1: And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. 2: And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4: But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5: And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6: And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. Mark 6:1-6
Here is an incident where the Word of God was preached, the Spirit of God was felt, the Power of God was known. Yet, Jesus was powerless to reach these people. Why? Because of the unbelief. Jesus was puzzled. Verse 6 states, "And he marvelled because of their unbelief." He had poured out His heart to no avail. This may very well be a picture of any congregation today - Seeing but not seeing, hearing but not hearing, experience the presence of God but not refusing to believe and respond.Let us note unbelief, the causes of unbelief, and the effects or results of unbelief:
The people were amazed a Jesus' ability to teach, cast out devils, raise the dead, and heal the sick. They were astonished at His teachings, yet refused to believe , 2: And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
You've heard the adage, "Familiarity breeds contempt?" The hometown folk knew all about Jesus, that he was brilliant, a gifted teacher of the law, and about his family background, yet refused to believe, Verse 3:, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him". It was not because he was an outsider, but because he was one of them that they were offended. Notice, how they mentioned his mother, Mary but not his stepfather, Joseph. Who does he think he is?, they said.
They knew about the miracles Jesus performed, the people He healed. No doubt they had heard he had just raised Jairus' dying daughter and healed the woman with the issue of blood before returning home. Knowing all this, still they refused to believe. What all has Jesus done for you? Verses 5-6 said, "And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6: And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching".
And Jesus said to them in verse 4, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." The NIV says, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." They were amazed, but Jesus was amazed also for their lack of faith. What all has Jesus done for you? No matter the new circumstance, He is still able to keep you from falling.Like Jesus being a prophet without honor , at some point in your life those closest to you will refused to believe in you. They are not going to call upon you no matter what you do, not going to consider your skill or talent, nor will they realize and recognize you as the answer to their prayer. As a result, you won't be able to contribute to your best work, and they won't receive all that God has for them. It won't be people you don't know who won't support you, but people you know -- family, friends, co-workers, church members -- people right there in your town operating by a jaded perspective of familiarity, influence by those around them, the know-it-alls; and by cultural, religious, socio-economic, environmental factors, they won't believe.
So, whose influencing your unbelief? Are they the "believers"? Don't let their lack of faith negatively impact your relationship with God. Don't give up, but continue to trust in the Lord. The Bible says, He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him. Hebrews 11:6.
