After all of the success that Jesus has had in ministry, one would think that he would come home to a grand celebration, enjoying the success of Jesus ministry. And at first, things appeared to be going well when Jesus entered Nazareth. He was asked to speak in the synagogue on the Sabbath, which gave Jesus recognition as some kind of teacher. But his teaching quickly offended them. Notice, they didn't bring a charge against his character, but they asked essentially, “Isn't this guy from Nazareth? We know this guy is nothing special; he and his family lived here with us! Who does this guy think he is?â€
In the ancient world, identity was tied very closely with where you are from. For example, we know Jesus as Jesus of Nazareth. So for Jesus to be teaching and preaching when he is from Nazareth and his father is a carpenter is nearly scandalous! Mark does not tell us what Jesus preached, but knowing what Mark has told us about Jesus ministry we know that he spoke in parables and that he preached repentance for the kingdom was at hand. Very quickly, the Nazarenes were offended.
As a result, their lack of faith stopped the coming of the Gospel in power. Jesus only did a few miracles in that town and healed only a few because they would not receive him. In response, Jesus was stunned at their level of disbelief. But this raises an important question. Is the power of the kingdom limited? Can God overcome faithlessness?
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