“And Jesus went out from there, and He came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at Him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his home town and among his own relatives and in his own household.’ And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.” (Mark 6:1-6)
Often God’s power can best be witnessed with people of faith. In the gospel accounts so many miracles were performed upon individuals who exhibited genuine, unwavering faith. How many times, after healing someone, have we read Christ’s words, “Be it done to you according to your faith?” (Matt.9:29). Yet, there are other scriptures where we read these words of Jesus, “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark.4:40).
Jesus wanted people to recognize that He truly was the Christ, the Son of God. One of the ways He showed this to be true was through performing miracles and healing the sick. This enabled Him to have an audience of people who were open to hear what He had to say from God.
This however was not the case in His hometown. The people here had heard Him speak and witnessed some of His miracles but they seemed unmoved in the direction of faith. They understood Him to be a child of Mary along with all His brothers and sisters. In fact, in their opinion, He was no different than the rest of them. So we find that they took offence at Him.
What a shame to let pride get in the way of one’s faith. Just imagine what we could of become for God had not our pride gotten in the way and blinded us from seeing what God wanted us to.
When I read Mark 6:1-6 I feel for Jesus. These were people of His own hometown, with whom He had grown up. It was even true of His own family, for the gospel writer tells us that Jesus could do no miracle there because of their unbelief. And He wondered why they disbelieved so much. I believe that Jesus was hurt when those close to Him displayed such disbelief in Him.
Perhaps you can relate to that when your own family or relatives show little or no interest in your spiritual convictions. They can be so distant when it comes to “spiritual matters and convictions.” But, like Jesus, we need to realize that we cannot make much progress with anyone who feeds their disbelief.
The apostle John tells us that not even Jesus’ brothers were believing in Him (John 7:12-10). Mark informs us that when Jesus was home that His own family (relatives) wanted to take Him into custody thinking that He had lost His senses (Mark 3:20-21). It is so discouraging to work with disbelief among people but especially so when it lives in your own household.
But don’t give up hope. In time, things changed with Jesus’ family and disbelief became belief.
Paul tells us that James the Lord’s brother became a leader in the church and that he had seen him in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18-19). According to Acts 1:13-14 His brothers were devoted to prayer along with their mother Mary and several women along with the eleven apostles as they awaited the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). The brothers of Jesus’ changed their minds. Faith in Jesus pushed aside their disbelief and so that it grew daily. Why the change?
Paul answers that question best when he reveals to us that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). God’s word is alive and at work within the hearts of those who have received it when it is proclaimed (Hebrews 4:12).
But faith is a choice that no one can make for another. We are not able to do what Jesus could not. We must wait and pray that the word of God will prevail. We are not told how it was that the brothers and perhaps also the sisters of Jesus came to faith. After the resurrection of Jesus, we find them among the believers in Jerusalem. Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to his brother James (1 Cor 15:7) and perhaps that was enough to turn the family around. They knew about his miracles and had certainly heard others talk about his good works. So they came to believe that He was indeed the promised Messiah. Of course, there was also the words of their parents, Joseph and Mary, that had a part in bringing them to faith. It appears that Joseph has passed away by the time they were adults and perhaps his death made eternity a consideration more than ever in their minds.
So, we must learn to give it time. Let us remember that what we preach and how we live can draw others from a state of unbelief, to faith in Christ. What a joy it must of been for Jesus to know that some, if not all, of His siblings came to believe in Him. His mother was there for Him right up to His death on the cross (John 19:25-27). It is believed that John is the disciple that Jesus loved and Jesus felt that His mother’s needs would be better taken care of with John than His own brothers. That was Jesus’ choice as first-born and may have served as a ‘wake-up call’ for his brothers.
Paul tells us that Satan is the god of this world and he has blinded the minds of the unbelieving that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (II Corinthians 4:3-4).
This is what Jesus had to deal with, with His own family, until they finally saw the light. As we face disbelief in our own families, may we be patient like Jesus – always prayerful and God-like. Who knows, one day, the light might dawn in their hearts as well.