Jesus was rejected because he was common

JESUS WAS REJECTED BECAUSE HE WAS COMMON
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 6:3 3Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's
son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and
Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they
took offense at him.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
"they Were Offended In Him."
Mark 6:3-5
A. Rowland
Whether the narratives of the three synoptic evangelists referto one visit to
Nazarethor to two visits, is a question which has been eagerlydiscussed. Give
suggestionsforthe settlement of the dispute. Possiblysuch discrepancies were
allowedto exist that we might care less for the material, and more for the
spiritual element in the Gospels;that we might concernourselves less with
external incidents in the life of Jesus, and more with the Christ who liveth for
evermore. Those who rejectedour Lord at Nazareth have their followers in
the presentday, who are influenced by similar motives. let us discoverthe
reasons and the results of their conduct.

I. INDIFFERENCE TO CHRIST SOMETIMES ARISES FROM
FAMILIARITY WITH HIS SURROUNDINGS. The inhabitants of an Alpine
village live for years under the shadow of a snow-cladmountain, or within
hearing of a splendid fall which comes foaming down its rocky bed; but they
do not turn aside for a moment to glance at that which we have come many
miles to see. This indifference, bred of familiarity, characterizedthe
Nazarenes. Theyhad known the great Teacheras a child, and had watchedhis
growth to manhood. He did not come upon them out of obscurity, as a
startling phenomenon demanding attention; but they knew the education he
had received, the teachers atwhose feethe had been sitting, the ordinary work
he had done, etc. Jesus himself acknowledgedthe influence of this, when he
said, "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and among his
own kin, and in his own house." We warn our hearers againstsimilar peril;
for there are many who have known their Bibles from childhood, who
remember the old pictures which at first arousedsome interest in it, who have
attended public worship for years, and yet their lives are prayerless, and it
may be said of them, "Godis not in all their thoughts." Beware ofthat
familiarity with sacredthings which will deaden spiritual sensibility. Mostof
all, let us who think and speak and work for Christ pray that our hearts may
ever be filled with light and love, and may be kept strong in spiritual power.
II. CONTEMPT FOR CHRIST SOMETIMESSPRINGS FROM
ASSOCIATION WITH HIS FRIENDS "Is not this... the brother of James,
and Joses, andof Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?"
Possiblythere was nothing known about them which was in antagonismto the
truth and purity Jesus proclaimed, but as there was nothing wonderful about
them, it was the more difficult to believe there was anything Divine about him.
Far more reasonably, however, does the world misjudge our Lord because of
what is seenin us. Earthly, ordinary, and spiritually feeble as we are, we
nevertheless representhim. He speaks oftruth, and is "the Truth," yet
sometimes the world asks concerning his disciples, "Where is their sincerity
and transparency?" We profess to uphold righteousness, yetin business, and
politics, and home-life we sometimes swerve from our integrity. let there be
but living witnesses in the world such as by God's grace we might become, and

through whom there should be the outgoings of spiritual power, and then
societywould be shakento its very foundations. When the rulers saw the
boldness of Peter and John - the moral change wrought in these Galilean
peasants - "they took knowledge ofthem, that they had been with Jesus;" and
"seeing the man who had been cured" standing beside them, as the result of
their work, "they could say nothing againstit."
III. THE REJECTIONOF CHRIST BRINGS ABOUT A WITHDRAWAL
OF HIS INFLUENCE. "He could there do no mighty work." He could not.
His powerwas omnipotent, but it conditioned itself, as infinite power always
does in this world; and by this limitation it was not lessened, but was glorified
as moral and spiritual power. In Nazareththere was an absence ofthe ethical
condition, on the existence ofwhich miracles depended - an absence, namely,
of that faith which has its root in sincerity. If we have that, all else is
simplified; if we have it not, we bind the hands of the Redeemer, who cannot
do his mighty work, of giving us pardon and peace, becauseofour unbelief.
Christ marvels at it. He does not wish to leave us, but he must; and old
impressions become feebler, the once sensitive heart becomes duller, and we
become "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." "To-day, if ye will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts." Nevertheless,he leaves not himself without
a witness. If he must quit Nazareth, he will go "round about the villages
teaching," encircling the town with the revelations of powerwhich it will not
receive into its midst. And though he "cando no mighty work" such as
Capernaum had seen, he will lovingly "layhis hands upon a few sick folk,"
who in an unbelieving city have faith to be healed. "Thou despisestnot the
sighing of a contrite heart, nor the desire of such as be sorrowful." - A.R.

Biblical Illustrator
Is not this the carpenter?
Mark 6:3, 4
Jesus Christ, the carpenter
W. F. Adeney, M. A.
I. HOW THE FACT THAT JESUS WAS A CARPENTER WAS A
HINDRANCE TO THE FAITH OF HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMEN.
1. The objection was natural. He had grown up among them. They had
become familiar with His ways.
2. Yet it was wrong and unreasonable. Their intimacy with Him ought to have
opened their eyes to His unique character.
3. The objection they raise againstHis claims tells really in His favour. They
find no fault in His character;they canonly complain of His trade. High,
unconscious tribute to His excellence.
II. HOW THIS FACT SHOULD BE A HELP TO OUR FAITH.

1. It is a sign of Christ's humility.
2. It is a proof that He went through the experience of practicallife. Christ
knows goodwork, for He looks at it with a workman's eye.
3. He found the schoolfor His spiritual training in His practicalwork.
4. This sheds a glory over the life of manual industry.
5. This should attract working men to Christ.
(W. F. Adeney, M. A.)
The dignity of honestlabour
R. Green.
If labour was first imposed as a curse, it is turned truly into a blessing by this
example of Him who thus wrought. The occupancyof a sphere of lowly
industry by Christ, henceforthconsecrates itas —
I. A SUITABLE OCCUPATION OF TIME.
1. Profitable
2. Healthful.

3. Saves from bad effects of indolence.
4. A source of pure and useful enjoyment.
II. AN HONOURABLE MEANS OF MAINTENANCE.
1. Nothing degrading in it.
2. Deservesand commands fair remuneration.
3. Preservesa man's independence.
III. A WORTHY SERVICE TO OTHERS. The products of industrial toil,
especiallyof handicraft, are serviceable in the highest degree. Without them
the comfortof large communities must be greatlyimpaired. He, therefore,
who works with his hands the thing that is good, is a useful and honourable
servant of his race.
1. In the lowliestspheres, the loftiest powers are not necessarilydegraded.
2. In those spheres the holiestsentiments may be cherished, and the holiest
characterremain untarnished.

3. Whilst in them the humblest labourer may know that his toil is honoured,
for it was sharedby his Lord.
(R. Green.)
Value of industrial employments
J. Morison, D. D.
The word carpenterwas given as an alternative translation by Wycliffe, and
has descendedinto all the succeeding Englishversions;Wycliffe's primary
translation was smith, the word that was used in the Anglo-Saxonversion. It
had in Anglo-Saxona generic meaning, equivalent to artificer. A workerin
iron was calledin Anglo-Saxon iren-smith. A smith is one who smites: a
carpenteris one who makes cars. The word carpenter, therefore, must be a
much later coinage than the word smith. The original Greek term (τέκτων)
means primarily a producer; the word wright very nearly corresponds to it, as
being closelyconnectedwith wrought or worked. It just means worker, and
occurs in Anglo-Saxonin the two forms wryhta and wyrhta. This is the only
passagein which it is statedthat our Lord workedat a handicraft. It is a
different expressionthat is found in Matthew 13:53, "Is not this the
carpenter's son?" There is no contradiction, however, betweenthe two
representations;both might be coincidently employed, and no doubt were,
when the Nazarenes were freelyand frettingly canvassing the merits of their
wonderful townsman. Our Lord would not be trained to idleness; it was
contrary to Jewishhabits, and to the teaching of the bestJewishrabbis. It
would have been inconsistent moreoverwith the principles of true civilization,
and with the ideal of normal human development. It is no evidence of high
civilization, either to lay an arreston full physical development on the one
hand, or on the other to encourageonly those modes of muscular and nervous
activity which are dissociatedfrom useful working and manufacturing skill.
Societywill never be right until all classesbe industrious and industrial: the

higher orders must return to take part in the employments of the lower;the
lowermust rise up to take part in the enjoyments of the higher.
(J. Morison, D. D.)
The village carpenter in our Lord's time held the position of the modern
village blacksmith
T. M. Lindsay, D. D.
Almost all agricultural instruments — ploughs, harrows, yokes, etc. — were
made of wood. His workshopwas the centre of the village life.
(T. M. Lindsay, D. D.)
Jesus came from amongst the labouring classes
Hausrath.
That Jesus did in fact spring from the labouring class ofthe population, is
confirmed by the language ofHis discourses andparables, which everywhere
refer to the antecedents and relations of the ordinary workman's life, and
betray a knowledge ofit which no one could have gained merely by
observation, He was at home in those poor, windowless,Syrian hovels in
which the housewife had to light a candle in the daytime to seek forher lost
piece of silver. He was acquaintedwith the secrets ofthe bake house, of the
gardener, and the builder, and with things which the upper classesneversee
— as "the goodmeasure presseddown and shakentogetherrunning over" of
the corn chandler; the rotten, leaking wine skin of the wine dealer; the
patchwork of the peasantwoman;the brutal manners of the upper servants to
the lower, — these and a hundred other features of a similar kind are
interwoven by Him into His parables. Reminiscences evenof His more special
handicraft have been found, it is believed, in His sayings. The parable of the
splinter and the beam is saidto recallthe carpenter's shop, the uneven
foundations of the houses, the building yard, the cubit which is added, the

workshop, and the distinction in the appearance ofthe greenand dry wood,
the drying shed.
(Hausrath.)
Self-respectvital to religion
R. Glover.
They could not believe in any Divine inspiration reaching such as themselves,
and therefore resentedit in Christ as an unjustifiable pretension of
superiority. They had no proper faith in themselves, so had no proper faith in
God. Self-respectis vital to religion. They believed in a God in a kind of way,
but not in a Godwho touched their neighbourhood or entered into close
dealings with Nazarenes. Theywere not on the outlook for the beautiful and
the divine in the lives of men. No Nazarene Wordsworthhad shownthem the
glory of common life, the beauty and divinity that exist wherever human life
will welcome it.
(R. Glover.)
The model artisan
A. G. Churchill.
These words revealto us —
I. CHRIST'S SOCIAL POSITION.
1. That he sympathised with the humblest sons of men.
2. That socialrank is no criterion of personalworth.

3. That moral and spiritual excellence shouldbe honoured in whomsoever
found.
II. CHRIST'S MANUAL LABOUR.
1. That honourable industry and holy living may co-exist.
2. That mental development and physical toil may be
associated.CONCLUSION:Observe —
(a)That labour is essential, notonly to existence, but to happiness.
(b)That the greaterour industry the fewerour temptations.
(c)That Christ waits to sanctify the duties of life to our spiritual interest.
(A. G. Churchill.)
The Divine Carpenter
C. M. Jones.
The Divine Carpenter applies the language of His earthly trade to the
spiritual things He has created.
1. He has built a Church.

2. He has founded the resurrection — "Destroythis temple, and in three days
I will raise it up."
3. He has establishedHis divinity — "The stone which the builders rejected
has become the head of the corner."
4. He has prepared our eternalhome — "In My Father's house," etc.
5. He has urged earnestheed to our building.
(C. M. Jones.)
Jesus in the workshop
J. Johnston.
I. WE SEE HIM HERE BEARING THE CURSE OF THE FALL. — "In the
sweatofthy face shalt thou eatbread," etc.
II. WE SEE HIM HERE BRINGING HIMSELF NEAR TO ALL MEN.
III. HE ENTERS THE WORKSHOP THAT HE MAY UNITE MEN AS
BRETHREN.IV HE ENTERS THE WORKSHOP THAT HE MAY
SANCTIFYALL SECULAR LIFE.
(J. Johnston.)

Work the law of life
J. Johnston.
From that tiny fly thus at work all day over your head, to the huge
hippopotamus of the Nile, that seems to spend its lifetime half asleep, allhave
to work. But emphatically is this true of man. The wild Indian huntsman, as
he plunges over the prairie armed with tomahawk or rifle, in pursuit of the
thundering buffalo; the Bosjesman, in the impenetrable thickets of Africa, as
he digs with hardened, horny fingers for the roots on which he lives; the
amphibious South Sea Islander, as he wagesperilous warfare with the
monsters of the ocean;the fur-clad Esquimaux, as he tracks the bear or sealof
the icy north; as well as the semi-civilized myriads of Asia, or the more
advancedpeoples of Europe — all find this world is a workshop, and they
must toil to live. And the exceptions to this rule are fewerthan at first sight we
are apt to suppose. It is not only the artisan who has to work, but also the
merchant amongst his wares, the author amongsthis books, the statesman
with the affairs of the nation, and the sovereignupon his throne. Whether
impelled by the necessitiesofmere existence, orby the necessitiesofposition
and spirit, it may be said of all — "Menmust work." Our Lord, therefore,
came near unto us when He entered the workshop. Butas the greatmajority
must gain their daily bread by manual labour, He enteredeven into that
condition as the village carpenterof Nazareth. Had He been born in a palace
and to a throne, or even into the estate ofa wealthy merchant, He would have
been separated, not in His feeling, but in theirs, by a greatgulf from the great
majority of men.
(J. Johnston.)
Manual work redeemed
J. Johnston.
See how our whole life is redeemed, so that it may all be lived unto God and
for eternity, and none of it be lost. He entered the kingdom of toil and
subdued it to Himself for our salvation, so that toil is no more a curse to the

Christian workman. The builder, as he lays brick on brick, may be building a
heavenly temple; the carpenter, as he planes the wood, may thereby be
refining his own characterand that of others around him; the merchant, as he
buys and sells, may be buying the pearl of greatprice; the statesmanmay be
directing the affairs of an eternal kingdom; the householdermay be setting
her house in order for the coming of her Lord. As the blood of the sacrifice
was put not only upon the ear, but upon the toe, of Aaron and his sons, so our
Lord when, by entering it, He sanctifiedhuman life, sanctified its meanestand
most secularthings, spending His holy and Divine life mostly in the workshop.
Brethren, whateverour station, we may live a holy, god-like, useful life.
(J. Johnston.)
The royal shipwright
J. Johnston.
A strange workmantook his place one day amongst the shipwrights in a
building yard in Amsterdam. Fit only for the rudest work, he was content at
first to occupy himself with the caulking mallet, hewing of wood, or the
twisting of ropes, yet displayed the keenestdesire to understand and master
every part of the handicraft. But what was the astonishment of his fellow
workmento see persons ofthe highest rank come to pay their respects to him,
approaching him with every mark of regard, amid the dust and confusion of
the workshop, orclambering up the rigging to have an audience with him on
the maintop. For he was no less a personage than Peterthe Great, founder of
the RussianEmpire. He came afterwards to England, and lodged amongstthe
workshops in Deptford. Bishop Burnet, when he visited him, said he had gone
to see a mighty prince, but found a common shipwright. But the king who had
invited him to visit this country understood him better. He was the ruler of an
empire vasterin extent than any other in Europe, but as far behind the
poorestfinancially as it was before it territorially. It was, in fact, in a state of
absolute barbarism. Its largestship was a fishing boat, and it was as yet
destitute of almost all, even the rudest arts of civilization. The Czar,
determined to elevate his people, orderedthe youth of the nobility to travel in

lands distinguished by wealth and power, and become qualified to take part in
the regenerationoftheir own country, he himself showing them the example.
It was thus that wonderful spectacle was seenby the astonishedworkmen,
ambassadors waiting in state on a man in the dress and at the work of a
common shipwright.
(J. Johnston.)
Useful reflections on Christ's working as a carpenter
J. Orton.
I. TO ILLUSTRATE THIS OBSERVABLE CIRCUMSTANCE OF OUR
LORD'S LIFE. It was a maxim among the Jews, thatevery man should bring
up his son to some mechanic trade.
II. TO SUGGEST SOMEUSEFULREMARKS FROM THIS
OBSERVABLE CIRCUMSTANCE OF OUR LORD'S LIFE.
1. A person's original, his business and circumstances in life, often occasion
prejudices againsthim: againsthis most wise, useful, and instructive
observations.
2. Such prejudices are very absurd, unreasonable, and mischievous.
3. The condescensionofthe Son of God in submitting to such humiliation,
demands our admiration and praise.
4. The conduct of our Lord reflects an honour upon trade, and upon those
who are employed in useful arts.

5. This circumstance in Christ's life furnisheth all, especiallyyoung persons,
with an example of diligence and activity.
6. Persons mayserve God and follow their trades at the same time.
(J. Orton.)
Jesus an offence
J. Morison, D. D.
The word rendered offended is scandalizedin the original. It is a very graphic
word, but incapable of adequate translation. It presents to view a complex
picture. Christ was to His kinsmen and townsmen like a scandal, or catch
stick, in a trap. They did not see what He was. They hence heedlesslyran up
againstHim and struck on Him, to their own utter ensnarement; they were
spiritually caught;they became fixed in a position in which it was most
undesirable to be fixed; they were spiritually hurt, and in greatdanger of
being spiritually destroyed. Such are the chief elements of the picture. The
actualoutcome of the whole complex representationmay be given thus: They
spiritually stumbled on Jesus. To their loss they did not acceptHim for what
He really was:They rejectedHim as the Lord High Commissionerof heaven.
They came into collisionwith Him, and were ensnared, by suspecting that His
indisputable superiority to ordinary men in word and work was owing to
some other kind of influence than what was right and from above.
(J. Morison, D. D.)
Offended at the carpenter's son
People in high stationor of high birth are very often displeasedif one of
humbler position excels them in anything. The nobles of Scotland did not

work hand in hand with Wallace, because he had not such goodblood as they
gloried in.
Jealousyofgreatness in neighbours
J. Morison, D. D.
Our Lord specifies three concentric circles of persons to whom every prophet
is nearly related. There is
(1)the circle of his little fatherland, or district of country, or township;
(2)the circle of his relatives or "kin;"
(3)the circle of his nearestrelatives, the family to which he belongs.Ineachof
these circles there is in generalbut little readiness to recognize native or
nascentsuperiority. The principles of self-satisfaction, self-confidence, self-
complacency, come in to lay a presumptive interdict upon any adjoining self
rising up in eminence above the myself. The temporary advantage of age, and
thus of more protracted experience, assertsto itself for a seasona sort of
counter-superiority; and the mere fact of proximity makes it easyto open the
door for the influence of envy, an ignoble vice that takes effectchiefly in
reference to those on whom one can actually look (invidia, in-vides). In the
long run, indeed, realsuperiority, if time be granted it, will vindicate for itself
its own proper place in the midst of all its concentric circles. But, in general,
this will be only after victories achievedabroad have made it impossible for
the people at home to remain in doubt.
(J. Morison, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(3) Is not this the carpenter?—St. Mark’sis the only Gospelwhich gives this
name as applied to our Lord Himself. (See Note on Matthew 13:55.)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
6:1-6 Our Lord's countrymen tried to prejudice the minds of people against
him. Is not this the carpenter? Our Lord Jesus probably had workedin that
business with his father. He thus put honour upon mechanics, and encouraged
all persons who eat by the labour of their hands. It becomes the followers of
Christ to content themselves with the satisfactionofdoing good, although they
are denied the praise of it. How much did these Nazarenes lose by obstinate
prejudices againstJesus!May Divine grace deliver us from that unbelief,
which renders Christ a savourof death, rather than of life to the soul. Let us,
like our Master, go and teachcottagesand peasants the wayof salvation.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
See this passage explainedin the notes at Matthew 13:54-58.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
CHAPTER 6
Mr 6:1-6. Christ RejectedatNazareth. ( = Mt 13:54-58;Lu 4:16-30).
See on [1439]Lu4:16-30.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 6:1"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Is not this the carpenter?.... Some copies read, "the carpenter's son", as in
Matthew 13:55 and so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions;but all the ancient
copies, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions, read"the carpenter":such
may Christ be reasonably thought to be, since his father was;and which
business he might follow, partly through the meanness and poverty of his
parents; and partly that he might setan example of industry and diligence;
and chiefly to bear that part of the first Adam's curse, which was to eat his
bread with the sweatofhis brow: nor ought this to have been objectedto him
by the Jews, with whom it was usual for their greatestdoctors andRabbins to
be of some trade or secularemployment; so R. Jochananwas a shoemaker(z)
R. Isaac was a blacksmith (a), R. Juda was a tailor (b), Abba Saul and R.
Jochanan, were undertakers for funerals (c); R. Simeon was a sellerof cotton
(d), R. Nehemiah was a ditcher (e), R. Jose bar Chelphetha was a skinner (f);
and others of them were of other trades, and some exceeding mean: the
famous R. Hillell was a hewerof wood, and Carna, a judge in Israel, was a
drawer of water(g); and so Maimonides says,
"the greatwise men of Israelwere some of them hewers of woodand drawers
of water (h).''
They say,
"a man is obliged to learn his son an honest and easytrade (i):''
there are some businesses theyexcept against(k), but this of a carpenter is not
one; yea, they say,
"if a man does not teachhis sona trade, it is all one as if he taught him
thievery (l).''

Nor did they think it at all inconsistentwith learning; for they have a saying
(m), that
"beautiful is the learning of the law, along with a trade.''
The Jews oughtnot to have flouted Christ with this trade of a carpenter,
since, according to them, it was necessarythat a carpenter, in some cases,
should be a regular priest; as in repairing of the temple, especiallythe holy of
holies. So says Maimonides (n);
"there was a trap door, or an open place in the floor of the chamber, open to
the holy of holies, that workmenmight enter thereby into the holy of holies,
when there was a necessityof repairing any thing; and since we make mention
of workmen, it may be observedhere, when there is need of building in the
midst of the temple, greatcare should be taken, , "that the workman, or
carpenter, be a right priest".''
Yea, they expressly say, that the Messiahis one of the four carpenters in
Zechariah 1:20. "And the Lord showedme four carpenters";they ask (o),
""who are the four carpenters?"Says R. Chana bar Bizna, says R. Simeon
the saint, Messiahthe son of David, Messiahthe son of Joseph, and Elijah,
and a priest of righteousness.''
This is with some variation elsewhere expressedthus (p),

""and the Lord showedme four carpenters";and these are they, Elijah, and
the king Messiah, andMelchizedek and the anointed for war.''
continued...
Geneva Study Bible
Is not this the carpenter, the sonof Mary, the brother of James, and Joses,
and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his {b} sisters here with us? And they
were offended at him.
(b) This word is used after the manner of the Hebrews, who by brethren and
sisters understand all relatives.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 6:3. ὁ τέκτων:avoided by Mt., who says the carpenter’s son:one of
Mk.’s realisms. The ploughs and yokes of Justin M. (c. Trypho., 88) and the
apocryphal Gospels pass beyond realisminto vulgarity.—ἐσκανδαλίζοντο:
what they had heard awakenedadmiration, but the external facts of the
speaker’s connections andearly history stifled incipient faith; vide notes on
Mt.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
3. Is not this the carpenter?]Save in this one place, our Lord is nowhere
Himself called“the Carpenter.” According to the custom of the Jews, eventhe
Rabbis learnt some handicraft. One of their proverbs was that “he who taught
not his son a trade, taught him to be a thief.” Hence St Paul learnt to “labour
with his own hands” at the trade of a tent-maker (Acts 18:3; 1 Thessalonians
2:9; 1 Corinthians 4:12). “In the cities the carpenters would be Greeks, and
skilled workmen;the carpenterof a provincial village could only have held a

very humble position, and secureda very moderate competence.” Farrar’s
Life of Christ, I. 81.
the brother of James, and Joses…]The four “brothers” here mentioned, and
“the sisters,” whosenames are nowhere recorded, were in all probability the
children of Clopas and Mary, the sisterand namesake ofthe blessedVirgin,
and so the “cousins”ofour Lord. (Compare Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40
and John 19:25.)Josephwould seemto have died at some time betweena. d. 8
and a. d. 26, and there is no reasonfor believing that Clopas was alive during
our Lord’s ministry. It has been suggested, therefore, that the two widowed
sisters may have lived together, the more so as one of them had but one son,
and He was often takenfrom her by His ministerial duties. Three other
hypotheses have been formed respecting them: (1) that they were the children
of Josephby a former marriage;(2) that they were the children of Josephand
Mary; (3) that Josephand Clopas being brothers, and Clopas having died,
Josephraisedup seedto his dead brother, according to the Levirate law.
Bengel's Gnomen
Mark 6:3. Ὁ τέκτων)Son of the carpenter, or even Himself a carpenter; for
they add, the Son of Mary, in antithesis to the Son of the carpenter. [He
Himself therefore toiled at that kind of labour, which was corresponding to
His spiritual work;Zechariah 6:12.—V. g.]
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 3. - Is not this the carpenter? St. Matthew (Matthew 13:55) says, "the
carpenter's son." We infer from this that our Lord actually workedat the
trade of a carpenter, and probably continued to do so until he entered upon
his public ministry. We may also infer that Josephwas now no longerliving,
otherwise it would have been natural for his name to have been mentioned
here. According to St. Chrysostom, our Lord made ploughs and yokes for
oxen. Certain]y, he often drew his similitudes from these things. "No man
putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God" (Luke 9:62). "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me "(Matthew

11:29). Christ was the son of a carpenter. Yes; but he was also the Son of him
who made the world at his will. Yea, he himself made the world. "All things
were made by him," the Eternal Word. And he made them for us, that we
might judge of the Makerby the greatness ofhis work. He chose to be the son
of a carpenter. If he had chosento be the sou of an emperor, then men might
have ascribedhis influence to the circumstances ofhis birth. But he chose a
humble and obscure condition, for this, among other reasons, that it might be
acknowledgedthat it was his divinity that transformed the world. Is not this
the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, andJudas,
and Simon? Some have thought that these were literally brethren of our Lord,
sons of Josephand Mary. Others have consideredthat they were his legal
half-brothers, sons of Josephby a former marriage. This view is held by many
of the Greek Fathers, and has something to recommend it. But, on the whole,
the most probable opinion is that they were cousins of our Lord - sons of a
sisterof the Virgin Mary, also called Mary, the wife of Cleophas, Clopas, or
Alpheeus. There is evidence that there were four sons of Clopas and Mary,
whose names were James, and Joses, andSimon (or Symeon), and Judas.
Mary the wife of Clopas is mentioned by St. Matthew (Matthew 27:56) as the
mother of James the less and of Joses. Jude describes himself (Jude 1:5) as the
brother of James;and Simon, or Symeon, is mentioned in Eusebius as the son
of Clopas. It must be remembered also that the word ἀδελφός, like the
Hebrew word which it expresses, means not only "a brother," but generally
"a near kinsman." In the same waythe "sisters"would be cousins of our
Lord. According to a tradition recordedby Nicephorus (2:3), the names of
these sisters or cousins were Estherand Tamar. And they were offended in
him. They took it ill that one brought up amongstthem as a carpenter should
sethimself up as a prophet and a teacher;just as there are those in every age
who are apt to take it amiss if they see any one spring from a trade into the
doctor's chair. But these Nazarencs knew notthat Jesus was the Sonof God,
who of his greatlove for man vouchsafedto take a low estate, that he might
redeem us, and teachus humility by his example. And thus this humility and
love of Christ, which ought to have excited their admiration and respect, was
a stumbling-block to them, because they could not receive it, or believe that
God was willing thus to humble himself.

Vincent's Word Studies
The carpenter
This word "throws the only flash which falls on the continuous tenor of the
first thirty years, from infancy to manhood, of the life of Christ" (Farrar,
"Messagesofthe Books").
They were offended
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
WILLIAM BARCLAY
They said, "Is not this Mary's son? Do we not know his brothers and his
sisters?"The fact that they called Jesus Mary's sontells us that Josephmust
have been dead. Therein we have the keyto one of the enigmas of Jesus'life.
Jesus was only thirty-three when he died; and yet he did not leave Nazareth
until he was thirty. (Luke 3:23.)Why this long delay? Why this lingering in
Nazarethwhile a world waitedto be saved? The reasonwas that Josephdied
young and Jesus took upon himself the support of his mother and of his
brothers and sisters;and only when they were old enough to fend for
themselves did he go forth. He was faithful in little, and therefore in the end
God gave him much to do.
But the people of Nazarethdespised him because they knew his family.
Thomas Campbell was a very considerable poet. His father had no sense of
poetry at all. When Thomas'first book emergedwith his name on it, he sent a

copy to his father. The old man took it up and lookedat it. It was really the
binding and not the contents at all that he was looking at. "Who would have
thought," he said in wonder, "that our Tom could have made a book like
that?" Sometimes when familiarity should breed a growing respect it breeds
an increasing and easy-going familiarity. Sometimes we are too near people to
see their greatness.
The result of all this was that Jesus could do no mighty works in Nazareth.
The atmosphere was wrong;and there are some things that cannot be done
unless the atmosphere is right.
(i) It is still true that no man can be healed if he refuses to be healed. Margot
Asquith tells of the death of Neville Chamberlain. Everyone knows how that
man's policy turned out in such a way that it broke his heart. MargotAsquith
met his doctor, Lord Horder. "You can't be much of a doctor," she said, "as
Neville Chamberlain was only a few years older than Winston Churchill, and
I should have saidhe was a strong man. Were you fond of him?" Lord Horder
replied, "I was very fond of him. I like all unlovable men. I have seentoo
many of the other kind. Chamberlain suffered from shyness. He did not want
to live; and when a man says that, no doctorcan save him." We may call it
faith; we may callit the will to live; but without it no man cansurvive.
(ii) There can be no preaching in the wrong atmosphere. Our churches would
be different places if congregations wouldonly remember that they preach far
more than half the sermon. In an atmosphere of expectancythe pooresteffort
can catchfire. In an atmosphere of critical coldness orbland indifference, the
most Spirit-packed utterance can fall lifeless to the earth.
(iii) There can be no peace-making in the wrong atmosphere. If men have
come togetherto hate, they will hate. If men have come togetherto refuse to

understand, they will misunderstand. If men have come togetherto see no
other point of view but their own, they will see no other. But if men have come
together, loving Christ and seeking to love eachother, even those who are
most widely separatedcancome togetherin him.
There is laid on us the tremendous responsibility that we caneither help or
hinder the work of Jesus Christ. We canopen the door wide to him--or we can
slam it in his face.
Verse 3
3. ὁ τέκτων. See criticalnote. Mt. will not call Him “the carpenter,” but says
“the carpenter’s son,” and states the relationship to Mary separately. Justin
(Try. 88)preserves the tradition that He made ploughs and yokes. Cf. Orig.
Cels. vi. 4.
ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ΄αρίας. It is remarkable that Mk does not say“the son of Joseph
and Mary.” Josephwas probably dead, and hence Jesus is called“the
carpenter.” This is perhaps the reasonwhy Josephis not mentioned here; but
Mk may have purposely avoided saying that Jesus was Joseph’s sonin the
same sense that He was Mary’s son. Contrast Luke 4:22; John 6:42.
ἀδελφός. See on Mark 3:35. The names of His brothers are those of O.T.
patriarchs.
Ἰακώβον. The most famous of the brethren, president of the church of
Jerusalem(Acts 12:17;Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18;Galatians 2:9; Galatians 2:12).

Hort thinks that after James the brother of John was slain(Acts 12:2), James
the brother of the Lord was counted as one of the Twelve (Chris. Eccl. pp. 76
f.). He had the influence of an Apostle, and is the author of the Epistle of
James. Josephus (Ant. xx. ix. 1) mentions him, and Eusebius (H. E. ii. 23)gives
an extract from Hegesippus describing his martyrdom.
Ἰωσῆτος. Notthe JosesofMark 15:40. The name is another form of Joseph.
Ἰούδα. The author of the Epistle of Jude. The brethren were married (1
Corinthians 9:5), and Jude’s humble grandsons were treatedwith
contemptuous clemencyby Domitian (Eus. H. E. iii. 20).
Σίμωνος. Nothing is known of him.
ἀδελφαί. Their existence is suggestedin Mark 3:35. Mt. here adds πᾶσαι,
which shows that there were severalsisters, but they are mentioned nowhere
else. The brothers, at first unbelievers (John 7:5), became missionaries after
the Resurrection(1 Corinthians 9:5). The sisters perhaps neither left Nazareth
nor became in any way notable. The wayin which the Nazarenes speakof
them indicates that these brothers and sisters had not much sympathy with
the Teacherwho is here criticized.
πρὸς ἡμᾶς. “In constantintercourse with us”;Mark 9:19, Mark 14:49. This
does not imply that the brothers are not πρὸς ἡμᾶς.
ἐσκανδαλίζοντο.Astonishment led on, not to reverence, but to repulsion. They
could not tolerate a fellow-villager’s fame and success. Jealousyis never
reasonable;the Nazarenes were offendedat the very thing which brought

them greathonour. How soonChrist became aware that He must suffer and
die is not revealed. The process was perhaps gradual. The conduct of His own
people towards Him would be some intimation of what must follow. The
contrastbetweenthe feeling at Nazareth and the feeling at Capernaum is
extraordinary, seeing that the places were only about 20 miles apart. But
there is mountainous country between, and there would be little intercourse.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
ALAN CARR
YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN
Intro: Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel entitled “You Can’t Go Home Again”.
The book is about a man named George Webber. He is an author who has
written a successfulbook about his hometown. When he returns home, he
expects to receive a hero’s welcome. Instead, he is driven out of town by his
own friends and family. They feelbetrayed by what he has written about them
in his book. Webber is shakenby their reactionto his work and leaves his
hometown behind to go find himself. George Webberdiscoveredthat those
who know you best tend to respectyou the least.
Our text finds Jesus returning to Nazareth. He is going home again. Our
Lord’s return to His hometown does not go the way one might expect it to.
After all, Jesus is something of a celebrity by this time. He has been going
around the countryside preaching, teaching, healing the sick, casting out
demons, raising the dead and controlling the forces of nature. He has proven
that there is something very specialand very different about Him.

Of course, the lasttime Jesus was in Nazareth things didn’t go too well
for Him. He went to the synagogue and preachedfrom Isa. 61. (Luke 4:16-20)
In that service, Jesus proclaimedHimself to be the JewishMessiah. The
people of NazarethrejectedHis messageandtried to kill Him by throwing
Him over a cliff! He left Nazarethand preachedin other places in Galilee.
Now, a year later He returns to the very place He was so cruelly rejected. He
wants to give His family, His friends and His neighbors anotherchance to
receive Him and His message. Thatis grace!(Ill. I am amazed that God would
give you and me one chance, much less opportunity after opportunity to
believe in Him and His Gospel!Thank God for His goodgrace!)
When Jesus arrives in Nazareth, He is not greetedby anxious crowds. It
seems that they ignored Him until the Sabbath Daycame and they all went to
the synagogue.I want to considerour Lord’s visit to Nazarethtoday. What
happened there has something to say to those who are savedand to those who
do not know the Lord. What is of real interest is the people’s reactionour
Lord’s preaching and His person. Their reactioncostthem His power.
Let’s take a look at the events of that Sabbath Day visit to the synagogue
in Nazareth. Let’s notice the ways the people responded to the Lord and what
their response costthem.
I. v. 2 THE PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED
BY HIS PREACHING

A. When Jesus beganto speak, the people who heard Him were “astonished”.
This word means “to be seizedwith panic; to be struck with terror; to be
strickenwith startling and sudden alarm.” When they heard Jesus, theywere
actually filled with fear.
They immediately began to speak among themselves and talk about three
areas ofthe Lord’s ministry that amazedthem.
· His Words – When Jesus preached, He did so with grace and charm.
His words were filled with divine authority. He did not speak like the local
rabbis. They quoted other rabbis and had no sense ofcertainty in their words.
When Jesus spoke, He did so with the sense that He knew what He was talking
about. He left no doubt in the minds of His hearers that His words must either
be acceptedor rejected. He left His hearers no wiggle room. In fact, when
some officers were sent from the Pharisees to hear what Jesus had to say, they
came back and said, “Neverman spake like this man”, John 7:46. When the
people of Nazarethheard Jesus speak, they were amazed.
· His Wisdom – When Jesus spoke, His words were filled with truth. The
people heard Him declare old truths in new ways. They listenedas He taught
spiritual truth by using the common everyday things around them. While His
illustrations may have calledon the common, the truth He preached was
anything but common. The Lord’s wisdom left them shaking their heads in
disbelief.
· His Works – The Lord’s fame had precededHim to Nazareth. They had
heard about the miracles He had performed elsewhere. Theycould not believe
that a young man from their own town could do the miracles that were
attributed to Him.

The people of Nazarethcould not believe what they were hearing and Who
they were hearing it from. They heard what Jesus had to say and they were
left with their mouths hanging open.
B. Our Lord’s messagestill affects people that way. When you read the Bible
and study the messageofthe Gospel, it can cause youto be astonished.
Considersome of the claims of the Bible.
· All people are sinners – Rom. 3:10-20, 23;Gal. 3:22
· All sinners are headed to a place called Hell – Psa. 9:17; Rom. 2:8-9
· There is only one way to be savedfrom sin and its penalty – Acts 4:12; 1
John 2:23; 5:12
· All other religions in the world are false religions and they all lead to
Hell – John 3:18, 36
· The only way for anyone to be savedis for them to place their faith in a
man Who lived, died and rose again from the dead 2,000 years ago – John
14:6; 10:9
C. Those are amazing claims because they condemn much of the world to a
lost eternity. When people in our day hear the claims of the Gospel, they react
in anger. They reject the message andattack the messenger, justas they did in
Jesus’day.

What do you think when you hear the claims of the Gospel? Do you
rejoice in its truth, knowing that it has savedyou soul? Or, do you hear it and
rejectits message, thinking you know a better way? Ill. Pro. 16:25
II. v. 3 THE PEOPLE STUMBLED
OVER HIS PERSON
A. As the people of Nazareth heard the message Jesus was preaching, they
rejectedHis messagebecausetheythought they knew everything there was to
know about Him. He had grown up among them and was one of their own.
They had seenHim play there as a child; they knew His family; they thought
they knew Him. They knew that He had never been to the divinity schools.
They knew that He had no formal training. They knew everything there was
to know about Jesus, orso they thought! To them, Jesus was justanother boy
from Nazareth. He did not deserve their respect. Theysaw Him as a common
man!
They also knew His occupation. Theycall Him “the carpenter”. A carpenter
in those days did not always build houses. Typically, they built ox yokes and
plows. Sometimes they would build things like tables, chairs, beds, etc.
Sometimes, the word carpenter referred to men who could do anything from
carving a plate to building a house. The people of Nazarethprobably had
things in their possessionthat Jesus had built for them. They saw Him as a
common craftsman. They lookedatHim and said, “You are no better than we
are! Why should we listen to you?”

B. We are told that they were “offended in Him”. The word “offended” has
the idea of “to cause to stumble or to be repelledto the point of
abandonment”. Becausethese people could not explain Jesus, they refused to
listen to Jesus. Theycould not see past the carpenter; and they refusedto
receive their theologyfrom a common carpenter.
These people did what all people do when they cannot understand someone.
They resortedto ridicule! Ridicule is the final refuge of a small mind! They
calledHim “the son of Mary”. This was never done in that society! A male
was always referredto as the son of his father, even if his father was dead. To
call a boy the son of his mother was to imply that is mother had played the
harlot. The people were calling the birth of Jesus into question. Of course, the
people of that day rejectedthe notion that Jesus was born by supernatural
means through a virgin womb. They consistentlycalled His birth into
question, John 8:41; 9:29.
The people of Nazarethcould not explain Jesus, so they reactedto His words,
His wisdom and His works with contempt and unvarnished ridicule. Listen to
the contempt in their voices in verse 2 as they say “from whence hath this man
these things?” these people could not acceptwhatthey could not explain!
C. This state of mind is still with us today. People rejectwhat they cannot
easilyexplain. When it comes to Jesus, there is much that cannot be explained
to people’s satisfaction.
People seemto have little trouble with the manger scene. Theyseem
to be able to accepta little, harmless baby lying in a manger. But, when you
tell people that the little baby was born of a virgin and that He is God in the
flesh, they can’t handle that!

People seemto have little trouble with Jesus going about from place
to place preaching His messageofpeace, love and acceptancelike some
itinerant philosopher. But, when you tell them that He is the only Saviorand
that rejecting Him will lead to Him sending the sinner awayinto Hell, they
can’t handle that!
People seemto have no problem with a dead Jesus hanging in shame
on a cross. But, when you tell them that He rose againafter He died and that
He still lives today to save all those who will acceptHim by faith, they can’t
handle that!
If your conceptof Who Jesus is stops with a baby in a manger or a
dead man on a cross, you are missing the whole point! You must come to the
place where you understand that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God, John
3:16. You must understand that He died for your sins on the cross and that He
rose againfrom the dead, Rom. 10:9. You must come to a place where you
turn from your sins, and believe on Jesus for your soul’s salvation or you have
no hope of Heaven, Rom. 10:13!
THE CARPENTER’S SON
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Mark 6:1-6

10-21-79 7:30 p.m.
Now on radio and here in this greatauditorium, let us turn to Mark 6, Mark,
chapter 6. Our sermon this morning was entitled Exclamations of Wonder
Before Our Lord. And now, beginning at the next chapter, we shall read the
first six verses. And the title of messageis The Carpenter’s Son.
All of us reading out loud, together, Mark chapter 6, the first six verses;now,
together:
And He went out from thence, and came into His own country; and His
disciples follow Him.
And when the Sabbath day was come, He beganto teachin 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?
Is not this the carpenter, the Son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses,
and of Judah, and Simon? and are not His sisters here with us? And they
were offended at Him.
But Jesus saidunto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own
country, and among his ownkin, and in his own house.

And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a
few sick folk, and healedthem. And He marveled because of their unbelief.
And He went around the villages, teaching.
[Mark 6:1-6]
What do you think about that? Well, you can’t help, as I say, but think about
the reactionof the people to this Jesus ofNazareth. And they said, as He
spoke to them in the synagogue and as they heard of the marvelous things that
He did, “Is not this the carpenter? And hasn’t He lived all of His life in our
town? Is not His mother over there named Mary? And look at James and
Josephand Judah and Simon, his brothers. All five of them are right here.
And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in Him” [Mark
6:3].
Now why is it that I would bow myself before a carpenter and say, “He is
God.” That’s the message. Numberone: that carpenter in Nazarethhas the
testimony of all of the ages. There are no ages since GodAlmighty created
this earth [Genesis 1:1], in which there has not been testimony to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Before His coming, they said, “He is coming.”
There are more than three hundred written prophecies in the Old Covenant.
He is coming. Here in this CriswellReference Bible, from pages 1504 to 1509,
in close print, there are prophetic Scriptures on one side, and the fulfillment
of those prophetic Scriptures in Christ, on the other side; thousands and
thousands of years, “He is coming, He is coming.”
And now that He has come and returned to heaven, there are millions and
millions of voices raisedalongside those testimonies of the prophets and of the

apostles who say, “And He is coming again.” In song, in sermon, in poetry, in
pageant, in every way the human heart can express itself, we who live in this
dispensationof the grace and glory of the Spirit of Jesus, we say, “He is
coming, He is coming.” He has the testimony of the ages.
Number two: why do you believe the Carpenter is the Sonof God? Because of
the witness and testimony of the New TestamentScriptures. They say His
incarnation was in the womb of a virgin; that His Father was God in heaven,
and His mother, that He might have a body to offer as a sacrifice for us, was a
virgin girl named Mary [Matthew 1:20-23].
A keen, brilliant Japanese studentaskeda missionary, “Do you believe in the
virgin birth?” And the missionary said, “I do.” And the brilliant Japanese
student askedthe missionary, “If an unwed girl were to come up to you and
say that her child had no earthly father, that her child had Godfor his Father,
would you believe her? Would you believe her?”
And the missionary replied, “Young man, if the birth of that Child had been
foretold for thousands and thousands of years [Genesis 3:15]and if, when the
day came for the Child to be born, His birth was announced by an angel
messenger, Gabriel, from heaven [Luke 1:26-31], and if the night He was
born, all the angels in the hosts of glory sang of His coming [Luke 2, 13-14],
and if that Child did as no other man ever did [Matthew 9:33], spake as no
other man ever spake [John 7:46]; if that Child, now grownto be a man,
dying on a cross [Matthew 27:32-50], wasraisedfrom the dead [Matthew
28:1-7]; if He ascendedback up into heaven and we look for His coming again
[Acts 1:9-11]; if that Child were the Son of that virgin mother [Isaiah 7:14;
Matthew 1:20-23], I’d believe it. I would believe it.” And the resurrectionof
our Lord is of a piece [Matthew 28:1-7], it’s of a kind, with the incarnation of
our Lord. His whole story is the miracle of heaven.

A man came up to NapoleonBonaparte and said to the general, “Sir, I am
trying to start a new religion, but I can’t getanybody to believe me.” And
Napoleonsaid, “Why, it’s simple. Justhave yourself crucified, and the third
day rise again from the dead.” Ah, the glory of the life and the death
[Matthew 27:32-50], and the birth [Matthew 1:20-23], and the resurrection
[Matthew 28:1-7], and the ascensionandthe return of our living Lord! [Acts
1:9-11] The Carpenter is God [Mark 6:3]. Again, He has the witness of
human experience, the testimony of human history.
Charles Darwin himself said, in that voyage they made around the world, he
said, “If a voyagerwere facing a shipwreck upon an unknown coast, lethim
pray that the missionary has been there before him.” For in those South Sea
Islands, to be castupon one of those shores unknown was to fall in the hands
of cannibals, unless the missionary had been there. And now, clothed and
sanctifiedand hallowedand saved, they were worshipping God and singing
the hymns of Zion and preaching the gospelof the blessedJesus. He has the
witness and the testimony of human experience.
I have been thinking about the marvels that I have seenin the name of Christ
as I have traveled over this whole earth. Tomorrow, for the seventeenthtime,
I will be crossing the equator. And I was just thinking, Lord, Lord, I wish I
had about an hour or two or three or four or five, or a day, just to stand in
that pulpit and recite the marvelous things that I have seencome to pass in the
name of the Spirit of the Son of God, Jesus, the Carpenter of Nazareth[Mark
6:3]. Out of a thousand, thousand of those marvelous things, I choose one,
just one. And it comes to my mind because I am going down there to South
America in the morning.
I read as you read, as the whole world read, of those five missionaries that
were slain by the Auca Indians, in the Amazon jungle. And as you who have
been in the church many years know, I announced that I was going to be a

guestof the Wycliffe missionaries. And I was going down there to that
Amazon jungle and see for myself, for my eyes to see, whathad happened. As
you know, five of those missionaries were slainby that Stone Age tribe, the
Aucas, in that Amazon jungle. Two of them, the widow of one of the slain
missionaries, and the brother of another one of the slain missionaries, went
into the Auca jungle. And the report came that they had won those men to
Christ, and the whole tribe.
So I went down there and was flown into the little area by one of the JARS
pilots and was met by RachelSaint, who still lived among them, and did for
years. RachelSaintwas present here on the thirty-fifth anniversary of my
pastorate here, Sunday night, a week ago. And I stayedthere and lookedat
what God had done. These Stone-Age Indians, all of their lives, had dipped
their hands in human blood, intertribal warfare. And among their own clans
and families they had slain one another for generations, and had killed those
five missionaries.
When I came, they gatheredall of the tribe together and said, “We are going
up to the house of the Lord, and we want you to preach the gospelto us.” And
presiding over the service was the leaderof the clan that had killed those five
missionaries. And as I stoodup to preachin the church they had made with
their own hands, they said, “First of all, would you sing us a song? Would you
sing us a song?”
And I said, “I would be glad to sing you a song.”
So I stood up and we began the service with a song for the pastorto sing. Do
you know what it was? “Amazing Grace, How Sweetthe Sound.” And as I
sang it and lookedat the intently responsive faces ofthe Auca Indians, it is a
wonder, it is a miracle. I had two of them here in the pulpit. What God is

able to do! What Christ hath wrought in the world. And it is universal. It’s
in every tribe and family and tongue under God’s sun. It’s everywhere, what
Jesus, that Carpenter, has done in human experience.
There came to our CBI a young fellow to go to school;he and his wife and his
two children. Mostof our students are older men who have been calledinto
the ministry without an education. And this young fellow came here to Dallas,
brought his wife and his two children, and he made his way through school,
working with his hands. He’s a carpenter, he’s a carpenter. And after he
finished our Bible Institute, there came a call from a town in Idaho saying,
“We don’t have a church of any kind here. Do you have a student who would
come and preach here in this town and seek and ask God to help him build a
church here? We don’t have a church of any kind.” And that student
volunteered. He went up to that little town in Idaho. And walking through
the town, he saw an old, abandoned sawmill. He went to the ownerof the
sawmill and said, “I’m a preacherfrom this Bible Institute of the First Baptist
Church in Dallas, and I have come here to preach the gospel. And I wonder if
you would lend me the old sawmill for a place to preach?”
And the man said, “You’ve come to preach the gospel,”he said, “you can have
the thing. I give it to you.” And that boy, with his hands, being a carpenter,
he made a place in the back part of that old sawmill for him and his wife and
his two children. And then the front part of that old sawmill he made into a
church. And then, visiting among the people, he announced revival services.
And when the meeting was done, he baptized eighteensouls and organized
them into a church. And last week, he sent word to us saying, “There are four
other towns here in Idaho that don’t have churches, and we want your
institute to send us four more preachers.” Man, that’s great! That’s the
gospel. That’s the powerof Jesus. That’s the Carpenter of Nazareth[Mark
6:3]. Human experience gives witness to His grace, His deity, and His glory.

Our time is gone. MayI just summarize one other? Why do you believe that
Carpenter is the Son of God? Because ofthe witness of our own souls, ours.
When the Lord saw all of His disciples melt away[John 6:66]. He turned to
the twelve and said, “Will you also leave?” [John6:67]. And they said, “Lord,
to whom shall we go?” [John 6:68]. That’s my heart exactly. Lord, Lord, if
it’s not to Thee, to whom shall we go? Shall I be a Muslim, or a Shintoist, or a
Buddhist? Or shall I be a Hindu, or shall I be an infidel, or an agnostic, ora
materialist, or a secularist? ShallI? If I turn aside from Christ, to what, to
whom, to where shall I go? In the hour of my death, at the greatjudgment
day of Almighty God, who canstand by me? Who will promise to save me?
Why not Jesus?
If I can trust the feeling of my fingers, if I can trust the seeing of my eyes, if I
can trust the hearing of my ears, why can’t I trust the pull of my heart?
When they sing a beautiful song about Jesus, I feelit in my soul. When
somebody preaches a wonderful sermon about Jesus, the reverberation is in
my heart. When I look at a godly, regeneratedlife, I feelthanksgiving and
praise in my deepestbeing.
He is the Lord. Jesus is Lord. He is all my soul could ever ask. A friend, a
fellow pilgrim now, my Savior in the world to come [John 3:16, 10:27-30].
Lord, Lord, that I might be able to serve Thee better and love Thee more. He
is all in all. Maywe stand together?
Dearprecious Lord, who looks downupon us from heaven, bless Thou this
attempt to witness and testify unto Thee tonight. Where the testimony has
been feeble, full of shortcomings, forgive. Where it has been true, sanctify and
hallow the message to our hearts. And our Lord, in the holiness of this
moment, speak to somebody by Thy Holy Spirit that they might in faith look
to Jesus as Savior[Ephesians 2:8]. Oh, what He is able to do to recreate, and
remake, and regenerate our lives! Give us hope, heart, heaven. Be our

companion through all the unfolding days. Stand by us forever. Take us to
Himself in glory [John 14:2-3], O Jesus, Jesus,Jesus,whatwondrous things
You do for us!
In this moment of appeal, while our people wait before the Lord praying for
you, tonight accepting Him as your Savior[Romans 10:9-13];maybe putting
your life with us in this dear church, make the decisionnow in your heart.
And in a moment when we sing the appeal, take that first step. It will be the
greatestdecisionand the greateststepyou have ever made in your life. Do it
tonight. Downone of these stairways, down one of these aisle, “Pastorwe are
coming, the whole family of us, we are on the way.” A couple, or just one
somebody you; do it now. Make it now. Come now, while we wait, while we
pray, and while we sing.
THOMAS CONSTABLE
The reactionof the people in this synagogue contrastswith that of Jairus, the
ruler of another synagogue ( Mark 5:22). Mark recordedthree questions the
observers in Nazarethraised. They wondered where Jesus gotthe teaching
and the authority that He demonstrated. They askedeachother who had
given Him the wisdom He manifested, and they questioned where Jesus had
obtained His ability to do miracles. Obviously they had not concludedthat
they came from God. Their questions manifested unbelief and hostility. Their
personalacquaintance with Jesus" family and Jesus" former manner of life
among them made it hard for them to think of Him as anything more than a
mere man. This is the only place in the New Testamentwhere the writer
referred to Jesus as a carpenter. A "carpenter" (Gr. tekton)workedwith
stone and metal, as well as wood. [Note: Ibid, p310.]Jesus" critics asked
rhetorically if Jesus was not just a common workerwith His hands, as most of
them were.

"It was the common practice among the Jews to use the father"s name,
whether he were alive or dead. A man was calledthe son of his mother only
when his father was unknown." [Note: Hiebert, p139.]
Formerly the people of Nazarethhad referred to Jesus as Joseph"sson( Luke
4:22). Evidently they now calledHim Mary"s son as a deliberate insult
implying that He was an illegitimate child (cf. Judges 11:1-2;John 8:41; John
9:29). The Jews did not speak insultingly about such a person"s birth if they
believed he lived a life pleasing to God, but if that person became an apostate
they spoke publicly and unreservedly about his illegitimate birth. [Note:See
Ethelbert Stauffer, Jesus and His Story, pp207-8 , cf. pp16-17.]Consequently
this appellation reflects the belief of the Nazarenes thatJesus was not virgin
born and was displeasing to God. [Note: Cf. Cranfield, p195.]
RON DANIEL
Brothers And Sisters
Contrary to the "perpetual virginity" teaching regarding Mary, Jesus did in
fact have siblings. In John 7 we read,
John 7:5 ..Noteven His brothers were believing in Him.
After the resurrection, they not only ended up believing in Him, but became
leaders in the church. Paul tells the Galatians of his trip to Jerusalem, saying,

Gal. 1:19 ...I did not see any other of the apostles exceptJames, the Lord's
brother.
Jesus'brother James becomes a leaderin the church at Jerusalem. Another of
Jesus'brothers names was Judas, or Jude. Jude writes in his epistle,
Jude 1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James...
Jude claimed brotherhood with James to validate his authority, but
servanthoodof Jesus to validate his ministry.
We also see in 1Corinthians that the Lord's brothers were married, and
apparently were missionaries.
1Cor. 9:5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the
rest of the apostles,and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
There is too much Scriptural weight to believe that Mary did not have other
children, who were half brothers and sisters of Jesus.
DAN NUNCAN
] We're studying this morning a disturbing incident in our Lord's life,

and one that's disturbing also because it underscores a danger that I think
exists in
evangelicalchurches, places where the Word of God is taught Sunday after
Sunday.
We have an expressionthat I think captures the essence ofthe problem, and
that is
"familiarity breeds contempt." And, the truth of that is vividly played out in
our
passagethis morning when the Lord returns home to Nazarethand is
rejected. It
serves as a warning to us againstbecoming familiar with our Lord, familiar
with His
word, yet without faith.
Well, there's a warning here in the passage, atleastthe first half, but there's
also something of an exhortation in the secondhalf because this passageis
followed
by another in which we have a very encouraging reminder that familiarity
with faith
brings the greatestofblessings. And so, there's an admonition on the one hand
that
we'll considerfirst, and then, or rather, a warning that we will considerfirst
of
admonition, and then an exhortation.
The Lord must've loved very greatly the people of Nazareth. He had grown up
among them. They knew Him well. He had lived there for some 30 years. They
had

watchedHim grow from youth to adulthood, watchedHim develop as a
carpenterin
Joseph's shop. And after Josephhad died, seenHim take over the business,
admired
His craftsmanship, admired His honesty. They had eaten with Him. They had
lived
with Him, seenHim in His blamelessnessand His perfect life.
And yet, all of that was loston them when He returned as their teacherand
their Messiah. As one writer puts it: they simply could not believe that one
who was
so much like them could be so different from them. Familiarity breeds
contempt.
Blessings thatare receivedin abundance can begin to seemcommonplace,
even a bit
boring. When we become used to having them without any trouble, we can
hold them
cheapas BishopRyle has said. People of Nazareth did that with our Lord.
When He returns to His hometown, He's really riding the crestof His
popularity. He has stilled the storm on the sea. He has delivered a man of
legion. He
has conqueredsickness anddeath and been believed on by all of those who
have been
blessedby Him. And yet, He returns home to a people who should have
receivedHis
teaching as true and His presence among them as a blessing, but who didn't.
They
had become too familiar with Him, without faith.

- 4 -
"A Prophet Without Honor" by Dan Duncan
Copyright © 2014 Believer's Chapel, Dallas, Texas. All Rights Reserved.
His return to Nazareth was not for the personalvisit to His family. He was
there in an officialcapacity. He was there on a mission. His disciples were
with Him,
and this was something of a period of training for them. He appearedin the
town
without greatfanfare. On the Sabbath, he went to the synagogue,as was
customary
and, verse 2 states, "beganto teach." And not surprisingly, the response ofthe
listeners was one of astonishment. They were 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?" There's no record that records the miracles or any
miracles
that were performed in Nazareth. What they are referring to here are reports
of
miracles that He had performed throughout the land. And what they had
heard about
Him and what they were hearing Him teachin the synagogue thatday
astonished
them. He spoke with clarity and authority. He possessedpower.
And so, they were asking themselves:where did He getthese things? Where
did He get this wisdom? Where did He get this power? Well, there was only
one of

two places He could've gottenthat. He could've gotten that from God of
heaven, or
He could've gottenthat from Satan. And surprisingly, they must've been
thinking the
latter, because their amazement was not one of joy, but one of hostility, as
verse 3
indicates. They said, "Is this not the carpenter?" In other words, this is the
same man
that used to repair my roof, that fixed my gate, that built my table. He's just a
common man, an ordinary person. He's the town carpenter. He's no different
from
the restof us. How canHe be a rabbi? How canHe be a miracle worker?
They couldn't believe that someone so much like them could be so different
from them. The next statementis also derogatory. "Is this not the son of
Mary?"
Now, on the surface, that may seema fine statement, a true statement. But, it
was not
customary among the Jews to refer to a man as the son of his mother, even
after his
father had passedaway. That was something that was said with an insulting
intent.
This is probably the intent here. They intended this as an insult, the sense
being: we
don't even know who His real father is, suggesting thatthey had heard rumor
that the
Lord was illegitimate.
Well, if so, it indicates that they were aware ofunusual circumstances

surrounding His birth. And Matthew's accountof this, in Matthew 13, they
are
recordedas saying:is this not the carpenter's son? So there, they do refer to
Joseph.
Here, they don't. We should probably understand this as being a case in
which, in this
- 5 -
rather large synagogue,various statements were made. Both statements that
are
recordedin Matthew and in Mark were statements that were made, but it
may be that
Mark chose the slanderous one in order to allude to our Lord's birth.
As you aware, in writing his gospel, he chose not to record the birth of our
Lord. Mark begins with John's ministry and begins with our Lord's ministry
at the
baptism, and then His period of testing in the wilderness. He skips over the
Lord's
birth and His childhood altogetherthat are given some detailed attention in
Matthew
and Luke. And, some have taken that, some critics of the faith have takenthat
to
indicate that Mark did not believe in the virgin birth because he makes no
mention of
it.

Well, that's an argument from silence, and so not a very strong argument, but
it
has been made. And some have tried to answerit from this particular verse in
Mark
by suggesting that Mark chose this statement by the people of Nazareth in
order to
safeguardhis readers from the idea or from supposing that Josephwas the
son of our
Lord, and in so doing, allude to the Lord's virgin birth.
That's a possible explanation, but the statement still suggeststhe Nazarene's
hostility toward our Lord. They knew Him well. They knew His family. They
go on
to mention the names of His brothers and mention His sisters and state that
they're
living with Him in town. The point being: we know Him very well. We know
Him.
We know His family. We know His background. But their close association
with
Him, their knowledge ofHim didn't give them a deeper appreciationof Him.
They
identified Him too closelywith themselves. And so, Mark concludes they took
offense at Him. That word "offense"is a rather strong word. It's the word
from
which we getour word "scandal." And it carries the idea of being offended
and being
repelled by a person to the point that one abandons that person. They had
done that

with our Lord, someone they had seenfrom His youth, they knew well, and
now
they're abandoning Him.
And so, the Lord responds with their doubts about His legitimacy with a
proverb in verse 4. Jesus saidto them, "A prophet is not without honor except
in his
hometown and among his ownrelatives and in his own household." That was
a rather
common proverb in the ancient world, not only with the Jews, but also with
the
Greeks, andone that we see our Lord use elsewhere. Because inJohn chapter
4 and
verse 44, He makes a very similar statement. He says a prophet has no honor
in his
- 6 -
own country. Same statement, only a little more succinctlyput. And, we see
that in
His own country, in His own home, in His own family, as He says in our
passage.
And that's already been demonstrated in this gospel.
You remember in chapter 3, His family had shown a greatdeal of doubt to
His
own legitimacy, the legitimacyof His ministry, and they tried to forcibly stop
His

ministry and take Him home because, as the text says, they thought that He
had lost
His senses.
In John chapter 7, it's recordedthat the Lord's brothers at that time didn't
believe in Him. Now, His hometownwas dishonoring Him. It all anticipates
the
greaterrejectionthat will come from His own countrymen at the end of His
ministry,
and that's merely an illustration of the greaterrejectionthat's coming from
His entire
creation, His, the whole world population, in the sense that Jews andGentiles
alike
rejectHim.
But here, it's underscoring, particularly the factthat those closestto Him have
rejectedHim because, to put it in that phrase that we have: familiarity breeds
contempt. And so, in the face of unbelief, the Lord restricted His ministry in
Nazareth. He stopped teaching and healing. He healed only a few people.
Verse 5
states:"He could do no miracles there."
Vincent Taylor, a British New Testamentscholarand an author of a
significant
commentary on the Book of Mark, wrote that this passage, that particular
verse, verse
5, is one of the boldest statements in the gospels since itmentioned something
that

Jesus couldnot do. Well, that's true, but the reasonthat the Lord could do no
miracles
was not due to a lack of power on His part, but a determination to withhold
blessing.
God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the second
person of the Trinity, is omnipotent. All-powerful. He cannot be frustrated by
man's
unbelief, as though unbelief is greaterthan God's power. And so, if that's the
sense
that Mr. Taylor has in his statement, then he's wrong about that.
The Lord is greaterthan any poweron earth, greaterthan the unbelief of
men.
But, He works according to principles that He has set. And He does not force
blessings upon those who will not receive them. And so, just as He taught in
parables
earlier, as you remember, when the people were showing signs of unbelief, and
in so
doing, hid the truth from them and only revealedit to those who were
believing later.
So here, He withheld miracles from those who had willfully rejectedHim.
BUILDING A NEW
WORLD

Catalog No. 5286
Mark 6:1-13
17th Message
ScottGrant
January 4, 2009
I was delighted to see Mark Spoelstra, a former intern
at Peninsula Bible Church, featured in Martin Scorcese’s
2005 documentary No DirectionHome: Bob Dylan. Mark,
a singerand songwriter, played with Dylan in the coffee
houses of New York in the early 1960s. He interned at PBC
in the mid-1970s and remained a followerof Jesus until
his death from cancerin 2007. Reflecting on his younger
years, when he and Dylan were both in their early twenties,
Spoelstra said, “We really believed we were going to have
a part, as songwriters, in changing the world.”1
It is the prerogative of the young—and dreamers of
every age—to wantto change the world. Jesus ofNazarethaspired to change
the world. More than that, he
aspired to build a new world. Although he defeatedevil
in his death and resurrection, his aspirations have yet to
be fully realized. So, as the resurrectedLord of the world,
how is he hoping to complete his mission? He’s hoping
to do so through us, his followers. He hands us a trowel

and says, “Getto work.” Uh, what do we do now? We
might begin by meeting Jesus againin the gospels—say,
in Mark 6:1-13.
After healing the unclean woman and raising the synagogue ruler’s daughter
from the dead by the Sea of Galilee,
Jesus travels to his hometown, Nazareth, about twenty-two
miles awayas the crow fl ies.2
Mark 6:1-13
Jesus wentout from there and came into His
hometown; and His disciples followed Him.
When the Sabbath came, 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 offense at Him. Jesus saidto
them, “A prophet is not without honor except
in his hometownand among his own relatives
and in his ownhousehold.” And He could do
no miracle there except that He laid His hands

on a few sick people and healed them. And He
wondered at their unbelief. And He was going
around the villages teaching.
And He summoned the twelve and beganto
send them out in pairs, and gave them authority
over the unclean spirits; and He instructed
them that they should take nothing for their
journey, excepta mere staff—no bread, no bag,
no money in their belt—but to wearsandals;
and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” And
He said to them, “Whereveryou enter a house,
SERIES:THE WAY OF THE LORD: FOLLOWING
JESUS IN THE GOSPELOF MARK
stay there until you leave town. Any place that
does not receive you or listen to you, as you go
out from there, shake the dust off the soles of
your feet for a testimony againstthem.” They
went out and preached that men should repent.
And they were casting out many demons and
were anointing with oil many sick people and
healing them.3
Cold shoulder for a native son
Earlier, when Jesus’family members journeyed from

Nazarethto Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, they tried to
rescue him because he was articulating a
controversialversionof the kingdom of God that upstaged
sacredsymbols such as the temple and the Sabbath. Jesus,
however, identifi ed those who were listening to him as
family members, even though they were unrelated to him
(Mark 3:13-35). Now, as Jesus makesthe journey from the
sea to his hometown, we wonder what kind of reception
he will receive. Mark mentions that Jesus’disciples are following him, an
important detail as the narrative unfolds.
The disciples up to this point have been mostly spectators,
not participants. That’s about to change.4
The residents take note of his wisdomand miracles and
wonder about him but in an impersonal and close-minded
way. They also take note of his vocation, that of a carpenter,
and his family, neither of which seems compatible with the
wisdom of his words and the power of his hands. Nothing
in Jesus’backgroundsuggestedto his hometown that he
was destined for this kind of greatness. Theyquestion the
source of his wisdom and power, knowing, perhaps with
more than a tinge of jealousy, that he didn’t getit from
them. In their presence, he used his hands to build things,
not healpeople and castout demons. At the outsetof his

gospel, Mark revealedto us the source ofJesus’wisdom
and power:the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:9-10). Scribes from
Jerusalem, however, attributed Jesus’powerto Satan(Mark
3:22). The residents of his hometownfall short of accusing Jesus ofbeing in
league with the devil, but they come
very near to doing so.
The townspeople name Jesus’mother and his brothers.
Mark, in reporting the words of the townspeople, would
have us remember that the names of Jesus’brothers are
also sharedby some Jesus’disciples (Mark 3:16-19). From
Mark’s perspective, the brothers, like the disciples, ought to
be following Jesus. The townspeople also note that Jesus’
sisters are “here with us,” not with Jesus. Mark laterreports
that women from Galilee—andevena mother named
Mary—followedJesus andministered to him, but neither
his mother nor his sisters are among them at this point
(Mark 15:40-41). If God were the source of Jesus’wisdom
and power, the townspeople conclude, then surely his own
family members, who know him best, would be following
him. From the perspective of Jesus’hometown, his family’s
resistance to him serves as evidence againsthim.
The men and women of Jesus’hometown can’t getpast
the waythey used to see him. Who he appears to be—not

to mention his controversialmessage—challengestheir
view of the world. They want him to keephis place so that
they can feelsafe. The collective defense mechanisms—so
common to families, towns, and institutions—kick in
to confi ne Jesus to their conceptionof him. The townspeople let Jesus know
what they think and, in so doing,
attempt to push his emotionalbuttons. Many of us know
what this is like: we know how to push such buttons, and
we know what it feels like to have such buttons pushed.
Literally, the townspeople are “stumbled” by him. Yes,
Jesus is a carpenter, but he is also the Son of God. He is
building more than houses. He is the stone over which
many people, including the people of his hometown,
stumble but which turns out to be the cornerstone ofa
new temple, made without hands, comprising the people
of God (Psalm 118:23;Mark 12:10-11;Romans 9:32-
33, 10:11). The townspeople fail to embrace the fuller
picture of Jesus that is emerging. Jesus refuses to submit
to his hometown’s fl awedconceptionof him. Instead, he
submits to his heavenly Father.5
Jesus, in explaining the effect of his parables, said some
would hear but not understand (Mark 4:10-12). Jesus is
like a parable to the residents of his hometown. Many

were “listeners,” but no one understood. They hear, but
they don’t really hear. They neither “hearthe word” nor
“acceptit” (Mark 4:20).
On the one hand, Jesus understands the response ofhis
hometown to be axiomatic. Prophets, he says, are honored
elsewhere but not in their hometowns and not among
their families. Moses, Jeremiah, and David would be cases
in point. For them, and for Jesus, familiarity breeds contempt. On the other
hand, in speaking to his townspeople
in this way, Jesus wants to help them understand that he,
like the men of old who were rejectedby their people, is
a prophet. A prophet he is—and more than a prophet.
Mark, in the previous passage, reportedthat Jesus entered
“the house of the synagogue ruler” and raisedhis daughter
from the dead. In his hometown, however, Jesus is not
honored, not even in (literally) “the house of him.”
When God called Abraham to be the father of a new
nation that would save the world, he told him:
Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a greatnation

And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be
blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
In order to fulfi ll God’s promise to Abraham, Jesus,
like the patriarch, must go forth from his country,
from his relatives, and from his house. When he’s
fi nished, he will have blessedall the families of the
earth, createdfrom them a new people, and brought
them into a new land: the new heavens and the new
earth.
Mark, in his previous passage, emphasizedfaith,
which means, at the broadest level, the belief that
God is working through Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus told
the uncleanwoman, “Daughter, your faith has made
you well” (Mark 5:34). He told the synagogue ruler,
“Do not be afraid any longer; only believe” (Mark
5:36). The people of Jesus’hometown, however,
question the source ofhis power. Mark depicts Jesus
as having the capacity for miracles—literally, “works

of power”—but not the ability in this case because
of unbelief. In his hometown, Jesus only healed a
few sick people, whereas by the sea, he raised a girl
from the dead.
Whereas the townspeople were astonishedby
Jesus, Jesuswonders attheir unbelief—their failure
to believe in the work of God. Yes, a prophet is not
without honor except in his hometown, but Jesus
expectedmore from his people.
Meeting Jesus again
We often form opinions of people basedon early
impressions in order to determine what we can expectfrom them. We want to
know their strengths,
weaknesses, andtendencies in order to effectively and
safelymake our way in the world. We do this quickly
and easily, almostas a matter of secondnature. Such
is the nature of self-protective and self-advancing psychologicalstrategies. We
do the same thing with Jesus.
All of us, to varying degrees, are familiar with Jesus.
We are in that sense like the people of his hometown.
We are also like them in another sense:because we’re
familiar with Jesus, we have an opinion of him.
Many confi ne Jesus to the pages ofhistory and

allow him no infl uence over their lives. Some, in support of unbelief, point to
all those who were reared in
the church but walkedawayfrom faith. If those who
should know Jesus best, like his own family members
(in the fi rst century) and people reared in the church
(today), shun him, then many conclude that he’s not
worth their time. Others, while believing him to be
dead and buried, acknowledgehis wisdom, like the
people of his hometown, and may even embrace
parts of his teaching. Still others believe that God
raisedJesus from the dead and submit their lives to
his leadership.
Catalog No. 5286page 2
Those of us who believe that Jesus is the risen Lord of
the world are especiallyfamiliar with him. We’ve formed
an opinion of him based on what we’ve been taught, what
we’ve learned, and what we’ve experienced. Becauseofour
familiarity with him, we may be inclined, like the people of
his hometown, to think we have him pegged. We do with
Jesus whatwe do with others in our world: we form an
opinion of him so that we can effectively and safely make
our way in the world, getting his help when we want it
and keeping him at arm’s length when we don’t.

For all of us who want to follow Jesus, we have to admit
that our knowledge ofhim is incomplete, no matter how
familiar we are with him. Sometimes, our familiarity with
him keeps us from embracing more of who he really is and
what he really is doing in our lives and in the world. We
may even, like the people of his hometown, take offense
at him—or at leastat the fuller picture of him that is
emerging—anddo all we can, when our defense mechanisms kick in, to hold
onto our old version of who he is
and what he’s doing. Jesus, however, doesn’tseeminclined
to conform himself to our fl awed vision of him. On the
contrary, he wants to help us, as he wanted to help the
people of his hometown, grow in our understanding of
him. Also, considerthis: the old version of Jesus may not
be worth holding onto, anyway.
Many who grow up with Jesus ceasefollowing him once
they realize they don’t like what they’ve been taught about
him. They never ask themselves, however, whichJesus
they’re rejecting:the Jesus they’ve learnedabout or the
Jesus ofthe gospels. Soonerorlater, all of us run into the
biggeststumbling block: Jesus doesn’tdo what we want
him to do for us and for the world. For this reason, many
question his effectiveness, notto mention his existence.

Why doesn’t Jesus do what we want him to do? Short
answer:because he’s building a new world. We can’t begin
to grasp the vastness ofGod’s vision or the intricacy of
his design. We can’t see with our eyes that what appears
to be a roadblock in the way of our hopes is in reality a
building block for a new world. Such roadblocks, which
often provoke crises in faith, confront us with a choice:
do we abandon Jesus or seek a fuller understanding of
him? When you follow Jesus and come to a roadblock on
your way to earthly bliss, know that you’re not seeing all
there is to see and that you have the opportunity to meet
Jesus again.
While training for ministry, Todd Cleek, now a pastor
at a church in Auburn, was taking a course at RegentCollege in Vancouver,
British Colombia. The professor, Rikk
Watts, askedthe class a question concerning the details of
Jesus’life. Cleek remembers:
I have no recollectionof what he askedspecifically, but
his response to the silence that followedshockedand changed
me. He rebuked us all, saying, “How canyou call Jesus Lord
and not know about him and his life?” I am sure the reasonI
remember Rikk’s comment so clearlyis that it rang true. There
we sat, thirty men and women, many training for ministry as

a vocationand we were unsure exactly who Jesus was!6
Perhaps some of those students neededto meet Jesus
again.
To guard againstsettling for a non-biblical version of
Jesus, renew your mind in the gospels and in the Hebrew
Scriptures, which inform the gospels. Letthe Jesus ofthe
gospels cleanseyourmind and form your understanding
of him.
Although many people shun Jesus because he doesn’t
conform to their expectations, many others emerge from
crises offaith with a renewed appreciationfor Jesus and a
strongerrelationship with him. Thus, writers such as Philip
Yancey and Tim Stafford, after renewing their minds with
the gospels in their middle years, write books with titles
such as The Jesus I Never Knew and Surprised by Jesus.
The Jesus ofthe gospels turns out to be not so tame as
many of us thought—concernedfor eachof us, yes, but
also concernedto enlist us in his mission to build a new
world. On the one hand, letting go of an old understanding of Jesus and
reaching out to embrace a new understanding may feellike a risky
undertaking, like letting go
of one trapeze bar and reaching out for another that may
or may not be there. On the other hand, those who reach

out for a new understanding are rewarded with the thrilling
prospectof following Jesus into the world in new ways.
Jesus sends out his disciples
Jesus goesforth from his hometown, from his relatives,
and from his house to teachin nearby villages. In the
process, he summons his disciples, whom Mark calls “the
twelve,” representatives ofJesus’new family and the new
Israel. The family of Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob,
comprised twelve sons, the patriarchs of the twelve tribes.
Jesus fi rst gatheredhis disciples in order that he might
send them out to preach and castout demons (Mark
3:14-15).
The disciples have seenpeople both acceptand reject
Jesus and his message. They’ve seenhim draw the ire of
powerful enemies, both human and demonic. They know,
basedon what Jesus has told them, that Satan“takes away
the word” from some (Mark 4:15). However, they’ve also
heard Jesus saythat he has bound the “strong man,” Satan
himself (Mark 3:27). They’ve watchedJesus preach, cast
out demons, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. By
schooling them in his parables, Jesus has taught them to
expectrejection but to believe that the kingdom of God
is breaking into this world regardless ofappearances.He

now shares his dangerous missionwith his disciples, sending them out with his
authority to announce and enact
the in-breaking of God’s kingdom. Jesus orchestratesthe
disciples’transition from spectators to participants.
The conquestof the PromisedLand began when Joshua
sent two spies to view the land (Joshua 2:1). The new
conquest, which will create a new people and enlarge the
PromisedLand so that it includes all creation, begins when
Jesus sends out his disciples in pairs.
Jesus’instructions to his disciples echo the danger
and urgency of both the Exodus and the conquest. The
Lord instructed the Israelites in Egypt, on the verge of
the Exodus, to eat the Passover“withyour loins girded,
your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand”
(Exodus 12:11). They ate unleavened bread because they
had no time to let bread rise when the time came to leave
Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:3). Similarly, Jesus instructs his
disciples to take nothing for their journey excepta mere
“staff” and to wear(literally) “tied sandals.” If the Israelites
of old ate unleavened bread, the disciples are to take no
bread whatsoever. The disciples can’t be weigheddown by
bag or money (literally, “copper” coins). They can’t even

take an extra shirt for protection againstthe cold. Like the
Israelites of old and like Jesus himself, who kept on the
move to avoid arrest, the disciples must be ready to move
at a moment’s notice.
Without provisions, the disciples will be dependent on
the hospitality of the villages they visit. Jesus’instructions
force them to believe in his authority to open doors—literally—justas the
Israelites of old had to depend on the
hospitality of God in the wilderness afterthey left Egypt.
The disciples must seek out houses that honor them, unlike Jesus’house. Like
the two spies who came to Jericho
and remained in the house of Rahabuntil they left, each
pair of disciples must remain in a house that receives
them (Joshua 2:1-7). In this way, the disciples will build
relationships and leave behind witnesses,just as the two
spies left behind Rahab.
Basedon the parables and on the coolreceptionJesus
receivedin some places, the disciples have been prepared
to expect rejection. Some would “hear the word and acceptit,” but others
would “not receive” or “listen” to the
disciples (Mark 4:15-19, 4:20, 6:11). They are to leave
behind witnessesin the houses that receive them, but
they themselves are to serve as witnesses as theyleave villages that rejecttheir
message. Some Jews, to avoid being

contaminated, would shake the dust off their feet when
leaving Gentile lands. Now Jesus tells his disciples to do
the same, in a public way, when leaving Jewishvillages
that rejectthem. The disciples would be symbolically
communicating that Jews who rejectthe messageofthe
kingdom are outside the people of God.7
The disciples follow orders. Jesus originallyappointed
them to preach and castout demons, and, in their fi rst
outing, they prove faithful to their commission. Like John
the Baptistand Jesus himself, they preachrepentance:the
abandonment of conventionalnotions of the kingdom of
God (Mark 1:4, 15). Whereas Jesus wasonly able to heal
“a few sick people” in his hometown because ofunbelief,
the disciples castout “many demons” and heal “many
sick people.”8
Jesus’ineffectivenessin his hometownis
overshadowedby his disciples’effectiveness in the surrounding villages.
Embracing Jesus’missionto the world
Sometimes, embracing more of who Jesus is involves
facing the rejectionof family and friends. If we follow
Jesus, however, he’ll turn rejectioninto a doorway. If our
family and friends rejectus, the Lord will take us up and

give us a new and largerfamily, comprising fellow followers of Jesus, with a
new and largerpurpose. Some of
us, therefore, must go forth from others’understanding
of us, like Jesus wentforth from his hometown. Always
watchfor how God transforms rejectioninto a doorway
for what he really wants to do in your life.
Embracing more of who Jesus is also involves embracing his missionto the
world. He orchestratesourtransition from spectators to participants, sharing
his mission
of mercy with us, sending us into a resistantbut needy
world with his authority. Jesus gifts us with the opportunity to participate in
his mission—andwe must see the
opportunity to participate as a gift, not as a burden, if we
are to truly embrace it. He enlists us in the new conquest,
the creationof a new people, and the expansion of the
PromisedLand. In short, he commissions us to build a
new world with him.
How do we do it? Like the fi rst disciples, we announce
the presence ofGod’s healing, loving rule in the person of
Jesus Christ and apply his rule in practical ways to the pain
of the world. Sure, if you meet a demon, castit out in Jesus’
name. More often, bring the love of God to bear on places
in our world where evil holds sway. Sure, heal the sick if
you can. More often, pray for the sick and care for them.

If we confront evil and care for the sick in courageousbut
loving ways, our messagebecomesself-authenticating.
When we announce the presence ofGod’s rule and apply
the balm of his love to the pain of the world, we give our
world a compelling vision for the new world that Jesus is
building. In fact, we lay a few bricks in the new world,
for those who take up a trowelin Jesus’name never toil
in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Teamup, like the disciples, in small groups or in
pairs—in your neighborhoods, in your workplaces,and
in your schools—to bring God’s healing, loving rule to
those places. Like the disciples, build relationships in
those places.
Some aspects ofthe disciples’short-term mission to
the villages of Galilee are not for all times and places. But
when and where swift and dangerous missions are called
for, yes, be careful, travel light, and keepon the move, lest
enemies of the gospelgeta fi x on you. Last year, when
I participated in a short-term mission to a country less
favorably disposed to the gospel, our hosts took measures
to guard againstterroristattacks. Theywhiskedus in and
out of our meetings. They never let us stay out in the open
for very long. Halfway through our stay, they moved us

from a hotel to a private residence. Also, while the symbol
of shaking the dust off one’s feet doesn’t translate well in
our culture, we may have occasionto tell people that their
rejectionof Jesus Christ places them in peril, outside the
reachof God’s healing, loving rule.
As we bring God’s healing, loving rule to the world,
Jesus, having schooledus in his parables, teaches us to
expectrejection—so that we’re not discouragedby it—but
to believe in God’s power. Jesus has bound the strong man,
Satanhimself, and sends us out with his authority to raid
DiscoveryPublishing © 2009. DiscoveryPublishing is the publications
ministry of Peninsula Bible Church. This messagefrom the Scriptures was
presentedat PENINSULABIBLE
CHURCH, Palo Alto. To receive additional copies ofthis messagecontact
DiscoveryPublishing, 3505 Middlefi eld Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306Phone
(650)494-
0623, www.pbc.org/dp. We suggesta 50 centdonation per printed messageto
help with this ministry.
Scripture quotations are takenfrom the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
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1995, 1996by the
LockmanFoundation. Used by permission.
enemy territory with the love of God. Jesus gives us every
reasonto be bold and courageous, notto mention cheerful and winsome.

Don’t let others have all the fun. Discoverthe power and
beauty of the kingdom. Incorporate the mission of Jesus
into your thinking, prayers, and vocation. Be a healing
teacher, a healing engineer, a healing bricklayer, a healing
student, a healing job-seeker;be a healing mother or father,
a healing sonor daughter, a healing brother or sister. Don’t
be paralyzed by everything you could do or everything
you think you should do to the extent that you do nothing. Also, refuse to be
motivated by guilt over inactivity.
Instead, let Jesus speak to your heart. Don’t turn yourself
into a fi sher of people. Follow Jesus, and he will make
you a fi sher of people (Mark 1:17). Don’t try to create
something; watchfor what Jesus is creating. Be sensitive
to stirrings in your heart that resonate with unexpected
opportunities. What, specifi cally, should you do? That’s
Jesus’business. Cultivate a relationship with him. He’ll
shape you and getyou to where he wants you.
I think of Jennifer Swanson, a member of our body,
as a healing teacherwho brings God’s rule to her public
elementary school. WhenI askedher recently about her
job, she answeredby speaking abouther concernfor one
of her pupils whose father, his sole caregiver, was seriously
injured in an automobile accident:

Jesus was rejected because he was common

Jesus was rejected because he was common

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Jesus was rejected because he was common