Jesus had been going around teaching, healing, and driving out demons. After being asked to leave the place where He had commanded the demons out of the man and into the pigs, Mark says this happened:
He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
Which is worse: asking Jesus to leave, or having Him throw up His hands and walk away? I've wondered at times what it might be like to go back to places where I grew up and be a pastor there: would it work? Would they be able to see the ways that I had changed? Would they be able to accept God's call on my life? Would they listen to what I had to say? For Jesus, people were shocked by His ability to unfold the scriptures in the synagogue, but they could not get past the fact that He was one of them; they could not stop seeing Him as "the carpenter". They took offense, they stumbled over who they thought Him to be. Then there is verse 5: 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. But wait, Jesus can do anything, yet here it says He was not able to do any mighty works there. Why? They would not believe in Him. Jesus had done nothing to disqualify himself. He did not have some wild, sinful past people could not forget; He was not some self-righteous arrogant Pharisee people had no interest in being like; He was rejected because people refused to believe Who He really was. He did some signs, some miracles, but people refused to receive them as evidence that what He said was to be accepted and trusted. What we believe about Jesus will affect what we see Him do in our lives.
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