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. - Mark 6:1-6

• The story before us is one of the most terrifying in all the gospel accounts. Jesus visits his hometown of Nazareth (1). They are astonished at his words and works (2). They knew he was powerful, mighty works having been done by him all throughout the region (2). But since they had known Jesus and his family for many years, they took offense at him (3). Jesus responded by quoting a popular proverb from their day about prophets receiving honor everywhere but their hometown (4). All over the place, various towns and peoples had believed Jesus, and he had worked among them. But not in Nazareth.

• And here's where the episode takes a scary turn: and he could do no mighty work there (5). His normal power was obstructed by their unbelief, by their lack of faith.

• The reason the story is so frightening is that we should want Jesus to do mighty work in our community, our church, our families, and our lives.

• I've entitled this message How To Unleash Jesus' Mighty Work In Your Life, but that's a bit of a misnomer, a provocative title. There aren't a series of steps you can take. I could have as easily called this message How To Cultivate Faith In Jesus.

1 Accept his invitation.

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. - Mark 6:1

Nazareth

• Now Nazareth was not Jesus' birthplace, but where his family eventually moved. Through archeology and historical records, it appears only around a few hundred people lived there during the time of Christ. Never referenced in the Old Testament, and barely mentioned in history, Nazareth was a forgotten place.

Ministry Trip

• Jesus' trip to his hometown was not a vacation or rest from his ministry work. Jesus taught in their synagogue and healed a few sick people, and he must've wanted to do a mighty work there, but couldn't because of unbelief.

Invitation To What?

• But what work did Jesus come to Nazareth to perform? Remember, Jesus came to introduce God's kingdom:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14–15)

• This presents one of the problems of talking about faith and Jesus' power. We see him healing people and doing miracles. We conclude this is what faith might unlock. But what Jesus came to offer was something far greater than healings, something the healings evidenced. A kingdom. The kingdom of God.
• And Nazareth became emblematic of Israel's overall and eventual rejection of Jesus' invitation. Nazareth didn't want the kingdom he offered, mostly because they didn't want its King.
• Do you? Can you look past the earthly, temporal stuff of life to see the greater kingdom Jesus wants you to live in?
• The rejection of King Jesus is one of the quickest ways to quench Jesus' work in our lives.

2 Know who he is.

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. - Mark 6:2-3

Their Questions

• Jesus taught in Nazareth's synagogue that Sabbath (2). He'd been there a thousand times before. But now he is the visiting rabbi, declaring a message. And they were astonished at what they heard (2).

• Questions started pouring out of their mouths. Where did the simple man get these things, including his wisdom? How could he do all these mighty works?

• They knew Jesus as the carpenter (3). The people of that small town had all come to him to fix broken chairs and farming equipment and walls, but not broken bodies. And certainly not broken souls.

• They bolstered their own arguments against Jesus by pointing out his family members.

Familiarity?

• All this demonstrates they didn't really understand Jesus' identity. We sometimes say things like "Familiarity breeds contempt." But this is not so with Jesus. They thought they were familiar with Jesus.

• What they didn't know, however, was that the Son of God was standing in their midst. They weren't actually familiar with Jesus. With Jesus, you could say, "Lack of familiarity breeds contempt."

• But to know who he is means you know of his majesty. And his beautiful and humble condescension for humanity.

• If they'd known who Jesus was, they would've marveled that he came to live in such a backwoods, insignificant, forgotten town.

• They would've agreed with Paul: though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9).
• And we also should see the fullness of who Jesus is. We cannot allow ourselves to be lulled to sleep, unimpressed by his identity.

3 Honor him.

And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." - Mark 6:4

• Jesus quoted a proverb they all knew very well. The saying was that prophets were often received with honor and distinction, but not in their hometowns, not among their extended family, and not in their own homes. It was a saying of theirs, not a commentary on the Old Testament, where most prophets were rejected by everyone.

• It was their way of pointing out how hard it is to excel in the eyes of the people who watched you grow up.

• These Nazarenes despised the greatest Nazarene who ever lived.

• They took him for granted. They got used to having him around. They just couldn't see him as anything more than a carpenter, so they refused to honor him.

• And maybe they serve as a warning that we shouldn't get too comfortable with Jesus. He's not our homeboy, our BFF, or our vending machine dispensing things we desire. He's not just a shoulder to cry on or a source of understanding. He's not the dream-maker. He's not the servant to your best life. He's not the one worthy of only sporadic worship.

• No! He is the slain lamb who was slaughtered instead of us. He is the conquering lion who will submit everything to his power one day. He is the sustainer of the universe. He is the very Word who brought matter into existence. He is the image of the invisible God.

4 Decide your faith matters.

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. - Mark 6:5-6

• The unbelief of the Nazarenes stopped Jesus dead in his tracks. He could do no mighty work there (5). There were a few sick people he healed (5). We assume they had faith. And Jesus marveled at all this unbelief (6). He only marveled twice in the gospel records. Once, here, at a lack of faith. And, again, at the faith of a Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant from afar, without visiting, because he trusted Jesus' authority.

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." (Luke 7:9, ESV)

• But the unbelief in Nazareth amazed Jesus. Scripture does not say he was not shocked by depravity, brokenness, or sin. But he marveled at unbelief.

• Unbelief is a great hindrance to the work of God. I say that with fear and trembling. I am not one of those who throws around simple slogans like you just gotta have faith. And I don't want anyone thinking of God as a genie beholden to their wishes, which is why I've tried to show you how Jesus was inviting people into God's kingdom (not their own little kingdom). And, certainly, Jesus can do what he wants to do. For instance, when no one had any faith, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

• But it does not seem like too much of a stretch to say that unbelief hinders Christ's work in our lives. He wants to reshape our minds, reform our habits, and remake our souls for his glory. But we must believe he can do that work.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart... (Hebrews 3:12, ESV)