Mark 6:1
And he went out from thence,; And He went out from there--NASB; He left that place--NEB; Then he left that district--Phi; and came into his own country;; and went to his home town-- NEB; and went to his own part of the country--Rieu; and his disciples follow him.; ...followed him--RSV; ...went with him--Bas; accompanied by His disciples--Wey; And he went forth from thence, and cometh into his own city,--and his disciples follow him. And he went forth thence, and came to his own country, and his disciples do follow him, TRNTyeagerV353,4 - Kai exAlthen ekeithen, kai erchetai eis tAn patrida autou, kai akolouthousin autw hoi mathAtai autou. Kai (continuative conjunction). exAlthen (3d.per.sing.aor.act.ind.of exerchomai, constative). ekeithen (adverbial). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining verbs). erchetai (3d.per.sing.pres.ind.of erchomai, historical). eis (preposition with the accusative of extent). tAn (acc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with patrida). patrida (acc.sing.fem.of patris, extent). autou (gen.sing.masc.of autos, possession). kai (continuative conjunction). akolouthousin (3d.per.pl.pres.act.ind.of akolouthew, historical). autw (dat.sing.masc.of autos, personal interest). hoi (nom.pl.masc.of the article in agreement with mathAtai). mathAtai (nom.pl.masc.of mathAtAs, subject of akolouthousin). autou (gen.sing.masc.of autos, relationship). Translation: "And He left there and came into His home town, and His disciples followed Him." Comment: After using the aorist exAlthen, Mark continues with the historical present. eis tAn patrida autou - "into His fatherland." His home town, Nazareth, where Joseph and Mary lived and where Jesus spent His childhood, although Capernaum was now, temporarily at least, His headquarters. Matthew records two healing incidents in Capernaum, following the resurrection of Jairus' daughter in Mt.9:27- 34. This He did before leaving Capernaum to return to Nazareth. It will be recalled that this is Jesus' second trip to Nazareth since He left there at the age of thirty to be baptized by John. Read the account of His first rejection in Lk.4:16-30. Then He had read Isa.61:1-2a in the synagogue and had said things which enraged the Nazarenes who tried to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff. "No prophet is accepted in His own country" (Lk.4:24) He had said on that occasion. Things had not changed in Nazareth since Jesus was there before, as we shall see. His ministry began in the same place and on a similar occasion as on His previous visit, as we see in the next verse. R880 - akolouthousin seems to be used as a durative historical present, "his disciples followed him." WMitNTearle137 - The Greek word patris comes from patAr, "father," and so literally means "belonging to one's fathers." It was sometimes used for "fatherland" or "homeland" and may carry that connotation in Jn.4:44 ("his own country," NIV). But in its other occurrences in the NT it clearly means "home town" (Mt.13:54,57; Mk.6:1,4; Lk.4:23-24). That this is the correct meaning is demonstrated conclusively by Lk.4:23, where the people of Nazareth say to Jesus, "Do here in your home town what we have heard that you did in Capernaum" (NIV). Capernaum was just as much "thy country" (KJV) or "your own country" (RSV) as was Nazareth. It might be noted that patris is used for "home town" frequently in the papyri and inscriptions of that period--so much so that Moulton and Milligan say of patris: "'native place,' 'native town,' rather than 'native land'" (VGT, p.499). MARKitGNTwuest119 - "Came into His own country." The word for "country" is patris "one's native country, one's native place i.e., city." Our Lord had not lived in Bethlehem since His birth. Nazareth had been His home for almost thirty years. Neither Matthew nor Mark mention Nazareth by name. But the word patris makes it clear that that city and it environs are meant. Jesus was going back home again. Expositors thinks it very probable that this was another one of our Lord's attempts to escape from the crowd into a scene of comparative quiet and rest, as He did in the case of the hill (3:13), the eastern shore (5:1), and now Nazareth (6:1) Translation: "And He went out from there and comes into His own fatherland. And His disciples follow with Him." TCGTC-MARKcranfield192,3 - THE REJECTION AT NAZARETH (6:1-6a). Bultmann's suggestion that the narrative is an ideal scene constructed by the primitive Palestinian community out of the saying which has come down to us in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri ... is rightly rejected by Taylor. The section contains elements which it is particularly hard to imagine the early Church's inventing: the statement in vs.5, the reference to Jesus' kinsfolk in v.4 which was discreditable to people who had come to be prominent in the Church, and probably also the designation of Jesus as 'son of Mary'. These guarantee that we have here reliable historical tradition. ekeithen with a verb of motion is used as a connecting- link between sections four times in Mk (here and 7:24; 9:30; 10:1). In view of this rareness and Mark's general restraint in introducing connections, it is probable that the at least had reason to suppose that the incident recorded in vs.1-6a followed those recorded in vs.21-43, though other incidents may have intervened. The matter is particularly interesting, since in both Mt. and Lk. the rejection at Nazareth is placed in different contexts. The Mt. context does not differ so widely from the Markan; but Lk. has an independent account of a rejection at Nazareth at the very beginning of the Galilean ministry (4:16-30). On the whole it seems likely that Lk.4:16ff. refers to the same incident as Mk.6:1-6a=Mt.13:53-8 (though it is strange that in Mk and Mt. there is no hint of the violence reported in Lk.4:28f.). The Lk. context is clearly less probable. Lk.4:23b betrays it artificiality. It was probably because it seemed a particularly significant frontispiece for the account of the ministry of Jesus that Luke decided to place the narrative of the rejection in this setting. tAn patrida autou. In neither Mk nor Mt. is Nazareth mentioned here, but presumably it is meant. That Nazareth is referred to as Jesus' patris is not inconsistent with the tradition of his birth in Bethlehem; it was natural enough to use the term of the place where he was brought up. kai akolouthousin autw hoi mathAtai autou. A detail dropped in Mt., but important for Mark, because in this part of the gospel he is concerned with their training. Their Master's rejection by his fellow townsmen was a valuable lesson for them, could they but grasp it. NTC-MARKhendriksen219,20,1 - With the exception of the incidents reported in 5:17 and 5:40, all through chapter 5 faith triumphed; namely, in the case of the cured demoniac, who testified (vs. 19,20), the woman who touched Christ's garment (28,34), and Jairus, who took to heart Christ's admonition, "Fear not, only believe" (36; cf. Matt. 9:18). But if chapter 5 can be called The faith Chapter, chapter 6 deserves the title The No Faith Chapter. Nazareth lacks faith. So does Herod, many mission objects, and even to a certain extent The Twelve. See verses 6,11,16,52. Nevertheless faith triumphs in the end (vs. 53-56). The mourners (5:40) had "laughed down" (the Greek idiom), and the people of Nazareth look down on Jesus (6:3). Undaunted, he intensifies his efforts in the interest of the good news. Not only does he himself go around among the villages teaching, but he even sends his disciples on a tour of their own. Result? The "king" hears about Jesus. Did Nazareth criticize? Herod cringes, believing that Jesus is John the Baptist come back to life. It was he, this very Herod Antipas, who had ordered John's execution. The gruesome story of this decapitation is told in 6:14-29. The Twelve return and excitedly report to their Master. He lovingly bids them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while" (6:30). For the results and further happenings see 6:32-56. That Matthew should devote an entire chapter to The Charge to The Twelve (ch. 10), summarized in Mk. 6:6b-13 and Lk. 9:1-6, was to be expected, for Matthew specializes in Christ's discourses. There is no agreement on the question why Luke departs from what was probably the historical sequence, and in his Gospel places the account of the rejection at Nazareth in the forefront of his coverage of the Great Galilean Ministry, while Matthew and Mark give a much later place to it. Some have suggested two rejections at Nazareth. For the rest, see commentaries on Luke. Reasons for accepting the theory that in all three cases the reference is to the same incident: a. The general outline of the story is the same in all three: On a sabbath Jesus enters his hometown. He teaches in the synagogue. Result: astonishment, adverse criticism, rejection. b. Essentially the same dominical saying occurs in all three accounts (Matt. 13:57; Mk. 6:4; Lk. 4:24). c. The historical background creates no difficulty, since even according to Luke's account (see 4:23) Christ's rejection at Nazareth did not occur at the beginning of Christ's Galilean Ministry but much later. The identification is made easier by the fact that, aside from what is implied in 4:23, there are no time references attached to Luke's account. It is clear from Matt. 13:53,54 that the visit to Nazareth occurred sometime after jesus spoke his kingdom parables, although how long afterward is nowhere indicated. Did this visit and rejection take place late A.D. 28? This possibility must be granted. As to Mk. 6:1-6a and its parallels in Matthew and Luke, details recorded by Mark but not by Matthew and Luke are: a. Jesus' disciples accompany him to Nazareth; b. Jesus was amazed because of the people's unbelief; and c. because of this lack of faith in him he could not perform any miracle there; exception: he placed his hands on and healed a few sick people. As to Matthew, except for the already indicated details, his account just about coincides with that of Mark. Luke, in his far richer coverage - 15 verses compared to 6 for Matthew and 5 1/2 for Mark - , supplies the text and gist of Christ's sermon. In addition to telling us how it was received Luke gives us a much fuller account (than do Matthew and Mark) of the manner in which Jesus answered his critics and of their resulting hostile reaction. Sometime - we do not know how long - after leaving Capernaum Jesus entered his "hometown," that is, the place where he had been brought up. Basically the word used in the original and here translated "hometown" means "fatherland," but here the definition "the place where he had been brought up" is clearly correct, as Lk. 4:16 proves. See also Mk. 6:4; Matt. 13:54,57; Lk. 4:23,24; Jn. 4:44. Cf. Heb. 11:14. Even though Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:5,6; Lk. 2:4,15; Jn. 1:45; 7:42; cf. Mic. 5:2), and during a large part of his public ministry had his headquarters in Capernaum (Matt. 4:13), he was and remained "Jesus of Nazareth" (Matt. 2:23; 21:11; 26:71; Mk. 1:24; 10:47; 14:67; 16:6; Lk. 18:37, etc.). It may be of some importance to note that The Twelve are with their Master again; contrast 5:37. There are those who interpret this to mean that the visit to Nazareth was not of a private nature. They could be right. TNICotNT-MARKlane200 - Jesus left Capernaum and travelled southward into the hill country until he came to the village where he had spent his youth and the early years of his maturity. While Mark does not name Nazareth, he has earlier indicated that this was the village from which Jesus came, and it is undoubtedly in view under the phrase "his own country." Jesus returned to Nazareth as would a rabbi, accompanied by his disciples. The reference to the disciples is important, for during this period Jesus had been concerned with their training in preparation for the mission which Mark reports in Ch. 6:7-13. MARKj&d163,4 - COMMENT TIME - Autumn of A.D. 28, and early winter of A.D. 29. This second rejection of Christ at Nazareth (vs. 1-5) was soon after the healing of Jairus' daughter, autumn, A.D. 28. The sending out of the twelve followed very soon, and their labors extended through several weeks of the autumn of 28, and early winter of 29. PLACES. - From Capernaum the Savior went to "his own country," to Nazareth, where he had been reared, not far from twenty miles to the southwest of Capernaum. Being there rejected a second time, he went into the villages "round about" in the vicinity of Nazareth, teaching. From one of these, what one is unknown, he sent the apostles out on their mission. PARALLEL ACCOUNTS. - Jesus at Nazareth (vs. 1-5) with Matt. 13:54-58, and Lk. 4:16-30. LESSON OUTLINE. - 1. Christ Rejected again at Nazareth. ANALYSIS I. CHRIST REJECTED AGAIN AT NAZARETH. vs. 1-6 1. Comes to Nazareth. Mk. 6:1; Matt. 13:54; Lk. 4:16 2. Teaches on the Sabbath. Mk. 6:2; Matt. 13:54; Lk. 4:17 3. The People Offended. Mk. 6:3; Matt. 13:57; Lk. 4:28 4. Prophet Not Honored at Home. Mk. 6:4; Matt. 13:57; Lk. 4:24. 5. Their Unbelief. Isa. 53:1; Mk. 6:5,6; Matt. 13:58. INTRODUCTION After the healing of the woman, the Lord raised from the dead the daughter of Jairus, the account of which is given in Mk. 5:35-43. Immediately after this, on his return home (Capernaum) from the house of Jairus, Christ heals two blind men and a dumb possessed, giving the Pharisees new occasionto say that he cast out devils, through Satan. Matthew alone (9:27-34) mentions these incidents. Jesus, then accompanied by his disciples, goes into Lower Galilee, agan visiting Nazareth, where he is the second time rejected, the account given in Lk. 4:14-29, being held to describe an earlier incident of the Lord's ministry. If that be correct, the Savior gave them a second opportunity to accept the gospel after his fame as a great Teacher had been established, and when they rejected him a second time he returned no more. EXPLANATORY NOTES I. CHRIST REJECTED AGAIN AT NAZARETH. - 1. "And he went out from thence." From Capernaum, where he made his home. "Came to his own country." To Nazareth, the town where he had been reared from childhood and had lived until he was thirty years of age. Whether his mother still lived in Nazareth is a matter of conjecture. Cook says: "The works wrought in the interval (since his first rejection, nine months before, April, A.D. 28), the effects of his personal influence, the progress made in spite of all opposition, might be expected to work upon the minds of the Nazarenes so far as to prepare them for listening to him, notwithstanding their former rejection. Natural sympathy would draw him thither. His sisters, probably married to Nazarenes still dwelt there." "His disciples follow Him." The twelve apostles are meant. They now constantly attended his footsteps. The presence of the Lord and his companions at Nazareth would, no doubt, produce a strong effect. His fame had extended over all Israel. Mark 6:2 And when the sabbath day was come,; When the Sabbath came round-- Rieu; And on the sabbath--RSV; he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying,; And the many as they heard were astonished, saying--ABUV; and the large audience was astounded--Mof; many, as they listened, were deeply impressed--Mon; From whence hath this man these things?; Whence hath this man these things--ASV; Where did he get all this--Gspd; How did he come by all this--Knox; and what wisdom is this which is given unto him,; How does he come to have such wisdom--Gspd; that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?; and what mean such mighty works wrought...--ASV; And, such miracles are wrought through his hands!--ABUV; and How does he work such miracles--NEB; --and what about these marvelous things that he can do--Phi; And /when it was Sabbath\ he began to be teaching in the synagogue, and //the greater part\\ /as they heard\ were being struck with astonishment, saying Whence hat this man these things?--and-- What the wisdom which hath been given to this man?--and-- //Such mighty works as these\\ /through his hands\ are coming to pass! and sabbath having come, he began in the synagogue to teach, and many hearing were astonished, saying, 'Whence hath this one these things? and what the wisdom that was given to him, that also such mighty works through his hands are done"' TRNTyeagerV354,5,6 - kai genomenou sabbatou Arxato didaskein en tA sunagwgA, kai polloi akouontes exeplAssonto legontes, Pothen toutw tauta, kai tis hA sopphia hA dotheisa toutw hina kai dunameis toiautai dia twn cheirwn autou ginwntai; kai (continuative conjunction). genomenou (aor.part.gen.sing.neut.of ginomai, genitive absolute). sabbatou (gen.sing.neut.of sabbaton, genitive absolute). Arxato (3d.per.sing.aor.mid.ind.of archw, ingressive). didaskein (pres.act.inf.of didaskw, complementary). en (preposition with the locative of place). tA (loc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with sunagwgA). sunagwgA (loc.sing.fem.of sunagwgA, place where). kai (continuative conjunction). polloi (nom.pl.masc.of polus, subject of exeplAssonto). akouontes (pres.act.part.nom.pl.masc.of akouw, adverbial, temporal). exeplAssonto (3d.per.pl.imp.pass.ind.of ekplAssomai, inceptive). legontes (pres.act.part.nom.pl.masc.of legw, adverbial, circumstantial). Pothen (interrogative conjunction). toutw (dat.sing.masc.of outos, personal advantage). tauta (nom.pl.neut.of outos, subject of verb understood). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining clauses). tis (interrogative pronoun, nom.sing.neut.of tis, predicate nominative, in agreement with sophia). hA (nom.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with sophia). sophia (nom.sing.fem.of sophia, subject of verb understood). hA (nom.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with dotheisa). dotheisa (2d.aor.pass.part.nom.sing.fem.of didwmi, adjectiveal, ascriptive in the emphatic attributive position). toutw (dat.sing.masc.of outos, indirect object of dotheisa). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining nouns). hai (nom.pl.fem.of the article in agreement with dunameis). dunameis (nom.pl.fem.of dunamis, subject of verb understood). toiauta (nom.pl.fem.of toioutos, in agreement with dunameis). dia (preposition with the ablative of agent). twn (abl.pl.fem.of the article in agreement with cheirwn). cheirwn (abl.pl.fem.of cheir, agent). autou (gen.sing.masc.of autos, possession). ginomenai (pres.part.nom.pl.fem.of ginomai, adjectival, ascriptive, in agreement with dunameis). Translation: "And on the sabbath day He began to teach in the synagogue. And many when they heard were seized with amazement, saying, 'Where did these things ehich this man is doing come from? And what is the wisdom which has been given to this man. And what about such miracles which are being performed by His hands?" COMMENT: Jesus did not wait long to begin His ministry in His old home town. genomenou sabbatou - i.e. the first sabbath day after He arrived in town. He began to teach in the synagogue. This had been His old custom during His days as a carpenter (Lk.4:16). He had resumed it briefly on His first return. Now He is back at His old place. There was a large audience - ho polloi akouontes. They were unusually impressed with Jesus' teaching as the inceptive imperfect tense of exeplAssonto indicates. They were seized with amazement. The synagogue buzzed with half whispered comment. One gets a picture of the audience, as, amazed almost beyond control, they visited with one another about it. One said, Pothen toutw tauta - "Where did this man get all of this?" Another said, "What wisdom has been given to this man!" There may be a touch of sarcasm here. One does not use a demonstrative pronoun when speaking in a friendly wayabout an old acquaintance. This is what is known as the contemptuous use of the demonstrative. The emphatic attributive position given to dotheisa, the ascriptive participle, is a reflection of their contempt and scorn. "This wisdom had to be given to him, because we know him. He has not been to Rabbinical school. He is only an uneducated carpenter. Some one else was saying, "What miracles at His hands are being manifested." Many may have remembered Jesus' ministry at His last visit, when He had said that Isa.61:1,2a was even then being fulfilled by Him, but that He would fulfill only that part of it having to do with God's mercy, while the judgment phase must await His second coming. He had said other things then which reflected unfavorably upon the local gentry. In fact, they had become so enraged that they had tried to push Him off a cliff. Study carefully the comments on Lk.4:16-30. Grudgingly they were being forced to admit that their old friend and neighbor was the best preacher they had ever heard, and there was no doubt about His miracles. But the wickedness and blight of their benighted, prejudiced hearts turned their grudging admission of His greatness into envy and resentment. What horrid fruitage of unbelief! R735 - Tis is equivalent to poios here ("where does it come from?'--BD298[2]). T31 - Polloi means "the majority" (even without the article). H462 - The prepositional phrase dia twn cheirwn is obviously modelled upon the vernacular phrase dia cheiros, referring to money paid "directly." MARKitGNTwuest119,20 - "He began to teach in the synagogue." Our Lord had come away from the crowds in order to rest. But when the ruler of the synagogue invited Him to speak to the assembled congregation, He could not resist the opportunity of giving out the Word. "From whence hath this man these things?" The question was asked in a curt, laconic, and stinging fashion. Literally it is "from where, to this fellow these things?" "Were astonished." The verb is ekplAssw "to strike out, expel by a blow, to strike one out of self-possession," in a passive sense, "to be struck with astonishment." The discourse and the miracles of our Lord struck them so forcibly that they were astonished to the point of losing control of themselves. The verb is imperfect, showing that this condition of being beside themselves with amazement continued for some time. It is, "they were continuing to be beside themselves with amazement." The prefixed preposition ek meaning "out," shows an exhausted state of affairs. It reminds one of an automobile tire that has been deflated. Their astonishment was so great that their self-possession was exhausted. In the language of Webster, they were completely flabbergasted. This is the English word that adequately translates the Greek word. It does not partake of the polished diction of the A.V., but neither does the Greek text. And in spite of this unimpeachable testimony, present day Modernists persist in riding their hobby-horse of "No miracles in days gone by because there are no miracles today." "Mighty works." The word is dunamis, a word used in the NT, to speak of miracles from the standpoint of the supernatural power exerted in their performance. This word is used in Romans 1:16 where Paul speaks of the gospel as the power of God resulting in salvation. Here Jesus was back home among the people who had known Him for almost thirty years as the son of Mary and Joseph, one of their own number. They saw the miracles and noted the wisdom which was not of this world, but wondered where both had come from. Translation: "And when the Sabbath had come, He began to be teaching in the synagogue. And the many hearing, were completely flabbergasted, saying, From where does this one get these things? And what wisdom is this which has been given to this fellow? Even such great exhibitions of power take place through the medium of His hands? TCGTC-MARKcranfield193 - ... hoi polloi. See on 1:34. Jeremias is probably right in thinking that the meaning here is 'all who were present' (cf. Lk.4:22: pantes), though hoi polloi can also mean 'the majority' (e.g. in Mt.24:12 the meaning 'all' is clearly impossible) and conceivably might here. exeplAssonto. See on 1:22. The surprise here recorded was about to issue in incredulity and a skandalizesthai. Pothen k.t.l. While it is true that Lk.4:16ff. appears to depict a developing crescendo of hostility, there is little justification in the text of Mk for the view that there is a perceptible change of tone between vs.2 and 3, and surely not enough to warrant the suggestion that two different traditions have here been fused. The passive participle dotheisa is not necessarily an admission that the wisdom has been given by God: it is possible that some such dark suspicions as those mentioned in 3:22 were not far away. On dunameis see the concluding note on 1:29-31. dia twn cheirwn autou probably does not refer specially to the part played by his touch (e.g. 1:41), but simply reflects Semitic idiom. NTC-MARKhendriksen221,2 - However that may be, Mark continues. See what has been said about the synagogue in connection with 1:39, the special section on this subject. See also on 1:21 ff.; and on 3:1. From Lk. 4:17 f. we learn that by the synagogue's "attendant" the scroll of Isaiah had been handed to Jesus. As his text he selected Isa. 61:1,2a; or else this portion of Isaiah was the "haphtarah" (lesson from the Prophets) for that particular sabbath. As Luke relates, Isaiah predicts that in the age to come the Spirit would rest upon God's Anointed One, who would proclaim good tidings to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed, "the acceptable year of the Lord." At this point, so that evangelist continues, Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and while all eyes were fixed on him, said, "Today, in your very hearing, this passage of Scripture has been fulfilled." He was affirming that by means of himself and his ministry Isaiah's bright promise was being realized. As Mark agrees, the first reaction on the part of the audience was favorable. Jesus had spoken with such inner conviction, freshness, authority, and graciousness that his old acquaintances were struck with astonishment. However, this favorable reaction did not last. Enthusiasm began to be replaced by adverse criticism. Surely, the words were wonderful, but coming from him..from him? How was that possible? Where did this man...one might even translate this fellow ...get thesethings?" The man and the things - the speaker and the things he spoke - seemed to them to be utterly incongruous, to clash. Surely an ordinary, unschooled individual, such as they "knew" (?) Jesus to be, had no business revealing "this kind of" wisdom! Then also, what about the miracles or "works of power" reportedly performed "by his hands," that is, through him as the agent? The people of Nazareth could not very well deny the facts. The distance between Nazareth and Capernaum was only about twenty miles, and this audience knew that in and around that city many works of power - for that is what the word here used for "miracles" means - had been performed by their townsman Jesus. See Mk. 1:21-34, 40-45; 2:1-12; 3:1- 6; 5:21-43. But what was the source of all this? Cf. Matt. 11:28. That the source of both the words and the works might be God did not seem to occur to them. Besides, if in Capernaum he did all this - and they did not reject the reports -, then why does he not do something similar here in Nazareth? Let him start his performance! See Lk. 4:23. Did he not owe this to his own hometown? The evangelist Mark places special stress on a. the source of Jesus' teaching, and b. the nature of the wisdom that even enables him to perform miracles. MARKj&d164,5 - "When the sabbath day was come." The seventh day of the week, Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, always observed by the Savior as a part of the Jewish law which remained in force until he died upon the cross. The language implies that one day or more elapsed between his arrival and his public teaching. It had been the practice of Jesus, from early childhood, to attend all the synagogue services; and he was still suffered to do so, in spite of the opposition he had excited. When Sabbath came, therefore, he went to morning worship. "He began to teach in the synagogue." The synagogues of the Jews were the town and village churches, where they worshipped in their various quarters for ordinary occasions when they need not go up to Jerusalem. Most probably there would be only one in so small a place. But in all the Jewish synagogues there was a freedom of speech allowed; and there would be no objection, therefore, to one like Jesus, who had already achieved for himself a name as a remarkable rabbi, addressing the assembled congregation. "Many hearing, were astonished." The usual effect upon those who hard the wonderful Teacher was produced. The sentiments which follow were probably expressed while he was teaching. A Jewish audience was not as docorous as the modern congregation in the United States or Great Britain. Some uttered one thing and some another. "From whence hath this man these things? The things, namely, that he was saying. The simple people marvelled at his facility and power of utterance, and at the weighty character of the thoughts that were conveyed by the utterances. "What wisdom is this?" They admitted the existence of great intellectual and rhetorical superiority; but they stood in doubt in reference to the origin of such superiority; was it from above, or from beneath? "Such mighty works." As the evangelist notes in verse 5, that no mighty work had been done in Nazareth, these must refer to what had been reported there. They do not venture to deny his wisdom or his miracles, but, by wondering at them, really bear witness to them. This admission left them inexcusable, both intellectually and morally, for not receiving Jesus as the true Messiah. Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter,; Is not this the wood-worker--Bas; He's only the carpenter--Phi; the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon?; the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon--ASV; and are not his sisters here with us?; And do not His sisters live here among us--Wey; And they were offended at him.; And they took offense at him--RSV; And they were deeply offended with him--Phi; And so they found a cause for stumbling over him--Wms; This proved a hindrance to their believing in him--TCNT; Is not /this\ the carpenter? the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?-- and they were finding cause of stumbling in him. 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 were being stumbled at him. TRNTyeagerV356,7 - ouk outos estin ho tektwn, ho huios tAs Marias kai adelphos Iakwbou kai IwsAtos kai Iouda kai Simwnos; kai ouk eisin hai adelphai autou hwde pros hAmas; kai eskandalizonto en autw. ouch (summary negative conjunction in rhetorical question). outos (nom.sing.masc.of outos, subject of estin, contemptuous use). estin (3d.per.sing.pres.ind.of eimi, aoristic). ho (nom.sing.masc.of the article in agreement with tektwn). tektwn (nom.sing.masc.of tektwn, predicate nominative). ho (nom.sing.masc.of the article in agreement with huios). huios (nom.sing.masc.of huios, apposition). tAs (gen.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with Marias). Marias (gen.sing.fem.of Marias, relationship). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining nouns). adelphos (nom.sing.masc.of adelphos, apposition). Iakwbou (gen.sing.masc.of Iakwbos, relationship). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining nouns). IwsAtos (gen.sing.masc.of IwsAph, relationship). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining nouns). Iouda (gen.sing.masc.of Ioudas, relationship). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining nouns). Simwnos (gen.sing.masc.of Simwn, (relationship). kai (emphatic conjunction). ouk (summary negative conjunction in rhetorical question). eisin (3d.per.pl.pres.ind.of eimi, aoristic). hai (nom.pl.fem.of the article in agreement with adelphai). adelphai (nom.pl.fem.of adelphA, subject of eisin). autou (gen.sing.masc.of autos, relationship). hwde (adverbial, place). pros (preposition with the accusative of extent - "near to" - with persons). hAmas (acc.pl.masc.of egw, extent). kai (continuative conjunction). eskandalizonto (3d.per.pl.imp.pass.ind.of skandalizw, inceptive). en (preposition with the instrumental of cause;?? loc.of sphere) autw (instru.sing.masc.of autos, cause;?? loc.of sphere). Translation: "Is not this fellow the carpenter - the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Juda and Simon? In fact are not His sister here, well known to us? And they began to be offended because of Him." COMMENT: The passage reeks with small town prejudice. ouk in interrogation is rhetorical question expecting an affirmative in reply. It is a strong negation in effect therefore. The use of outos in contempt indicates that Jesus was a nobody to the Nazarenes. "Was he not...?" Of course, everybody in town knew Jesus, not as Incarnate Son of God, but as the local carpenter, illegitimate child of Mary and brother to the other boys and girls who were born after Joseph and Mary got married. His half-brothers and sisters show up only infrequently in the Scriptures and never in a good light (Mt.13:55,56, the parallel passage; Mk.3:31-35; Mt.12:46-50; Lk.8:19-21). Note the inceptive imperfect in eskandalizonto. "They began to be offended because of Him" or "They were seized with offense" or "They took offense..." All of these translations point to the emphasis at the beginning of the action of the verb. Like the little babies, intellectually, morally and spiritually that they were, they were easily hurt and they wanted to cry. Jesus was too big for them - a spiritual and intellectual Gulliver tied down by the Lilliputians. Why could He not be ordinary, average and mediocre like others in Nazareth? ... M52 - Pros denotes position here ("with"; cf. H467). BD273(1) - Tektwn has the article because Jesus was known by this designation (well known), "the carpenter." MARKitGNTwuest120,1 - "Is not this the carpenter?" The word is tektwn. It comes from tekein, tiktw, "to beget, create," like technA "craft, art." It first was used of the worker in wood or the builder with wood like our carpenter. Then it was used of any artisan or craftsman in metal or stone, and even of sculpture work. Our Lord was known first in Nazareth as the son of Joseph the carpenter, and after the latter's death, as the carpenter of Nazareth. Justin Martyr speaks of the ploughs and yokes which Jesus made. He worked in the carpenter shop until He was thirty years old. There He developed the strong physique which stood Him in good stead during those strenuous years of His ministry. "They were offended in Him." The contrast between a peasant of Galilee who had earned His daily bread by the sweat of His brow for the first thirty years of His life, with the Person who delivered those wonderful discourses and performed those miracles, was too much for His townspeople. They were offended with Him. The word is skandalizw, "to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way upon which another may trip or fall, to cause a person to begin to distrust one whom he ought to trust and obey"; in a passive sense, "to find occasion of stumbling in a person, to be offended in a person, to see in another what one disapproves of and what hinders one from acknowledging his authority." They could not explain Him, so they rejected Him. The saddest part of all was that His own brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of Mary and Joseph, disbelieved His Messianic claims. They had lived in the same home with Jesus for many years, and had been the recipients of the financial support He brought in to the family coffers by His carpenter work. His singularly beautiful life had made no effective impression upon their dull, cold hearts. Translation: "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Jude, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they saw in Him that of which they disapproved and which kept them from acknowledging Him." TCGTC-MARKcranfield193,4 - The people of Nazareth know Jesus according to the flesh; but their very familiarity with him is a hindrance to knowing him truly, for it makes it all the more hard for them to see through the veil of his ordinariness. ...(several different MSS. witnesses)... It seems therefore more probable that the original reading in Mk was ho tektwn, ho huios tAs Marias and that Origen's denial is to be explained as due either to a lapse of memory of his part or, more probably, to his accepting a text of Mk that was assimilated to Mt. As to Taylor's objection that it was 'contrary to Jewish custom to describe a man as the son of his mother, even when the father is no longer living, except in insulting terms (cf. Judg.11:1f.), and it is improbable that Mark, and still less the Nazarenes, were familiar with the Virgin Birth tradition', it seems quite likely that rumours to the effect that Jesus was illegitimate did circulate and that Jn.8:41; 9:29, and the Jewish material given in S.-B. 1, pp.39-43 (cf. Origen, contra Cels 1:28) reflect not just later Jewish polemic against the doctrine of the Virgin Birth but a charge actually made during Jesus' lifetime. it seems probable that what is after all the better attested reading in Mk reflects these rumours and accusations and so is an important piece of evidence in support of the historicity of the Virgin Birth, though of a sort that the Church would naturally tend to avoid. tektwn. In the NT only here and Mt.13:55. Sometimes used of masons and smiths (it is so understood by some of the Fathers in connection with Jesus or Joseph); but its proper meaning is 'carpenter' and it probably has that meaning here. The Jews (in striking contrast with the Greeks and Romans) had a high regard for manual work (cf. S.-B. 2, pp. 10f.); and the Jewish attitude received its final confirmation in the fact that Jesus himself was a manual worker. adelphos. On the brothers of Jesus see on 3:31. James is mentioned often in the NT (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; I Cor.15:7; Gal.1:19; 2:9,12; Jas.1:1; Jude 1, are uncertain); the others (apart from Judas, if Jude 1 refers to him) are mentioned by name in the NT only here and in the Mt. parallel; but Paul refers to the brothers of Jesus in the plural in I Cor. 9:5. kai ouk eisin hai adelphai autou hwde pros hAmas; might possibly suggest that Mary and the brothers were no longer resident in Nazareth, but the words need not imply this. The sisters are mentioned nowhere else in the NT except in the Mt. parallel. It may be that they never became Christians. By this time they were probably married women. eskandalizonto en autw. See on 4:17. For skandalizestha en cf. Mt.11:6=Lk.7:23; Mt.24:31,33. Cf. also Rom.9:32f., I Pet.2:6-8; Jn.9:39. The meaning here is not just that they were provoked by him; there is also present the idea that to reject Jesus is to turn away from God. NTC-MARKhendriksen222,3 - The derogatory reaction continues. Jesus, the carpenter! Writing sometime between A.D. 155 and 161, Justin Martyr, in his Dialogue with Trypho LXXXVIII, speaking about Jesus says, "He was in the habit of working as a carpenter when among men, making plows and yokes." The word for "carpenter," used in the original is tekton, related to English "technician." The cognate verb means to bear, give birth to, bring forth. The tekton, accordingly, is basically any skilled workman, anyone who "brings forth," "makes" or "creates" an object. One might say, any "craftsman" or "builder," whether the materials he uses consist of wood, stone, metal, or anything else. In the present case we shall assume that "worker in the wood," "carpenter" (see the quotation from Justin Martyr) is correct. It is worthy of note that here in Mark, Jesus himself is called "the carpenter," whereas in Matt. 13:55 he is called "the son of the carpenter." This cannot rightfully be called a discrepancy, since he may well have been called both. In times ancient and even comparatively recent a son would often, as to chosen occuptaton, follow in the footsteps of his father. What the detractors wanted to say was on this order: "What does a mere carpenter know about oratory and particularly about prophetic interpretation and fulfilment?" Is he not "the son of Mary?" Joseph is not even mentioned, probably because by this time he had died. The brothers of Jesus are also mentioned. There was first of all James (cf. Matt. 13:55), a man who after his conversion was to become prominent in the early church, especially in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13-29; 21:18; I Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19; 2:9, 12: James 1:1; Jude 1). About Joses, mentioned next (called Joseph in Matt. 13:55), not to be confused with the Joses of Mk. 15:40,47, nothing further is known. Then there was Jude (cf. Matt. 13:55; Jude 1); last of all Simon (cf. Matt. 13:55), as unknown to us as is Joses. There were the uterine brothers of Jesus; see above, on 3:31. As to the sisters, they are never mentioned by name. Presumably they were married and still living with their husbands in Nazareth. "Familiarity brought contempt," that is, the very fact that the people of Nazareth were so well acquainted with Jesus' family, having known them for so long a time, caused them to look down upon him. Who did this carpenter think he was anyway? And they took offense at him, that is, they allowed themselves to become ensnared into the sin of being repelled by him. TNICotNTMARKlane200,1,2,3 - On the sabbath day Jesus attended the synagogue and was given the opportunity to expound the reading from the Torah and the Haftarah, the Law and the prophetic portion. The entire congregation was astonished at his teachng, which prompted questions concering the source of his doctrine and wisdom and of the power which had been exhibited elsewhere in miracles of healing and exorcism. It is possible that the people entertained the dark suspicions voiced earlier by the Jerusalem scribes (Ch. 3:22). Jesus had not been schooled in rabbinic fashion but had been trained as a manual laborer. His immediate family were well known to the villagers, who judged that there was nothing extraordinary about them that would have led them to expect something unusual from Jesus. What was the source of his wisdom, and who had empowered him to speak and act with such authority? To these questions two answers lie close at hand: the source was God, or it was demonic. Their first impressions of astonishment shaded off to resentment when they recalled Jesus' earlier vocation and standing in Nazareth. Not knowing the source of his wisdom, they find his office as a teacher offensive. In spite of what they heard and saw they failed to penetrate the veil of ordinariness which characterized this one who had grown up in the village. The rhetorical question, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" deserves careful attention both to the text and its meaning. Significant strands of the Marcan textual tradition agree essentially with theMatthean formulation: "Is this not the son of the carpenter? Is not his mother called Miriam?" (Mt. 13:55). Moreover, against the allegation of Celsus that Jesus was only a carpenter Origen answered forthrightly that in none of the Gospels accepted by the Church was Jesus himself designated a carpenter. While the textual question is so complex that equally competent interpreters have adopted differing points of view, it seems preferable to adopt the text of the uncials in which Jesus is designated "the carpenter, the son of Mary." The variant reading was apparently conformed to the text of Matthew in the interest of the virgin birth and perhaps to avoid the attribution of a menial trade to Jesus when to do so in the Graeco-Roman world would be to invite scorn. The Marcan text as it stands is derogatory. "Is not this the carpenter?" means, Is he not a common worker with his hands even as the rest of us are? The additional phrase "the son of Mary" is probably disparaging. It was contrary to Jewish usage to describe a man as the son of his mother, even when she was a widow, except in insulting terms. Rumors to the effect that Jesus was illegitimate appear to have circulated in his own lifetime and may lie behind this reference as well. The rhetorical question of the people indicates that they know Jesus only in a superficial way. They find no reason to believe that he possesses the anointment of God. MARKj&d165,6 - "Is not this the carpenter?" This, and the Jewish custom which required every father to teach his son a trade, whatever pursuit in life he might eventually follow, indicate that Christ worked in his earlier years at the carpenter's trade with his father. St. Mark's is the only gospel which gives this name as applied to our Lord himself. In Matt. 13:55, it is said that they called him the "carpenter's son." There is no contradition; some called him one, some the other name. The word translated carpenter here is of wider meaning than our word "carpenter." It includes all workers in wood, our cabinet-maker as well as carpenter. "Son of Mary." Though neither of the evangelists speak of Joseph's death, yet it may be plainly inferred that Christ was now called "the son of Mary" (Mk. 6:3), because of her being a widow. See Lk. 8:19; Jn. 2:12, and 19:25-27. "Brother of James, etc.,...sisters here with us." These four were either (1) own brothers and sisters of Jesus, children of Joseph and Mary; or (2) children of Joseph by a former marriage; or (3) cousins (brothers taken in the wider sense of near relatives), children of Clopas and Mary, sister of Mary the mother of Jesus (Jn. 19:25, with Mk. 15:40). The weight of Protestant authority, on the whole, favors the idea that they were own brothers of Jesus. For a discussion of this subject, see my Commentary on John, pp. 48,49. Of the four brethren here named, James came to have authority hardly, if any, less than that of an apostle, as the leading figure in the church at Jerusalem. He was called by early writers "James the Just," and wrote the Epistle of James. He must not be confounded with the apostle James, who was the brother of John. Of Joses and Simon nothing more is known. Judas was probably the author of the Epistle of Jude. "They were offended." That is, they stumbled, and fell into error. That Jesus was a carpenter, had grown up in their midst, and that they knew all about his family, proved to them that he could not be the Messiah, whom they expected to be a temporal prince surrounded with earthly splendor. His pure life for thirty years in their midst, his surpassing wisdom and mighty works counted nothing with them. Mark 6:4 But Jesus said unto them,; Then Jesus said to them--Mof; A prophet is not without honour,; A prophet will always be held in honour--NEB; A prophet is treated with honor everywhere--Gspd; but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.; except in his home town, and among his hinsmen and family--NEB; except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own home-- Gspd; And Jesus was saying unto them-- A prophet is not without honour, /save ibn his own city, and among his kinsfolk, and in his house\; And Jesus said to them--'A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country, and among his kindred, and in his own house; TRNTyeagerV357,8 - kai elegen autos ho IAsous hoti Ouk estin prophAtAs atimos ei mA en tA patridi autou kai en tois suggeneusin autou kai en tA oikia autou. kai (adversative conjunction). elegen (3d.per.sing.imp.act.ind.of legw, inceptive). autois (dat.pl.masc.of autos, indirect object of elegen). ho (nom.sing.masc.of the article in agreement with IAsous). IAsous (nom.sing.masc.of IAsous, subject of elegen). hoti (recitative). Ouk (summary negative conjuction with the indicative). estin (3d.per.sing.pres.ind.of eimi, static). prophAtAs (nom.sing.masc.of prophAtAs, subject of estin). atimos (nom.sing.masc.of atimos, predicate adjective). ei (conditional particle with mA). mA (qualified negative conjunction with ei in a conditional clause). en (preposition with the locative of place where). tA (loc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with patridi). patridi (loc.sing.fem.of patris, place where). autou (gen.sing.masc.of autos, possession). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining prepositional phrases). en (preposition with the locative of place where). tA (loc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with oikia). oikia (loc.sing.fem.of oikia, place where). autou (gen.sing.masc.of autos, possession). Translation: "But Jesus began to say to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his home town and among his relatives and in his own house.'" COMMENT: hoti here introduces direct discourse. Prophets are certain to be respected (summary negative in ouk with the indicative) so long as they stay clear of their most familiar haunts. One's home town, his relatives and those of his immediate family--these should hear the prophet and heed his message but they will not honor him for it. The passage does not say that the prophet should stay out of his home town, though it is often used to support this idea. If so, Jesus never would have gone back to Nazareth, once He left it. It does say that prophets who expect accolades from those who know them best have missed the point. But a true prophet is not concerned with accolades anyway. What he is concerned with, if he is a true prophet, is the reaction which he gets from his audience. If they are listening with a receptive spirit he procedes. If not he terminates his ministry, lest he "cast pearls before swine" and "give that which is holy to the dogs" (Mt.7:6). Jesus was the truest of prophets. Hence His reaction in the next verse. MARKitGNTwuest121 - "A prophet is not without honor." The Greek word "prophet" (prophAtAs) means primarily "a forth-teller, one who speaks out God's message." The act of predicting future events is only incidental to his chief work. It is significant here that Jesus makes a definite claim to being a prophet. He had already claimed to be the Jewish Messiah (Jn.4:26; Lk.4:21), the Son of Man with power of God (Mk.1:10; Mt.9:6; Lk.5:24), the Son of God (Jn.5:22). The word "honor" is timA, which means "deference, reverence, honor." Translation: "And Jesus was saying to them. A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and among his own kinsfolk and in his own home." TCGTC-MARKcranfield196,7 - The sentiment of this saying may be illustrated by numerous parallels both Jewish and Gentile; but, as these are not couched in terms of 'a prophet', we are hardly justified in calling the saying a 'common proverb' (Taylor), though it certainly is an aphorism. While it is by no means equivalent to a direct application of the title 'prophet' to himself, it perhaps does imply that he regarded the term as expressing a certain measure of the truth about himself. That many of his contemporaries thought of him as a prophet is of course clear. The reference to kinsfolk is omitted in Mt.13:57; Lk.4:24; Jn.4:44; its presence in Mk is perhaps one more sign of the priorit6y of Mk, for the tendency would be to omit something discreditable to Jesus' family. suggeneusin is used instead of the more regular suggenesin--probably on the analogy of the dative of goneus. NTC-MARKhendriksen223 - See N.T.C. on Jn. 4:44, where substantially the same proverbial saying is found, with this exception that in that passage, according to its context, the word used in the original, namely patris, refers to the homeland or "fatherland," i.e., Galilee, whereas here in Mk. 6:4 (and its parallel Matt. 13:57) it refers to the hometown, as is clear from its setting and from Lk. 4:16. Other translations, such as that a prophet is always honored except, etc., or never fails to be honored except, etc., or is without honor only in, etc., are not precise. Jesus did not say that a prophet is respected everywhere except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his family. What he did say was to the effect that wherever it might be that a prophet would be honored, certainly not in his hometown, etc. As to this reference to his family, it should be interpreted in the light of such other passages as Jn. 7:5 and Acts 1:14. It will then be seen that in the case of Christ's brothers unbelief was by God's grace subsequently changed to faith. Before leaving this passage it should be pointed out that Jesus here definitely implies that he is indeed a prophet, withthe right to be honored as such (cf. Deut. 18:15, 18; Matt. 21:11; Lk. 24:19, Jn. 9:17, Acts 3:22; 7:37). TNICotNT-MARKlane203 - Jesus responded with an aphorism to which there are numerous parallels in Jewish and Greek literature. The comparison of his experience to that of the prophets who were dishonored among their own people is ironical. It anticipates his ultimate rejection by Israel and at the same time recalls Ch. 3:20-21, 31-35 when Jesus' family and kinsmen expressed the opinion that he was insane and attempted to halt his activities forcibly. MARKj&d166 - "A prophet is not without honor." This was a common proverb that Christ applied to his case, showing that he was rejected on these natural principles, not because they had not evidence in his works, but because they had prejudice against his lowly origin among men. The proverb is founded on human experience. There is a kind of natural jealousy among the companions and neighbors of a man who rises from their level until he is far above them. Mark 6:5 And he could there do no mighty work,; And he was not able to do any miracle there--ABUV; save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.; except...on a few sick people, and healed them--ABUV; and he could not /there\ do, so much as a single' mighty work,-- save /on a few' sick\ he laid his hands, and cured them. and he was not able there any mighty work to do, except on a few infirm people having put hands he did heal them; TRNTyeagerV358,9 - kai ouk edunato ekei poiAsai oudemian dunamin, ei mA oligois arrwstois epitheis tas cheiras etherapeusen. kai (inferential conjunction). ouk (summary negative conjunction with the indicative). edunato (3d.per.sing.imp.ind.of dunamai, progressive description). ekei (adverb of place). poiAsai (aor.act.inf.of poiew, complementary). oudemian (acc.sing.fem.of oudeis, in agreement with dunamin). dunamin (acc.sing.fem.of dunamis, direct object of poiAsai). ei (conditional particle with mA in a conditional clause). mA (qualified negative conjunction in a conditional clause). oligois (loc.pl.masc.of oligos, in agreement with arrwstois). arrwstois (loc.pl.masc.of arrwstos, place where). epitheis (2d.aor.act.part.nom.sing.masc.of epitithAmi, adverbial, modal). tas (acc.pl.fem.of the article in agreement with cheiras). cheiras (acc.pl.fem.of cheir, direct object of epitheis). etherapeusen (3d.per.sing.aor.act.ind.of therapeuw, constative). Translation: "Therefore He was unable to perform a single miracle there, except that by placing His hands upon a few sick people He healed them." COMMENT: oudemian is a strong negative. "He was not able to do but not one miracle..k.t.l." However Mark qualifies this strong negation with the ei mA clause. The passage does not tell us why Jesus could not perform the ministry which He perfomed in Capernaum. We may be certain on other scriptural grounds that His was not a physical inability. Their unbelief made Him morally unable to do as He would like to have done. There were some there who believed upon Him. For these He exercised His healing powers. Just as the throngs in Capernaum had touched Him, although only one sick woman really touched Him, so here in Nazareth, the healing that was available for all was offered only to those with open minds. These people were the Master's minority in Nazareth. Everything is possible for the one who believes. Few in Nazareth could qualify as we see in 6a. MARKitGNTwuest121,2 - "He could there do no mighty work." The word "no" is fully translated from oudemian, "not even one." A few sick folk. The word "sick" is arrostos "without strength, weak, sick." This is sickness regarded as constitutional weakness. Expositors remarks that the people of Nazareth were so consistent unbelieving that they would not even bring their sick to Him to be healed. The word "work" is again dunamis, which refers to a miracle from the standpoint of the supernatural power involved in its performance. Translation: "And He was not able there to do even one work of power, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly ones and healed them." TCGTC-MARKcranfield197 - ouk edunato ekei poiAsai oudemian dunamin. A bold statement, which, like 13:32, is unlikely to have been invented by the primitive community. It is toned down by Mt. (Lk. has no parallel to 5f.). Mt.13:58 rightly explains the ouk edunato by reference to the apistia of the people. The point of ouk edunato is not that Jesus was powerless apart from men's faith, but that in the absence of faith he could nor work mighty works in accordance with the purpose of his ministry; for to have worked miracles where faith was absent would, in most cases anyway, have been merely to have aggravated men's guilt and hardened them against God. ei mA oligois arrwstois epitheis tas cheiras etherapeusen states an exception to what has just been said. Did these few have faith? Or did Jesus sometimes in his freedom make exceptions to his normal practice of only working such miracles where there was at least some response of faith? NTC-MARKhendriksen223,4 - The result of the rejection at Nazareth was he was unable to do any miracle there. Because the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus - and were in that respect even worse than the Gerasenes (5:17), for the Nazarenes had received more light, greater privileges - they did not flock to him to be healed or to bring their sick. So these many grossly rebellious unbelievers were not healed. For them Jesus did not perform any miracle. He did, however, lay his hands on a few sick people. For the expression "sick people" see on verse 13. These presumably came up to him, or with their consent were brought to him. It is implied that these few were healed. Now even these few may have been moved by considerations below the level of genuine faith, sometimes called "saving faith," perhaps better described as "faith which, by the grace of God, leads to salvation," the genuine faith to which reference is made in Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8, etc. On the basis of Scripture, theologians speak of historical faith, temporal faith, miraculous faith, as well as of genuine faith that leads to salvation. In the present case it may well have been merely faith in Jesus as a miracle worker, hence miraculous faith, that caused the few to come to Jesus to be healed. Even then Jesus was not in the habit of refusing to heal. See Lk. 17:17b. On the other hand, if these few were true believers - a possibility that must not be entirely ruled out -, then the situation in Nazareth would remind one of that which at a later time existed in the church of Sardis. See Rev. 3:4; Cf. Isa. 1:9; Jer. 31:7; Joel 2:32; Lk. 12:32; Rom. 9:27; 11:5. The "remnant" doctrine runs as a golden thread through Scripture. But whatever the situation may have been with respect to these few, the Nazareth audience as a whole turned its back upon Jesus. By and large the sick remained unhealed, the sinners unpardoned. However, the form of expression in Mark differs somewhat from that in Matthew. Matt. 13:58 reads, "And because of their unbelief he did not do many miracles there." Mark has, "He was unable to do any miracle there." Probable solution: he could not perform these miracles because, under these circumstances of unbelief and opposition, he did not want to do them. Instead of asserting his almighty power to suppress the people's rebellious stand, he respected their own responsibility for their attitudes and actions. Cf. Matt. 24:37. See also Lk. 22:22; Acts 2:23. In the soul of Jesus the hostile attitude of the people, an attitude that led to hostile action (Lk. 4:28,29) and was rooted in lack of faith, gave rise to the condition described in verse 6a. MARKj&d166 - "And he could there do no mighty work." His power was not changed. His miracles were not feats of magic, but required two conditions to call them forth - an opportunity, and a sufficient moral purpose. "Unbelief" prevented both. The unbelieving would not come for healing; to heal such would be contrary to his purpose in the miracles, the demonstration of his spiritual power. Hence he "could not." When men do not believe, they do not give him the opportunity to save them, and to save the unbelieving is contrary to his purpose, and impossible. - Schaff. He "could not," not from lack of power, but because the conditions that he always required before he would exercise his power were absent. Those who expect his blessing must come for it in faith. Mark 6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.; And he wondered at their lack of faith--Mon; He was astonished...--Mof; and he was taken aback by their want of faith--NEB; And he went round about the villages, teaching.; And he went in a circuit about...--ABUV; So He went round the adjacent villages, teaching--Wey; Then He made a circle of the villages and continued teaching--Wms; And he marvelled, because of their unbelief. And he was going round the villages, in a circuit, teaching. and he wondered because of their unbelief. And he was going round the villages, in a circle, teaching, TRNTyeagerV359,60 - kai ethaumazen dia tAn apistian autwn. kai (continuative conjunction). ethaumazen (3d.per.sing.imp.act.ind.of thaumazw, inceptive). dia (preposition with the accusative of cause). tAn (acc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with apistian). apistian (acc.sing.fem.of apistia, cause). autwn (gen.pl.masc.of autos, possession). Translation: "And He was seized with amazement because of their unbelief." COMMENT: The probability is that the Nazarenes had disliked Jesus for years. Though not yet openly revealed as Messiah and Son of God while He remained in Joseph's home, He must have manifested qualities of goodness and greatness that would be certain to antagonize such little people. Once baptized by John, anointed by the HS and publicized throughout Galilee as a miracle worker and teacher, He could not and did not expect to be admired by His former fellow citizens of Nazareth. Yet the text says that their lack of faith was the cause of His surprise. He never returned to Nazareth. Kai periAgen tas kwmas kuklw didaskwn. Kai (continuative conjunction). periAgen (3d.per.sing.imp.act.ind.of periagw, progressive duration). tas (acc.pl.fem.of the article in agreement with kwmas). kwmas (acc.pl.fem.of kwmA, place after peri in composition). kuklw (instru.sing.masc.of kuklos, manner). didaskwn (pres.act.part.nom.sing.masc.of didaskw, adverbial, temporal). Translation: "And He went around among the villages teaching." COMMENT: So as not to waste the time, Jesus took a swing around the circle and taught the people. He had shaken the dust of Nazareth from His feet. What they refused to hear, Jesus offered to others. Mt.9:35, the parallel account, upon which see comment, reports that He was much more respectfully received on this tour than in Nazareth. M108f. - Tas kwmas kuklw is best understood as equivalent to tas kuklw, rather than taking kuklw with periAgen (kuklw may define the verb as in Rom.15:19--T221). [Ed. If Mark would have intended kuklw to be used as an adjective, he probably would have used the article with it, as he did in vs.36 of this chapter. The anarthrous kuklw doesn't appear to be used as an adjective, especially since the noun it occurs with is articular, "he was going around."] MARKitGNTwuest122 - "He marvelled because of their unbelief." Expositors says: "Jesus marvelled at the faith of the centurion. Nazareth supplied the opposite ground of astonishment. There Jesus found an amount of stupid unreceptivity for which His experience in Decapolis and elsewhere had not prepared Him." The fact that our omniscient Lord marvelled at the unbelief of His fellow- townspeople, gives us a measure of understanding of His human limitations. As Deity, He would not marvel at anything. Yet in His humanity, He expected a different reception at Nazareth than He received. And He was disappointed. "He went round about the villages." The Greek has it: "He went round about the villages in a circle." That is, He visited all the villages in the adjacent country encircling Nazareth. Translation: "And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And He kept going around the villages in the encircling country, teaching." TCGTC-MARKcranfield197 - ethaumasen. Only here and in Mt.8:10 = Lk.7:9 is thaumazein used of Jesus. He marvels at the Gentile centurion's faith: here he marvels at the lack of faith of those who most of all ought to have had it. It does not necessarily imply that he expected something different-- though he may have done so. NTC-MARKhendriksen224,5 - Although in the original the verb to be amazed or to marvel occurs thirty times in the four Gospels, in only three instances - Matt. 8:10 (cf. Lk. 7:9); Mk. 6:6 -, representing two separate events, is it used with reference to Jesus. In the one instance he is amazed or astonished at the remarkable faith of a centurion of Gentile origin. In that man's case faith could hardly have been expected, for he was far less privileged than were the Jews. Here in Nazareth, on the contrary, Jesus is amazed about the people's lack of faith. Here faith could have been expected, for Nazareth was a town in Galilee, the very Galilee which had become so highly privileged because of the ministry of Jesus. But rather than dwell in detail on the psychology of Jesus' human soul, a subject that is too difficult for the human mind to grasp, the attention should be centered on the fact that the passage under study clearly reveals man's responsibility for his attitudes and actions, a responsibility that is his according to the light he has received (Matt. 11:20-24; Lk. 12:47, 48; Rom. 2:12). TNICotNT-MARKlane204,5 - In the presence of gross unbelief Jesus restricted his activity to the healing of a few sick individuals. It is not Mark's intention to stress Jesus' inability when he states that he could perform no miracles at Nazareth. His purpose is rather to indicate that Jesus was not free to exercise his power in these circumstances. The performance of miracles in the absence of faith could have resulted only in the aggravation of human guilt and the hardening of men's hearts against God. The power of God which Jesus possessed could be materialized in a genuinely salutary fashion only when there was the receptivity of faith. Unbelief excluded the people of Nazareth from the dynamic disclosure of God's grace that others had experienced. Apparently Jesus had not anticipated the reaction of the people. The statement that he "marvelled" is the sole instance when Mark uses this verb of Jesus. It vividly suggests the degree of resistance he encountered in Nazareth. In Ch. 6:5-6a Mark draws attention not to the limits of Jesus' power but rather to the privations which result from unbelief. In the Marcan outline the rejection at Nazareth is intimately related to the subsequent mission of the Twelve (Ch. 6:7-13). The tension between faith and unbelief permeates both accounts. Moreover in Ch. 6:11 there is a distinct indication that the disciples will also experience rejection. By situating these two incidents at this point in his Gospel the evangelist shows that unbelief is the context in which the Christian mission advances and that rejection is an experience common to the Lord and the Church. This point had immediate relevance for his own hard-pressed community. It is probably that he recognized in the juxtaposition of rejection and mission a pattern confirmed in the rejection of Jesus by the nation, climaxed by crucifixion and resurrection,which created the apostolic mission. MARKj&d166 - "He marvelled." Our Lord does not marvel at other human things generally; but he does marvel, on the one hand, at faith, when, as in the case of the centurion, it overcomes in its grandeur all human hindrances, and, on the other, all unbelief, when it can, in the face of numerous divine manifestations, harden itself into a willful rejection on himself. See Matt. 8:10. MARKbarclay138,39,40,41 - When Jesus came to Nazareth He put Himself to a very severe test. He was coming to His home town; and there are no severer critics of any man than those who have known him since his boyhood. It was never meant to be a private visit simply to see His old home and His own people. He came attended by His disciples. That is to say He came as a Rabbi. The Rabbis moved about the country accompanied by their little circle of disciples, and it was as a teacher, with his disciples, that Jesus came. He went into the Synagogue and He taught. His teaching was greeted not with wonder but with a kind of contempt. "They took offence at Him." They were scandalised that a man who came from a background like Jesus should say and do things like that. Familiarity had bred a mistaken contempt. They refused to listen to what He had to say for two reasons. They said, "Is not this the carpenter?" The word used for carpenter is tekton. Now tekton does mean a worker in wood, but it means more than merely a joiner. It means a craftsman. In Homer the tekton is said to build ships and houses and temples. In the old days, and still today in many places, there could be found in little towns and villages a craftsman who would build you anything from a chicken-coop to a house; the kind of man who could build a wall, mend a roof; repair a gate; the craftsman, the handy- man, who with few or no instruments and with the simplest tools could turn his hand to any job. That is what Jesus was like. But the point is that the people of Nazareth despised Jesus because He was a working-man. He was a man of the people, a layman, a simple man--and therefore they despised him. One of the great leaders of the Labour movement was that great soul Will Crooks. He was born into a home where one of his earliest recollections was seeing his mother crying because she had no idea where the next meal was to come from. He started work in a blacksmith's shop at five shillings a week. He became a fine craftsman and one of the bravest and straightest men who ever lived. He entered municipal politics and became the first Labour Mayor of any London borough. There were people who were offended when Will Crooks became Mayor of Poplar. In a crowd one day a lady said with great disgust, "They've made that common fellow, Crooks, Mayor, and he's no better than a working man." A man in the crowd--Will Crooks himself-- turned round and raised his hat. "Quite right, madam," he said. "I am not better than a working man." The people of Nazareth despised Jesus because He was a working man. To us that is His glory, because it means that God, when He came to earth, claimed no exemptions. He took upon Himself that common life with all its common tasks. The accidents of birth and fortune and pedigree have nothing to do with manhood. As Pope had it, "Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow; The rest is all but leather or prunello." As Burns had it, "A prince can mak' a belted knight, A marquis, duke, an'a'that! But an honest man's aboon his might-- Guid faith, he mauna fa' that! For a' that, an'a'that, Their dignities an'a'that, The pith o'sense an' pride o' worth Are higher rank that a' that." We must ever beware of the temptation to evaluate men by externals and incidentals, and not by native worth. They said, "Is not this Mary's son? Do we now know His brothers and His sisters?" The fact that they called Jesus Mary's son tells us that Joseph must have been dead. Therein we have the key to one of the enigmas of Jesus' life. Jesus was only thirty-three when He died; and yet He did not leave Nazereth until He was thirty. (Lk 3:23) Why this long delay? Why this lingering in Nazareth while a world waited to be saved? The reason was that Joseph died 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 Nazareth despised Him because they knew His family. Thomas Campbell was a very considerable poet. His father had no sense of poetry at all. When Thomas's first book emerged with Thomas's name on it, he sent a copy to his father. The old man took it up and looked at 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. There are some things that cannot be done if the atmosphere is wrong. 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 Neville Chamberlain's policy turned out in such a way that it broke his heart. Margot Asquith 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 said he 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 seen too many of the other kind. Chamberlain suffered from shyness. He did not want to live; and when a man says that, no doctor can save him." We may call it faith; we may call it the will to live; but without it no man can live. There can be no preaching in the wrong atmosphere. Our Churches would be different places if congregations would only remember that they preach far more than half the sermon. In an atmosphere of expectancy the poorest effort can catch fire. In an atmosphere of critical coldness or bland indifference, the most Spirit-packed utterance can fall lifeless to the earth. There can be no peace-making in the wrong atmosphere. If men have come together to hate, they will hate. If men have come together to understand, they will misunderstand. If men have come together to 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 each other, even those who are most widely separated can come together in Christ. There is laid on us the tremendous responsibility that we can either help or hinder the work of Jesus Christ. We can open the door wide to Him--or we can slam it in His face.