4 Feb 26 | Familiarity Is the Most Dangerous Form of Unbelief
Jesus is rejected not by outsiders, but by those who believe they already know Him.
The Gospel: Mark 6:1-6
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Today’s Focus
Jesus is rejected in Nazareth not because His wisdom or deeds are lacking, but because familiarity hardens into offense. Those who believe they already know Him anchor Jesus to His past, refusing to receive the authority with which He now speaks. This Gospel warns that amazement without faith becomes resistance, and that unbelief can limit what is received even when grace remains present.
In the Margins
Jesus returns to Nazareth in this Gospel. The word that is used is patris in Greek and signals a return. The people there knew Him from when he was growing up. To see Him teaching in this way and with this knowledge, they were taken aback and quite shocked.
We see that the people begin to tie Jesus to His roots. As they hear what He has to say, they begin to question how it could be the case – a lowly carpenter now teaching with absolute authority and a following. It would have been eye raising for sure.
They go on further to anchor Jesus to His relatives. We have to be careful to note that the word used struggles in translation. We know more about this from other parts of the story of Jesus and other parts of the Bible as well. Adelphos and adelphai are translated as brothers and sisters, but we know that it is also used for nephews (Genesis 13:8), tribal kin (Deuteronomy 15:12), and even covenant relatives. We can peel the onion a bit more and see that these same brothers are noted in Mark 15:40, which tells us “Mary, the mother of James and Joses.” From that passage we know that this is definitely not the same Mary as the mother of Jesus. The last key point comes from John 19:26-7, where Jesus entrusts Mary to John. This would not have happened if there was another male child.
The people in his home town were offended with Jesus. What started as amazement grew from hardening of their hearts to the Greek term (skandalizō), which means to stumble or trip. Jesus does not fail them, their lack of faith is the point of resistance. Jesus is amazed at their unbelief, and Mark notes that this refusal limits the reception of mighty deeds. It is interesting that He still “heals a few,” which is quite amazing in itself! It makes us wonder what was truly ins tore if they had faith.
Nazareth did not reject Jesus because they lacked evidence, but because they believed they already knew Him. Do we think we know who Jesus is and there is no need to go deeper with Him? If we expanded this scope to our communities, do you think there is enough faith there? This Gospel invites an honest examination of whether familiarity has replaced faith. Jesus may still be admired, quoted, and discussed, yet remain unwelcome when His teaching unsettles our assumptions or demands change.
If we look at what Jesus truly taught, if we look at His sermon on the mount and the beatitudes, we find that a lot of Jesus’ teachings are still “offensive” by today’s standard. The Greek term itself sounds like the English word scandalous. Would you find His teaching scandalous or would you welcome Him? That is something we all need to consider and work on! The question is not whether Jesus would astonish us, but whether we would receive Him when He does.
Reflection Question
Where has familiarity with Jesus quietly replaced openness to His authority and teaching?
A Small Invitation
If this reflection helped you, consider sharing it with someone who may be carrying more than they were meant to.