Rejected

Despite his miraculous deeds, Christ’s own village rejected his ministry and took offense at his humble origins – Mark 6:1-6.

Jesus experienced growing conflict as he began his journey to the city of Jerusalem. In Galilee, he displayed his authority over nature, demons, disease, and even death, and the crowds welcomed him. However, among his own people, he was met with unbelief and rejection.

The rejection of Jesus by his countrymen was not unique, and the negative reaction to his message did not begin with his visit to Nazareth or cease after his death. The hostility that Christ experienced is the pattern for what his disciples should expect whenever they proclaim the Gospel and teachings of Jesus.

[Abandoned Church - Photo by Daniel Tuttle (Arizona) on Unsplash]

Before this incident, the crowds had marveled at Christ’s authority and miraculous deeds. In his home village, however, Jesus marveled at the lack of faith that he found and the rejection of God’s messenger by Nazareth:

• “They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who has authority, and not as the scribes” - (Mark 1:22).

• “And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day. And they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority” - (Luke 4:31-32).

• “And he went out from there. And he arrives in his own country. And his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath arrived, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard him were astonished, saying, From where has this man these things? And what is the wisdom that is given to this man, and such mighty works wrought by his hands? 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 were scandalized by him. And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own family, and in his own house. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages teaching” – (Mark 6:1-6. Parallel passages: Matthew 13:53-58. Luke 4:16-30).

Nazareth was an insignificant village, and apparently, it was viewed with contempt by some Jews of the time - (John 1:45-46, “Nathaniel said to him, Can any good thing come from Nazareth?’”).

Jesus learned his trade as he grew up in Nazareth. The Greek noun translated here as “carpenter” (tektōn) is a generic term often used generically for an artisan. It could refer to several skilled trades, including carpentry and masonry. What the specific trade was that Jesus worked at with his father, Joseph, is not stated.

The crowd acknowledged the wisdom and mighty deeds of Jesus. His miracles could not be denied. But the villagers responded with skepticism because of Christ’s lowly origins. They were offended by his ordinary pedigree and low social status. He was not a man of great prominence or wealth.

After all, where did Jesus get his wisdom? He did not attend any of the rabbinical schools, and he lacked the recognized credentials necessary for teaching the Hebrew scriptures. The men of Nazareth did not deny the insights of Jesus, but they could not comprehend how he acquired such wisdom. They were offended by the vessel that God had chosen, not by the contents of his message or the miraculous deeds that he did.

In this ancient culture, heredity and geographical origin had much to do with determining a man’s place in society, and so, the crowd was “scandalized” (‘skandalizô’) by his origins and lack of education. The Greek verb refers to something that causes offense. For example:

• “And happy is he, whoever will not be scandalized in me” – (Matthew 11:6).

• “And he called the multitude, and said to them, Hear, and understand! Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man, but that which proceeds out of the mouth. This defiles the man. Then came the disciples, and said to him, Do you not know that the Pharisees were scandalized when they heard this saying?” – (Matthew 15:10-12).

A carpenter or stone mason was someone who engaged in manual labor, something a devout Jew waiting for the nation’s deliverance would not expect from the Messiah of Israel. Jesus of Nazareth was not the kind of deliverer and king that the Jewish nation expected or wanted.

We hear echoes of this idea in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and Isaiah’s description of the ‘Servant of Yahweh’:

• “Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. To Jews, scandal (‘skandalon’), and to Gentiles, foolishness” – (Matthew 1:22-23).

• “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. As one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” – (Matthew 53:1-4).

The passage from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Mark does not say whether Christ’s immediate family was present at the synagogue, but the crowd knew his relatives. On a previous occasion, his family had questioned what he was doing, and Jesus was no stranger to this audience - (Mark 3:21, 31).

DESPISED AND HATED

Jesus was criticized previously by the Pharisees and Herodians. Now, even in Nazareth, he is rejected by the neighbors he must have known from a very young age. As John wrote in his gospel: “He came to his own, and they received him not” – (John 1:11).

The paragraph ends with Jesus “going around the villages in a circuit teaching.” The proclamation of the Kingdom was his primary activity, not miracle-working. All too often, his miraculous deeds produced negative reactions, including unbelief, confusion, offense, and rejection. This was certainly the case in Nazareth.

This passage serves as a warning to everyone who would follow Jesus. We must be prepared for rejection, even by friends and family, as well as persecution. Emulating the Nazarene will offend the values and sensibilities of the world. Jesus and his Apostles warned us of this very thing:

• “And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. And children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated of all men for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved” - (Matthew 10:21-22).

• “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me” - (John 15:19-21).

• “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God that are in Judaea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and expelled us, and please not God, and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always. But the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost” - (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).

• “For truly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass, and you know” - (1 Thessalonians 3:4).

• “Marvel not, brethren, if the world hates you” - (1 John 3:13).

Rejection and opposition to Jesus are the more common responses to the preaching of the Gospel in Mark. The hostility experienced by Jesus, even from close associates, was not exceptional. As his disciples, we must be prepared to encounter the same kind of resistance to the Gospel.

[Note: Text printed in small capital letters represents quotations of or allusions to Old Testament passages]

[PDF Copy]

SEE ALSO:

• To the Assembly - (The Thessalonians received the Gospel of Christ in tribulation yet remained faithful while eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7)

• Waiting for Jesus - (The Church of Thessalonica began to serve the Living God and wait eagerly for the arrival of His Son from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 1:8-1)

• The Suffering Servant - (Disciples are summoned to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for the sake of others – Philippians 2:5-11)

• In His Kingdom - (Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, which bears little resemblance to the political systems and regimes of this age)