Jesus Rejected At Nazareth Series

Great Lessons from the Life of Christ #9

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

(Mark 6:1-6)

JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH

(Mark 6:1-6)

1. I could not get past the lessons of these six verses.

2. While John the Baptist was a recluse preaching in deserted regions

of Judea, Jesus was anything but a recluse.

a. Occasionally he would get away to rest, but for the most part he traveled from city to city.

b. Four cities figure prominently in his life:

(1) Bethlehem – the place of his birth. Though he and the family did not live in Bethlehem his birth there was the fulfillment of O.T. prophecy.

(2) Jerusalem – the site of the Jewish temple – the focal point of Jewish religious life. Not only did Jesus go there often, but much more often the religious teachers and leaders came to him. Rarely from pure motives, but to hear and challenge this one that the crowds were following.

(3) Capernaum – a city on the northern shores of Galilee where Jesus probably lived during his adult ministry.

(4) Nazareth – the small town where Jesus grew up.

3. In all probability, few people in history would have ever heard of

Nazareth if Jesus had not been associated with it.

a. Sorta like – Mt. Airy, Powells Cross Roads or College Station

b. It wasn’t located on a main route. A map of ancient Israel shows that the main thoroughfares of the day passed many miles to the north and west.

c. Nazareth was a little out of the way town – in no way important to the national or religious life of Israel.

(1) It is not mentioned in the Old Testament.

(2) In fact, based on John 1:46, it seems to have had a bad reputation. When Nathaniel was brought to and introduced to Jesus, do you remember his question: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

4. Do you remember how that Jesus came to live in Nazareth?

a. (Matthew 2:13-18) Herod wants to kill the Christ child, so Joseph

is instructed to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt.

b. In the verses that follow (Matthew 2:19-20) we are told that

upon Herod’s death, they were instructed by an angel to return

to Bethlehem. Because Archelaus (Herod’s son) ruled the

territory they go to the town of Nazareth.

5. And there in Nazareth Jesus grew up…

a. Learning from Joseph how to be a carpenter.

(1) Greek (tekton) referring either to a stone mason, black

smith, or a carpenter.

(2) The most common use is a carpenter.

b. A carpenter’s skills included – hewing beams for houses, building

household furniture, carving out yokes for oxen and plows for

them to pull.

c. It was hard work – Jesus was strong and rugged. His hands were

were weathered and calloused. The pictures that we see and the

way that Jesus is portrayed have little resemblance to what

Jesus would have actually looked like.

6. He was “the son of a carpenter.”

a. Most believe that at this point Joseph is dead – which would

mean that Jesus being the oldest son, the shop would now

belong to him, with his brothers working under him.

b. But at some point – maybe 6 months to a year before this -

Jesus had left the shop in their care, sought out John to be

baptized and had begun to teach, preach, and call disciples.

c. Put yourself in the shoes of his brothers and sisters – What

would you have thought?

(1) The word around town is that Jesus had given up a good

Job, was wandering around Galilee teaching and calling

disciples.

(2) “Teaching and calling disciples! He can’t teach. He’s a mighty

good carpenter, builds a right nice table, but he doesn’t

have any formal training. He is a small town carpenter, not

a trained theologian.”

(3) Remember (Mark 3:20-21) – his family sought him out in an

effort to convince him to come home. They like everyone

else thought his elevator didn’t quite reach the top floor.

To put it blunt – they thought he was a nut case.

d. And this one that everyone is talking about comes home – the

town is not excited, but embarrassed. As Jesus walks the streets

all eyes are on him – not eyes of admiration, but eyes of

suspicion.

(1) He comes back into town not as the carpenter that everyone

remembered, but as a rabbi (a teacher), with a group of

disciples following him.

(2) And he shows up at the synagogue – not that this is strange

but there comes the point in the service where any male

present was given the opportunity to speak and Jesus takes

advantage of the opportunity.

7. (vs. 3) “When the Sabbath was come he began to teach in the