Mark 6:1-13 - When Jesus Couldn’t Do A Miracle

Well, would you look at the time, it is time to talk, and I'm currently in Tabernacle Baptist Church. So just Tabernacle Talk time. We are in Mark Chapter 6 today.

We've been journeying through with Jesus and his disciples. His disciples really haven't done much along the way so far.

There was one point in which they got Jesus in trouble with the Pharisees because they were snacking on the Sabbath and the Pharisees did not believe in snacking on the Sabbath.

And so Jesus had to emphasize to them, hey, here's what it means to follow God's law. It's not just about rituals. It's not even necessarily just about like restricting what people can do instead.

It's about pursuing a relationship with God and people in a way that God designed our world to work. And we've seen Jesus do some incredible miracles.

We've seen the beginnings of his teachings and how people were really interested in what he could do. They weren't very interested in what he had to say.

And we come to this particular portion of scripture and he's leaving the Capernaum area where he's done a lot of ministry so far. And now he's going to go back to his hometown of Nazareth. And so we're going to see what he finds there.

Mark chapter 6, I might have said Matthew at some point before I apologize. Mark 6 and verse 1, he left there and came to his hometown and his disciples followed him.

And that's what disciples ought to do is follow Jesus and let us be faithful to do that. Verse 2, when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue and many who heard him were astounded. Where did this man get these things?

They said, what is this wisdom that has been given to him? And how are these miracles performed by his hands? Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon and aren't his sisters here with us?

So they were offended by him. This word offended is to be scandalized, to cause to sin, to be brought to a downfall, to be repelled by someone.

Here, even as you read some of those phrases of what is this wisdom that has been given to him, you can read it in like a good light, but scripture specifically here through Mark says, this was a bad thing.

They viewed his teachings, they viewed his miracles as something to be scorned because they said, we know who this is, and it's not that they said, hey, we know the sins that he's done.

They just say, hey, we know his family, we know his siblings, we know his sisters. He is nothing special, and so we don't need to believe him. And I think what's so interesting here, so here it's the Sabbath when he begins to teach in the synagogue.

So they're hearing God himself expound on the word of God, and they're astonished by him. They're amazed. They are kind of overwhelmed a little bit, is included in that particular word.

So they're just kind of befuddled. They go, these things can't come out of this guy. This is just a common, everyday dude.

One of the things that is mentioned, I think in one of the parallel accounts, and here I have a little footnote here. Yeah, from Matthew 13, verse 55, when Matthew records this particular account taking place, he mentions one of the things they said.

Isn't this the carpenter's son? So here Jesus is looked down on because the Greek word is technon. It's a craftsman.

So it would include some wood. It would also include things like carving out stone, different things that would be a little bit jack of all trades on the craftsman, master worker, master builder type of thing.

And so they say, hey, this is just a common person. And so I'm not really going to listen to him. That's what's contained in that word.

They were offended by him. They were repelled by him, not because what he was saying was incorrect or that he didn't back it up with his miracles. But they said, he's human.

And so we're not listening to him. He's not impressive. He's not a son of a king.

He's not some great thing. So then verse four, Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, among his relatives and in this household.

So Jesus says, the only time that a prophet, someone that speaks on God's behalf, the only time someone doesn't listen to him is when he's at home, like when he's around the people that grew up with him.

And here he even alludes to the fact, like we saw in chapter three, when Mary and the brothers, they go, hey, like Jesus is insane. We got to stop him from going out and like teaching and preaching and doing miracles.

And Jesus is saying, you guys do not realize that what I'm saying is from God and specifically some of the statements that he would make, such as that he is the son of man. He is God that would rule all of this world.

Verse number five, it says, he was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching.

Here, I think this is such a sad phrase that he was not able to do a miracle there. And then verse six, he was amazed at their unbelief. I want Jesus to be able to have the same reaction that he had when he interacted with the centurion.

And I think I have a little footnote here for that. So in the story with the centurion, the centurion comes to Jesus. He's heard about what Jesus can do, but he also knows that Jesus is a Jewish person.

So with the laws and customs at that time, it was not normal and was deeply frowned upon for a Jewish person to go into a Gentile household. And so he tells Jesus, hey, like my servant is sick.

And I know that if you just say the word, he will be healed. And Jesus goes, oh, cool, I'll go with you. I'll go heal him.

And the centurion goes, no, no, no. I understand what it's like to have authority. I tell people go and they go.

I tell people come and they come. And he says, I know that if you say the word, if you just, you don't have to even physically be there. I just believe that what you say will happen.

I believe that you have authority. And Jesus marvels. He's amazed.

And he goes, I have not seen faith like this in all of Israel. And I want that kind of amazement at my faith and belief in what God can do. I don't want to have Jesus' amazement at my unbelief.

And the answer to that is what we find in just a couple of chapters here in Mark with the father of a demon possessed boy that says, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.

He says, I want you to fix in me that doubt and that downgrading of God's ability in my heart that is natural to the sin that wants to destroy me. He says, God, I need you to help me believe, help me to trust.

And whereas last chapter we saw the faith of a woman, we saw the faith of Jairus, and we saw the miracles that were worked as a result. Here in this passage, no one had faith. And so there was not those miracles that took place.

They didn't believe, and belief is how God works. God's not going to force his way in, in most circumstances. I'll say the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus might mention that there are some times when God specifically intervenes.

So if all we read was those first six verses, we might go away kind of discouraged and go, oh man, there's so much sadness there.

But then verse number seven, it says, He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. So here the disciples for whatever amount of time had been dismissed by Jesus.

And now he brings them back and he sends them out two by two and he gives them authority over the demons. That he says, hey, you're going to be able to say, get out and they're gone.

Verse number eight, he instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff, no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt.

So here he sends them out completely bare bones and says, okay, I'm sending you out. You're going to have faith in God to provide for your every need. Verse number 10.

He said to them, whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. So you come to the city, let's say of Joppa, go into Joppa.

When you enter a house, when someone welcomes you in for hospitality, he says, stay there until you leave that place. Don't be hopping from house to house to house in the city of Joppa.

He says, if any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. And this is something that many of the writers of the Gospel accounts mention.

Paul and Barnabas do this as they interact with some different cities that do not welcome them. And here he says, if they don't welcome you with hospitality, they're not listening to you. You're basically saying, hey, our responsibility here is done.

And man, I know for me, sometimes that can be a hard thing to think about, to say, okay, I've done my portion, but here's what Jesus commands them to do, that we do not need to have an expectation of being everything for everyone.

We cannot force people into relationship with God. We cannot force people into relationship with others with God.

And there comes a point when we stop trying to force something that people don't want to happen, and we allow them to endure the consequences of their actions. Here, rejection of the gospel.

Verse number 12, so they went out and preached that people should repent. And this was the same message that Jesus started off with in Mark chapter 1.

Now they are doing all of the things that Jesus was doing, preaching that gospel of repentance, going out. Verse number 13, they drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

And man, what an incredible thing that Jesus has now deputized his disciples. He says, all right, you've seen me, you've heard me, you know the message that I preach, you've seen the actions that I've done, I want you to go and do the same thing.

And that's what Jesus wants for your life, by the way.

He wants you to, whether you are a carpenter, a craftsman, a worksman, like Jesus was, whether you're a fisherman, if you work in a tax field, if you work at an auto body shop, if you're working wherever you are, Jesus wants you to declare the gospel

to those around you. It won't always look the same.

You might not be the one preaching the sermon on the mount, but you might be the person that as you're talking with someone, they're going through a hard time, you encourage their heart and you say, hey, I'm really sorry you're going through that

marital struggle right now. Have you guys been to church recently? Hey, I know my pastor, I know this biblical counselor would love to help you guys. You might say, oh man, I'm really sorry that your kids are struggling in school right now.

Hey, I happen to know there's this tutor at my church, like connect people with the body of Christ, connect people with the church, the bride of Christ, connect people with the truth of the gospel that you go, hey, I'm really sorry that you're

feeling downhearted and discouraged right now. I want to challenge you. I want to encourage you. Here's this track thing.

And it tells you about what God thinks about you and about what his plan is for your life. I learned about that 20 years ago. I learned about it last year.

And I'd love for you to experience some of the joy and happiness that I've been experiencing. I want you to know how God thinks about you and what he thinks about you and the plans that he has for you because it's wonderful.

And man, if we had Christians all across our churches, all across our area, all across our nation doing that, it could make such an incredible difference.

But the truth of the matter is most of us are way too busy fighting every other battle under the sun, and we're not fighting the battle against the demons. We're not fighting the battle against Satan.

We think that through arguing about politics, we think that through exclusively talking about sports or shows or entertainment or media, that we're going to somehow make a difference. And the fact is, we're not going to.

The thing that changes people is the Gospel. It's repentance, belief towards God, turning to Jesus alone, seeing what He can do. Because when we turn to Jesus, things are able to happen.

Even the disciples here with the 12th, even Judas Iscariot is able to see miracles take place unlike what happened in Nazareth, where the people didn't believe Jesus, and so not much happened.

But here the disciples going out all across, I would assume, the region of Galilee, possibly into Judea as well. But as they're going out, as they're preaching the Gospel, amazing things are happening. Can I encourage you?

God did not want you to just be a bump on a log. He wants you to be a shining light, a Gospel witness. And God has equipped you with what you need to do at this current time.

You might say, man, I could never do what so-and-so does. That's all right. God doesn't have so-and-so in your life, or at least not living your life.

God's equipped you for what you need.

And man, if you genuinely feel like, I have no idea how to have a conversation with someone about God or the Gospel or how to bridge any of those things, that is why, from Ephesians 4, you have spiritual leaders, pastors, elders, teachers, to be able

to equip you for the work of the ministry. If you have questions about that, please talk to me. I would love to sit down and have a conversation with you about that.

It is not something at all that I am perfect or amazing or anything at, but I know as over the past several years, as I've seen and been with pastors that have exemplified that love for people and declaring the gospel, that man, it's encouraged me

and it's challenged me of, oh, okay, this is attainable. I can do this. Like this isn't some far off crazy thing. I don't have to have a cardboard sign and be yelling at people.

It can be a real genuine part of my life that's natural, that's not forced or crazy. Like it's just inviting people into my life because if Jesus is in there, then what a difference it can make. So from this passage, do you have belief in Jesus?

Belief in Jesus, belief in God's Word, following him is the difference between not much really happening and incredible things happening.

Between Jesus and Nazareth, not being able to do much because the people did not believe the Lord or the disciples accomplishing amazing miracles all across the region. Want to encourage you today. Which are you?

Are you believing in following God? Maybe you'd say, okay, I'm going to church. It's not the same as following God.

Following God is more than just a Sunday. It doesn't exempt a Sunday, but it's so much more of your week, of you caring and following, reading, praying, loving, evangelizing, all of that's included.

And if you would like help in knowing, okay, what would it look like for me to take some next steps in my Christian faith, I would love to go through.

I've got some programs, some curriculum things that I've gone through in the past with people that have been a huge encouragement and challenge to my heart, and I know would be for you as well.

So thanks for tuning in, and looking forward to continuing in Mark 6 with you next time.