BaptistWay: Hometown people stuck in the ordinary

This BaptistWay Bible Series lesson for Jan. 13 focuses on Mark 6:1-6.
 • Download a powerpoint resource for this lesson here.

Evidently familiarity breeds contempt, even for the Messiah.

“When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed” (Mark 6:2). This certainly is not the first time a crowd was amazed at the teaching of Jesus Christ. Actually, even when he was the tender age of 12, the people were amazed. That sense of wonder and amazement continued throughout Jesus’ ministry.  But this is a new and different rendering of amazed.

This amazed isn’t the typical “how positively shocking” we have come to expect when God speaks on earth. No, this is the “who-do-you-think-you-are” form of amazed. It’s skeptical to say the very least. Actually, it is amazingly tragic.

The sadness of the story is found in three forms.

1. “And they took offense at him” (v. 3). How utterly tragic this statement is. Truly, Jesus had done nothing offensive. No “you brood of vipers.” He didn’t turn over any tables. He didn’t sit down and take the time to make a whip (John 2:15). No, he taught, yet they took offense at him.

2. This verse is one of the most disturbing verses in all the Gospels to me: “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them” (v. 5). Notice the carefully chosen wording: He “could not.” How can God “could not?”

I understand perhaps “would not”, but “could not” is more difficult to get one’s mind around theologically. He still is God after all (and human, of course). Some still are healed, but it appears Jesus was willing to heal the masses, just like he did in other towns. Oh my, it’s tragic. But the next verse clears up the matter quickly.

3. “And he was amazed at their lack of faith” (v. 6). Now we understand. Faith and miracles eternally are tied to one another. You are hard pressed to find a healing in the Gospels that does not mention faith. Sometimes it is the faith of the one being healed. Sometimes it is the faith of those who are nearby, like family or friends found in the story. In Acts, often it is the faith of the person performing the miracle, typically the apostles. In this instance, it is the lack of faith in an entire town. That’s tragic.

It’s so easy for me to turn my nose up at the people in Jesus’ hometown. Isn’t it frustrating to know Jesus was right there with them, but they lacked faith and belief? Isn’t it tragic to know he was present but there were minimal healings instead of mass healing.

But, (this is about to get painful) what about your town or even better, what about your Christian community.  
Annually, every Southern Baptist Convention church fills out a “church report” at the end of the year. It summarizes the number of baptisms, new church members and average attendance a church has for the year. Ironically, there is no line that looks like this:

• Miracles                             
• Healings                            
• Addictions overcome          

Why? Because it’s not expected. And before we all take offense at that idea (see point No. 1 above), does Scripture not promise Jesus is a healer? Is the Messiah not described as healing brokenhearted, binding wounds and releasing prisoners? Yes, yes, I know. That was when he was present in his earthly ministry. Is he less present through his church? Did the apostles in Acts believe he was less present? It sure doesn’t look that way to me.

Somehow, we have managed to have a faith for just a few healings, exactly like Jesus’ hometown. And that extends to our view of the great healing that comes through the Great Commission. The last time I checked, all of the people Jesus healed later died. We are not told Lazarus lived forever on earth after his bodily resurrection. Eternal healing is more needed than earthly healing. So, while the Lord Jesus told us to tell many (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth), we continue to be content with just a few (hey, I warned you that it would hurt).

I love the way Mark uses words. He is crafty. He uses the word “amazed” to describe how the townspeople felt about Jesus and his teaching. Then, in verse 6, he uses the word “amazed” to describe how Jesus feels about the townspeople’s lack of faith.  

So let me ask you: would Jesus be amazed at the faith in your church? Would he be amazed at the faith of the people in your Bible study group? Would it be the positive or negative version of the word “amazed”?

Inspiration and application

Moving into an office that someone else used to occupy always is interesting. When I did that one time, I found a tiny jar of “anointing oil” in a pastoral desk. By tiny, think about a size of Chapstick tube. It was really small. I remember thinking “now that’s a Baptist-sized jar of anointing oil.” Tragic!

Isn’t that sad? Why don’t Baptist church leaders, deacons and elders exercise more healing faith than the size of a tube of Chapstick? Perhaps we have dishonored the presence of the Messiah by having such a small tube. Maybe our Chapstick-sized faith has led to just a few healings. Perhaps Chapstick-sized compassion has led to just a few conversions too.

I kept that bottle of anointing oil as a reminder. I purchased a big ol’ bottle of olive oil instead. I even got all crazy and preached a sermon about the practice of anointing with oil (James 5:13-16). And wouldn’t you know it, we use the bottle more often. It’s an exercise in faith.

Since we are morphing your Bible study group into a “Bible-doing” group, I want to suggest these applications for this week:

1. Buy your pastor or lead deacon a “big ol’ bottle” of oil. Encourage them to tell the congregation they are happy to anoint and pray for the sick.

2. Stop praying “for” people. Here is what I mean. When your class gathers for Bible study, I bet you take prayer requests. Instead of simply praying for them out loud (there is nothing wrong with that, of course) choose one prayer request per week to pray “on” instead of simply for. Ask that person to move to the front of the room and sit in a chair. Surround that person physically. Place some hands on them and pray. It’s a simple step of faith. It’s biblical (and after all, we Baptists are “people of the book,” right). It will increase faith, encourage the person prayed “on”, and build a sense of community within your group.