Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’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. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. – Mark 6:1-6
The sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel depicts Jesus offering the blessings of God to the sinful world. What are these blessings of God that Jesus offers to the sinful world? How does the sinful world receive Jesus’ offer?
God blesses the sinful world both physically and spiritually. Martin Luther refers to the physical blessings of God in the Explanation of the First Article of the Creed: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; Also clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; That He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil…” Are these the blessings of God that Jesus offers the sinful world in the sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel? Probably not. When Jesus teaches in the Nazareth synagogue, He gives the people a spiritual blessing. When Jesus sends out His disciples two by two, He also gives the people a spiritual blessing. Martin Luther refers to the spiritual blessings of God in the Explanation of the Second Article of the Creed: “I believe that Jesus Christ…has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, That I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness…” The spiritual blessings of God that Jesus gives to the sinful world is Himself.
How does the sinful world receive Jesus’ offer? Sometimes they reject it. By doing so, they also reject Him. This happens to Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth where the people “took offense at him” (verse 3), and appear to search for reasons to not believe His teaching (verses 2 and 3). The result? Jesus leaves Nazareth and goes to another place where the people may be more receptive to His message: “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village” (verses 5 and 6). Jesus’ experience in His hometown of Nazareth may remind readers of Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet, when God sends him to his own people: “He said: ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen – for they are a rebellious people – they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious” (Ezekiel 2:3-7).
Why does the sinful world sometimes reject Jesus’ offer of the blessings of God? They may either reject Jesus, Himself, or they may reject the message. If the people of Nazareth reject Jesus, they reject Him because they know Him. Since they know Jesus and His family (and have known them for over thirty years), they cannot believe that He is a prophet of God: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home” (verse 4). The people of Nazareth reject the messenger. If the people of Nazareth reject Jesus’ message, they reject it because they don’t believe it: Jesus “was amazed at their lack of faith” (verse 6).
How does the sinful world receive Jesus’ offer? Sometimes they accept it. This happens when Jesus sends out His disciples two by two. Although not everyone receives them, some do. The result? Jesus’ disciples preach repentance, drive out demons, and heal the sick (verses 12-13). Why does the sinful world sometimes accept Jesus’ offer of the blessings of God? Can the sinful world accept Jesus’ message of salvation without some sort of divine intervention or spiritual help from above? Probably not. Martin Luther refers to this divine intervention or spiritual help from above in the Explanation of the Third Article of the Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; Even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; In which Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all sins to me and all believers, And will at the Last Day raise up me and all the dead, and give unto me and all believers in Christ eternal life.”
If this is the case, then the sinful world cannot have any credit for accepting Jesus’ message. All credit for the spiritual salvation of the sinful world belongs to God. The Apostle Paul says that people should boast about God’s power to save them and His willingness to do so: God “said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). God gives blessings, both physical and spiritual, to the sinful world. Not because the sinful world deserves them, but because of the grace of God. God wants to bless those who don’t deserve it. Jesus offers this message to the sinful world.
Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. – Mark 6:7-13
