Back Where It All Began (Part 2) Series

BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN (PART II)

Mark 6:1-6

In 1858 the Illinois legislature--using an obscure statute--sent Stephen A. Douglas to the U.S. Senate instead of Abraham Lincoln, although Lincoln had won the popular vote. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, "Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh."(Max Lucado, God Came Near, Multnomah Press, 1987, p. 57.)

It doesn’t matter who you are, rejection hurts. None of us like to be rejected but it especially stings when we are rejected by those who are closest to us. Jesus was no stranger to rejection. When He was born there was no room for Him in the Inn. Once He began His earthly ministry, He was rejected by the people of Israel. (John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.) He faced much rejection and opposition from the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees & the Herodians. Not only was He rejected by the religious elite and the political leaders, He was rejected by the common man as well. But Mark Chapter 6 tells us of a time that had to be especially difficult… even for Jesus. He returned to His hometown of Nazareth and there He was rejected by His neighbors, His friends and even His own immediate family.

- I would like to pick up where we left off last time and continue to consider the subject “Back Where It All Began”. Previously we examined:

I. THE REUNION IN NAZARETH

We spent some time looking at:

A. THOSE WHO WERE WITH JESUS - v1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.

When Jesus returned to Nazareth, He took His Disciples with Him. He would soon send them out to preach the Gospel and He used this event to prepare them for the rejection that they would endure. Not only did we look at Those Who Were With Jesus, we also examined:

B. THOSE WHO WERE WAITING FOR JESUS - v2a And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!

In the synagogue on that day were certain groups of people who had different relationships with Jesus. We addressed the fact that:

1. SOME WERE JESUS’ FRIENDS - v1 “Then He went out from there and came to His own country” It is safe to assume that in the town where Jesus had lived for 30 years, He had some (likely many) friends.

- We also discussed the fact that:

2. SOME WERE JESUS’ FAMILY - v3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" Mark tells us that Mary was there along with Jesus brothers and sisters.

- The last thing that we saw was that:

3. SOME WERE THE FOES OF JESUS

Though Jesus friends and family were present, they were also among those who were His opponents. The people respected Him enough to ask Him to teach on the Sabbath. But they were not converted by His message, in fact Mark tells us that they were “offended at Him”

- We have seen Those Who Were With Jesus, Those Who Were Waiting For Jesus, now as we return to this passage we will consider:

c. THOSE WHO WERE WONDERING ABOUT JESUS

This was not the first time that Jesus had returned and preached in Nazareth. The first time that He returned was very similar to the second. So much so that many commentators think that the account in Luke 4 and Mark 6 are actually the same event. Others disagree with this view and I do as well. Though the details are similar, the timeline does not seem to match up. When Jesus went to Nazareth the first time He was asked to teach in the Synagogue. He stood and read from the Book of Isaiah and then explained the text.

Luke 4:17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.