MARK 6:1-6 HIS OWN COUNTRY The remarkable works of Jesus and the blessings that accompanied His work and teaching, did not have an effect on the people who knew Him all His life. There is a sense in which familiarity does breed contempt. When the Lord Jesus Christ came back to Nazareth this time, He brought along His disciples. These men had been eyewitnesses to the ways and works of the Lord and were probably expecting His own people and the community where He was raised to be excited and glad that one of their own had such an impact on the whole country. It appears however, that He brought them there to teach a lesson they needed to know in view of their future work for God. One who serves God will not be appreciated by those who are related to him, not even close family members.
When the Lord taught the Word of God in the synagogues, they criticized instead of responded to His teaching. They knew Him as "the Carpenter" who labored with them and for them. They knew His brothers and sisters - the family history. Now they knew He was the One doing miracles and was recognized as a teacher all around the nation. They heard His wisdom in teaching and were amazed at this Man. In essence they were saying, "He is one of us, raised here among us and worked among us. Where did He get this understanding? What power is behind all this He is doing?" There is the underlying conclusion that He is not any different from us, so this must be done by the powers of darkness. He couldn't be God or God's Servant because He was raised right here with us all of His life. We are not from God, so He can't be either.
The cause of their unbelief was envy. Their criticism was because He was obviously superior to them because of the miracles He did and the wise teaching He gave. It was impossible for them to think, and is to people to believe today, that a person who is one of us can be our teacher or can be used of God in a way that is different from us. Really, this is a form of condemnation of themselves and their limitations. The learned teachers of the law in Jerusalem had a similar problem. They thought their higher learning in the "schools" qualified them to give all the answers until they heard the True Teacher give the meaning of the Word of God. Their ignorance was displayed by the wisdom of God given by the God-Man, the Perfect Servant. Instead of wanting to do the will of God, they wanted to please themselves and exalt themselves. They were blinded by their own unbelief.
Unbelief effectively stops the work of God in a people and the area where they live. When God is excluded from the motive of living, people are left to themselves and their impotence. The Lord marveled because of their unbelief. He was fully aware of where unbelief comes from. "If our Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the mind of then which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto the." The effect of unbelief is a paralyzing of the power of God to bring great blessing. There were a few people around Nazareth, even as there are a few around here, "a few sick folks," who God heals from sin and its consequences.
People today generally will not believe what they cannot explain in the context of their own experience. They even seek to make truth to be limited to what their own preconceived ideas are. As far as most people are concerned, if the Gospel doesn't give me some unusual feeling, some instant power to bring world peace, the ability to overcome the binding power of addiction instantaneously and makes me rich - then I won't believe it. Even if it written in the Bible, I won't believe it. The refusal to believe the scriptures of truth stops the work of the Gospel because of that unbelief.
Jesus taught God's Word with wisdom and power because He is God. He was sent from God, by God, for the work of God. Even though His own kinsfolk saw Him only as a man, we know Him as the God-Man who is the Savior of the world.
Much as we appreciate those of our flesh and blood - It is much more important for one to be a child of God. The few years of living on earth soon will be gone. All we will have to show for living is what for Christ we have done.
I shouldn't condemn those who don't understand me. All they can grasp are the things they can see. What is inside me and Holy Spirit's motivation - I think they may believe is an act of ostentation.
It is hard to explain how God has chosen to bless What He has placed in my heart is not done under duress. It is prompted by God's grace that through me He has used To bring about blessing in those He did choose.
Those things have been done for the glory of God alone. It may never be accepted by those who live here at home. But God can and will use that which is done for Him. And I can't worry too much about the effect upon them.
"Father in heaven, in Thy abounding grace it has pleased Thee to use this weak servant to fulfill some things in Thy great plan. May I always give Thee all the glory for anything that is of value for the furtherance of Thy Gospel and the benefit of Thy dear saints. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."