rather He looks at the heart and the fruit which naturally flows from it – we would do well to do likewise. A person’s consistent actions prove evidence of what is in the heart. Remember God’s Word to Samuel when the prophet was in the process of selecting God’s choice for the next King of Israel:
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7 (NIV)
As well as Jesus’ instruction to us in discerning a true prophet:
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Matt 7:15-17 (NIV)
Despite the fact that they readily acknowledged our Lord’s wisdom and miraculous powers – both great proofs of divine origin – these Nazarenes could not get passed Jesus’ lineage. His roots were simply too ordinary for their liking. Our Lord amazed them with His teaching (as He so often did with those who heard Him) yet despite His impressive Words and deeds they were quite disparaging. The derogatory questions just kept spouting forth from their faithless fountains: “Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?” Interestingly, there were only two possible answers for the wisdom and achieving power Jesus demonstrated through His Words and works: His source was either from God or Satan. Earlier in Mark we find the teachers of the law attributing His works to Satan as well:
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." Mark 3:22 (NIV)
It is no wonder our Lords states He is a prophet without honor. His hometown hearers were offended and their bias was their downfall. This should be a red flag for us as well – our prejudices and leanings can prove to be a stumbling block. Scripture rightly tells us in Proverbs not to trust in our natural inclinations rather in the Lord who makes our paths straight:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov 3:5-6 (NIV)
Because of their lack of faith and persistent unbelief – Jesus did few miracles. His achieving power was never limited rather performed primarily in the presence of faith. Sadly, so far as known, the Lord Jesus never returned to Nazareth.
“God’s willingness to show mercy appears by His joyfulness when sinners take hold on His mercy. God’s goodness is that He rejoices at the salvation of sinners and is glad when His mercy is accepted. God rejoices when a poor sinner comes in and takes hold of His mercy. What an encouragement to believe in God! He is a God of pardons. Mercy pleases Him. Nothing prejudices us but unbelief. Unbelief stops the current of God’s mercy from running, shuts God’s bowels, closes the cavity of Christ’s wounds, so no healing virtue will come out. As far as the heavens are above the earth, so far is God’s mercy above our sins. What will tempt us to believe, if not the mercy of God?” Glorifying God, Thomas Watson