And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his

hands on a few sick people and healed them.    In addition to being

offended, ultimately, the people of his hometown are deprived.  They
miss out not only on witnessing the mighty works of Jesus but they
miss the opportunity to experience him for who he truly is.

Application

#1 Are you too familiar with Jesus? Are you expecting, by your exposure to the church or your children’s
exposure to the church that somehow a vibrant faith will result? Are you just close enough to Jesus to
be bored by what you know? But not close enough even to be offended? Has the Bible become so
mundane to you that you can barely pay attention long enough to digest anything in it?

What was it that the people of Nazareth lacked? What was really at the root of their unbelief? It is the
same issue that persists today. A lack of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Only his renewing
work in our hearts can provide the real faith we need to trust him. Remember that Christianity is not
man’s religion. Nor is the Bible a divine rulebook showing us what we must do. It is the story of a stiff-
necked and rebellious people and a holy God, who despite our sin, has set his affection on us yet. It is a
story that is consummated in person and work of Christ.

How do we shake familiarity? We humble ourselves in prayer and ask the Lord to renew our heart and
fill us with the Spirit. We repent of our sin and place our faith in Jesus, the one who loves us and gave
himself up for us.

#2 Do you have sense of expectancy of what God will do? Or are you like the people of Jesus’
hometown. They expected little and received little. One commentator put it this way:

“Unbelief robs the church of its power. We can add new programs until we do not have enough hours in
the day to administrate them or enough bulletin inserts to advertise them. But without a believing
expectancy in Christ and his power, nothing will come of it. ‘And without faith it is impossible to please
him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who
seek him’ (Hebrews 11:6)” (R. Kent Hughes, Mark: Jesus, Servant & Savior, p.134
Now, let’s be clear here. The object of our faith is not our faith. We do not have faith in faith. We have
faith in the Lord and in what he has promised to do. Do you have a growing sense of expectancy of what
God can do?

Discussion Questions

After reading the passage for this week also read Mark 3:20-21, 31-35. Based on Mark 3 how would you
describe the family’s relationship with Jesus? Why might this have been a difficult visit for Jesus to
make? Can you relate in anyway?

How do the people of his hometown respond to Jesus? Why do you think they are astonished and even
offended?

Discuss the questions that the people ask in verses 2 and 3. What do we learn about Jesus and his family
from these questions? What do we learn about the people who are asking them?

Application: How can becoming too familiar with Jesus be a bad thing? What evidence is there in your
life that you have become too familiar with Jesus? What can you do about it?

In verse 4 Jesus quotes a common proverb of the day. Notice he progresses to smaller and smaller
circles: from his hometown, to his relatives, to his own household. In what ways have you seen the
proverb to be true? Why do you think it is true?

How are we to understand the comment in verse 5 that “he could do no mighty work there?” Does this
mean that Jesus is not omnipotent? What does this reveal about the nature of mighty works?

Application: How does unbelief hinder God’s work in our lives? How can we develop a greater sense of
expectancy of what God can do? How can we help one another in this area?

Application –Many people are just like the people of Nazareth: they hear of Jesus but don’t accept who
He says He is. They may be astonished as they learn about Him, but it’s not a positive astonishment.
Perhaps He doesn’t fit who they think He should be. They stumble over His claims are offended by His
message.

The Response of Jesus to the People – Astonishment at their Unbelief (6:4-6)

Mark records three things about the response of Jesus to the unbelief of the people of the Nazareth:

An acknowledgement of their unbelief – Jesus starts by quoting a well-known proverb that affirms that
prophets are often rejected in their own town and by their own people. This was the experience of Jesus
(e.g. Mark 3:21), and ultimately His rejection by His own would lead to His death. In a way this account is
a foreshadowing of what is to come (John 1:9-11).
The result of their unbelief – Mark records that because of their unbelief Jesus could do no mighty
works.This does not mean that Jesus was incapable (He is God and can do as He wills). But Jesus chooses
to respond to those who come to Him in faith, andNazareth was marked by unbelief (see Matthew
13:58).

Jesus’s astonishment at their unbelief– Jesus was not surprised by their unbelief, but it did cause Him to
marvel. It is astonishing to consider that a people could know Him so well, and be so familiar with Him,
and yet not believe. (See Luke 7:9 for the only other example of Jesus marveling)

Summary – Jesus has come and has revealed Himself as God and as the Savior of all who believe. Yet
while some respond in faith, others find Jesus and His Gospel offensive. While some are very familiar
with Jesus or think they know who He is, they still cannot see Him as the One they need.

The people of Nazareth knew Jesus but were unable to see Him for who He really is. We must be faithful
in looking to the Scriptures and learning to follow and proclaim the true Christ. The unbelief of the
Nazarenes should be a reminder to us to know Jesus rightly and trust Him fully. May it never be said of
us that Jesus marvels at our unbelief.