Introduction
As we look through the gospel reading today, I am going to pick on a number of words and phrases to try to give a better picture of what was going on. Marks’ Gospel is a fast moving text. It could be called "What Jesus Did Next". It is easy to get caught up in the story and miss some of the undercurrents. That of course wouldn’t have been a problem for Marks readers, but for us 2000 years later, and without a Jewish upbringing it is very easy to do.
Home town
After healing the woman with the flow of blood, and Jairus’ daughter Jesus moves to his home town. Nazareth was a small town with a population around 300. It is where Joseph and Mary settled after the birth of Jesus. Jesus would have been well known there, many of the people would have grown up with him. There was relatively little movement, most people were born in the town they were living in. Nazareth was primarily an agricultural settlement. The archaeology shows that there are grain store and wine presses. Jesus had left home and made his ministry around Galilee about 30 miles to the north east. When he arrived in the town he would have headed straight for his childhood home. He would have stayed with his family. If his mother was not able to accommodate him then one of his brothers would have taken on the duty.
Synagogue
Jesus had been home for a few days, and as was the family tradition they attended synagogue on the Sabbath. Just as in the church of England it is not permitted for just anyone to teach. You have to have had some training. Normally a trainee Rabbi would be apprenticed to well known and respected Rabbi. We can be fairly certain that this was not the case with Jesus. However he was recognised as competent and allowed to speak. He would only have had a few minutes. The sermon was not the main focus of Jewish worship. Scripture reading was considered more important, as were prayers.
They were amazed
The people in the synagogue were amazed at Jesus teaching. They all thought they knew who he was. What he said appeared to them to have genuine insight, it would have been clear and straight forward. It would have been honest and open. The regular guy had not been away that long, but he had come back and He was different. Those who listened, really listened and were open to Jesus words were the ones who were really amazed. They had clearly heard about his ministry, it would have been impossible to not have heard of this healer even from 30 miles away. Remember there was no internet, television, radio, or newspapers. News travels fast in any human culture no matter what the technology.
Carpenter
But then they start to think a little more. Perhaps Jesus message was a little uncompromising, perhaps he spoke a few home truths with his message. Isn’t this just the repairman? As a carpenter Jesus would have spent most his time repairing furniture and buildings. There would have been new work also, but most of the work would have been wandering around town looking for things to repair, or buildings to help with. Carpenters also included general building work. So this guy is just the repairman – what right does he have to tell me how to live my life?
There is a certain irony here. Jesus is the repair man. Both physically in his skill with wood, but also spiritually with his clean clear wisdom from God. Then there are the miracles, evidence that Jesus can and does repair people physically too.
Yet despite the evidence that they have heard both on the grapevine and now with their own ears they still choose to reject him.
We know now that Jesus is the ultimate repair man – putting the universe back together after it was ruined by sin.
Mary’s son
Now they are really getting into it. Calling him Mary’s son is a polite way of questioning his parentage. Even if Joseph had died by this time (which seems likely), he should still have been known as Joseph’s son. It is true that the Jews count their racial purity through the mother, so if your mother was a Jew, so are you. The message here is that Jesus is illegitimate - a cause of shame in the 1st century. It is just being used to bolster there argument that they shouldn’t take any notice of the piece of wisdom that they have just heard. His brothers and sisters get a mention and he’s being viewed just as one of the towns children, why should they take any notice of a child?
So they took offence at him.
Prophet without honour
Only in his home town, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honour.
This phrase or something like it can be traced back about another 200 years from Jesus time. So he is picking up on a well known phrase to express his frustration.
Some preachers will tell you that the hardest sermons are those preached in front of their parents. I can’t confirm that, but it makes sense to me. Even talking about my conversion with my parents was difficult. You may have had similar experiences. After conversion you seem the same, but you know you are changed. Its almost too personal, will they see the change in you? Do you really want them to?
Could not do any Miracles
There are many theories about why Jesus could not perform his usual miracles in his home town. We must be careful to remember that Jesus was both Man and God.
We must not allow ourselves to think that God’s power can somehow be limited by peoples lack of faith. If that were the case God would not be able to do anything in this world, because everything He tried to do would require someone already here with absolute faith that the task can be successfully completed.
Neither should we think that for some reason Jesus refused to heal them because of their lack of faith. That would be out of character with the Jesus we know from the remainder of the Gospels. He wouldn’t come home and then decide that the people here do not have enough faith, so I will refuse to heal them. In other places he says you need faith the size of a mustard seed – one of the smallest seeds. There are also times when Jesus had compassion on people, it would be difficult to think that he lacked compassion for the people he grew up with.
The most likely explanation is that their lack of faith meant that there were only very few who were prepared to ask. If you don’t believe that someone can heal YOU, why would you go to them and ask them to?
Perhaps you know the scene in the Life of Brian, where Michael Palin as the healed leper is complaining the Jesus just came along and healed him, and how badly its ruined his life. He was doing very nicely begging. Jesus does not do that. God created us with free will, He will not suddenly just override our free will for the sake of making us better, we have to ask – that way he knows that its what we want, and we have shown our faith.
Lay his hands
He was only able to lay his hands on a few sick people does not imply the gentle touch that we associate with healing prayer today. This is much more like the way a policeman might lay his hands on a criminal. It is about taking control and providing physical direction. No wonder the demons left, they did not want to be arrested by the son of God.
He was amazed
Jesus was amazed by their lack of faith. I think this is the only time when it is recorded that Jesus was amazed. Their lack of faith was so remarkable, so complete, that even Jesus was taken aback. This was a sign for Jesus. He saw just how much there was to do, and how little time there was to do it.
What happens next, the sending out of the twelve, is no coincidence. The reaction of his own people – those from his home town, mirrors the passage in John 1 where the Son of God comes to the world and is rejected by the people. Jesus decided that now would be a good time to put his recruits to the test.
Two by two
Jesus had realised that something else is needed. His disciples are not from around here, so they will have the respect and acknowledgement that he cannot command. It is time for them to try out what they have learnt. So he sends them out to the surrounding villages two by two. Under Jewish law they have to travel in pairs. This is not for protection, or some form of first century health and safety, its because they are to be witnesses to what Jesus has done and is doing. To be an acceptable witness there must be at least one other person to corroborate the story. This is a fundamental part of Jewish law and is explained in Deuteronomy.
Take nothing
The task is urgent, they are not to spend time preparing, they are to rely on what they can get on the road. No food, no bag – so you can’t be mistaken for a beggar, and no money, so that neither you nor your hosts can have any expectation of you paying your way.
Sandals
Not even a coat. That may be OK today, but we don’t know whether this was summer or winter. The only things they are allow was a staff – for protection from wild animals most likely and sandals – essential for long walks.
There were itinerant philosophers walking around, and teaching for food. They were known as the Cynics – from the word for dogs – that was as much of an insult then as it is now - so people didn’t have much respect for them. The message of the cynics was largely “The world is rotten, get used to it”. Once the disciples started their teaching, “repent for the kingdom of God is here” people would have soon realised that his was something different.
Shake the dust off your feet
Jesus instructed the disciples to ’shake the dust off their feet’. So if you’re not welcome, if people won’t look after you, if they won’t listen to what you have to say shake the dust off your feet. The Jews would always shake the dust off their feet at the border to ensure that they didn’t bring anything unclean back into Israel, and make themselves unclean in the process. So this is Jesus telling the disciples to leave, and let the people know that they have excluded themselves from the Kingdom of Heaven.
Repent
Most of the discussion on the web about this passage is based around the difficulty people have with the message they think is implied – that God is condemning people to damnation. We must consider though the mission the disciples were sent on. They were sent to preach repentance and heal the sick. No doubt Jesus gave them a certain number of days, and they agreed where they would meet afterwards, if not the disciples may never have come back – or they may have given up too quickly. So there was a limit to the amount of time they would spend in any one place. If you go somewhere with a message requiring people to repent and they choose to ignore you, or they refuse to repent, what is there left to do. THEY have made their decision- You cannot stay.
Many years ago when Spring Harvest was in the Pontins holiday camp in Prestatyn, a number of volunteers were sent out to visit the surrounding houses with the message of the Gospel. Because this is England, we don’t have to operate under Jewish Law, and we don’t want to appear too threatening, so we went as individuals. There I was at 2pm, with strict instructions to be back for the coach at 5pm, or walk back to the camp, and assigned a couple of roads in which to go door knocking. There were more than enough houses to visit for just 3 hours, and you had to allow time to talk to people. If they were not interested, or exceptionally grumpy, or if they just hid behind their curtains, (I experienced all three of those) the I just moved on. I offered, I tried, and that is all that Jesus requires of me, and that is all that he required of his disciples.
Drove out many demons …
At the end of the passage Mark simply reports that “They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.“ I bet they came back full of themselves, I know that I would have done.
