Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Sunday's Text - Mark 6:1-13 - in Light of the Fifth Gospel

Having based His ministry in Capernaum, Jesus returned home to Nazareth for a final time.  According to Mark, the return was not what one might expect given His mighty acts around the Sea of Galilee.  In point of fact, the gospel account is still known as "the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth."

The following points from the Fifth Gospel shed further light on Mark 6:1-6 for preaching or teaching this Sunday:

  • Despite the relatively small size of Nazareth (300 - 500 people), the village had its own synagogue.
  • On this particular Sabbath, "many" came for study and worship, referring less to the numbers but more the faithful characteristic of its residents.  "Many" was a term associated with the Essenes, describing the nature of community.
  • All began well that day when Jesus was called upon to read from Torah and the Prophets; Jesus interpreted the Scriptures with wisdom and power.
  • The immediate response of the congregation was one of astonishment and even the reference to Jesus as "the carpenter" was affirming.  In a village, the local carpenter was often the "go-to man" especially when there was no rabbi available.
  • Mark's leap from the initial positive response to Jesus' teaching to the sudden offense taken can only be understood by a comparative study of Luke 4:16-30.
  • According to Luke, the locals turned on their own prophet when He included Gentiles (a widow and a leper) as beneficiaries of God's mighty acts.
  • The unbelief of the village did not seem to surprise Jesus.  His choice of Capernaum and its more inclusive Judaism was indeed confirmed by their arrogance and bad behavior.
There was no turning back for Jesus!  He was and is a "light to the nations."
Nazareth's Synagogue


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