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), and 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). I would hardly venture to say those words if they weren't written right there in the Bible. Jesus could not do a mighty work there. He was handcuffed. His power was restrained. The powerful, almighty, transcendent Son of God who had been an unstoppable force all throughout Galilee was stopped. He could do no mighty work there.

A few sick people had faith and were healed. But, for the most part, Jesus couldn't do anything, and he marveled because of their unbelief (6). 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. We should crave his active power, changing and transforming us. We should be discontent with watching only a few among us experience Jesus' grace in this way. And it should terrify us that this episode happened, and that some did not experience his might because of unbelief.

We don't want to see only a few men experience Jesus, but all our men. We don't want to see only a few women experience Jesus, but all our women. We don't want to see only a few pastors experience Jesus, but all pastors.

We want to see families where every member is growing and progressing in Christ. We want to see marriages where both the husband and wife are enjoying Jesus' might work in and through them. We want to witness the single men of the church pursue Christ just as much as many of our single women.

But, as much as we want these things, and as much as Jesus wants these things, he will not force himself on you. He is powerful, infinite, and sovereign, but in our story, we learn that he has decided to work, at least somehow, in accordance with our faith. Unbelief killed Jesus' work then and can kill it today.

I've entitled this study 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. This section is really about cultivating a proper view of Jesus, one which leads to faith, which is what Jesus looks for and loves. He works with our faith. So I could have as easily called this message How To Cultivate Faith in Jesus. Let's do that; let's consider the cultivation of trust in Jesus as an important way to tap into his power.

1. Accept his invitation.

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

Nazareth

Nazareth was not Jesus' birthplace, but where his family eventually moved. It is about twenty-five mountainous miles away from Capernaum on a trade road called The Way of the Sea. The route climbs from the coast of the Mediterranean up the hills near Nazareth and back down into Galilee. Along that path was this little out-of-the-way town that had been hacked into the region's rocky hillside. 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. He brought his disciples with him. This is how traveling rabbis rolled. Jesus is on the clock, teaching and training his men during his visit to his hometown. In the next episode after this one, Jesus sends his disciples out two-by-two to preach and confront the demonic realm. And he will warn them of rejection in some towns. Nazareth's rejection was a teachable moment for Jesus' disciples. All this shows us he came to Nazareth to work.

Invitation to What?

But what work did Jesus come to Nazareth to perform? What invitation was he giving to Nazareth? Was he merely a miracle worker walking about the region healing people? No! 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. One without pain. And one which can produce radical transformation, even within you. Eventually, Jesus' people would go into all the world, always preaching and sometimes healing, a way to message that Jesus can help anyone.

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?

Can you hear his invitation to be part of his kingdom?

Can you allow him to become the King who reorders your life, shows you a better way to live, and has jurisdiction over every part of you?

He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 1:20).

But the rejection of King Jesus is one of the quickest ways to quench Jesus' work in our lives. Once we make life about our kingdom, our priorities, and our motivations, we become less than who he's designed us to be. He loves us even when we're about ourselves, but when we daily accept the offer of his kingdom, when we pray "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, when that is our mentality, we open ourselves up to his power.

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. They knew all Jesus' four brothers and his unnamed sisters. And they called Jesus "the son of Mary," which was likely a way to throw shade. In that culture, a man was named after his father, but they didn't call Jesus "the son of Joseph." Instead, they referenced the unusual and scandalous nature of Jesus' birth. They knew Mary was the mom, but who was the father?

Familiarity?

All this demonstrates that 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. But they were asking where he'd gotten his wisdom and power and how he'd performed so many miracles. They went back to his origin story and only saw a little family they knew all too well.

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 toward 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 been in awe of his willingness to so identify with the human struggle that he became the carpenter of a little hamlet in the rocky hills of northern Israel.

They would've agreed with Paul: though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9). They would've rejoiced that God entered into this mess and became one of us. And that awe would've turned into appreciation and love—and faith. They would've trusted Jesus, and his power would've been unleashed upon them.

But rather than rejoicing over Jesus, they were offended by Jesus (3). He stumbled them. They got tripped up over the fact he was a Nazarene, one of them, but they should've realized he wasn't only one of them, but the Son of God.

And we also should see the fullness of who Jesus is. We cannot allow ourselves to be lulled to sleep, unimpressed by his identity. This leads us to a third application.

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. Someone once said, "An expert is a regular person from another town." There is some truth to this sentiment.

These Nazarenes despised the greatest Nazarene who ever lived. The only reason we talk about their town at all is because of this man. Everywhere Jesus went, he was honored as a prophet should be honored, but not at home. Instead of honor, they despised Jesus. They withheld the fear and reverence he deserved.

Now, I already tried to point out how they really didn't know Jesus. This wasn't a problem of over-familiarity, rather it was ignorance. They didn't know Jesus.

But perhaps there is a warning in the Nazarenes' reaction to Jesus. 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.

And he deserves honor.

No matter how many years you've been in Christ, do not cease to be amazed by Jesus. If you've grown up in the church, are growing old in the church, or are a new growth in the church, honor Jesus. Think of him often.

This is why I love our church's vision statement: Jesus Famous. What we want to see more than anything is the fame of Christ. We want His name and life and death and resurrection and promises and implications to be celebrated like nothing else. We want our whole community to become overwhelmed and infatuated with Jesus. Other communities, too. We want the fame of Christ to invade the mind of every person who is ever part of the Calvary Monterey.

But sometimes we can get so used to Jesus that we begin to withhold the honor he deserves. We think we've heard it all before. And, though it never should, even his cross begins to lose its luster. Our worship begins to stagnate. Our prayers begin to dissipate. And our joy begins to evaporate. We become distracted from Jesus to lesser causes, missions, and priorities. We must get back to the place of honor and celebration of Christ. Keeping Jesus as the main thing saves us from a whole lot of heartache.

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)

You've heard the phrase, "It takes two to tango." Well, in a sense, this is true in our relationship with Christ. Now, as a tango partner, he is the world champion of tango who imparts his ability to all who will dance with him, but it does take two to tango. You must step out in faith that he is able. You must decide that your faith matters, and place your trust in him.

And these Nazarenes decided not to believe in Jesus. Though they'd watched his perfect life from childhood into manhood, they were unmoved. To follow one of Mark's themes, they were on the outside, while a few sick people were on the inside.

And let's be those on the inside. Let's be those who get to be part of his amazing work here on earth. Not just a few of us. Not just a handful of us. But all of us. By his blood, all of us can come to God. All of us can receive what we need. No one has to be outside. Let's all go inside his plans and kingdom by faith.