This morning I am reflecting on the following verses - Mark 6:1-6 NIV:
[1] "Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. [2] When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What's this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? [3] Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him."
[4] "Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” [5] He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. [6] He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village."
Specifically I was reflecting on the fact that Jesus is described as a carpenter. The actual Greek word that was translated carpenter, is Tekton and it is better translated craftsman. There is much discussion about whether Jesus was a carpenter, or a stone mason, or something else. The word could indicate several occupations. I think the point that is most important is that Jesus was not known for His learning of scripture, nor His work with people, nor Healing or anything miraculous. He was a craftsman. He worked with wood or stone, He fashioned things with His hands and tools, and now He comes preaching and healing. He had left town and moved to Capernaum, which is where His ministry was centered, but here in His hometown, they clearly knew Him and remembered Him.
It is interesting that Mark notes that they took offense at Him, and I have thought a bit about this and have some thoughts on why that was the case. If Jesus lived the majority of His life there in Nazareth, say from 4-5 to 30ish, He would have been present, or known many who were sick and died during that time. He would have had many occasions where He was in the local synagogue, yet never opened His mouth. He was apparently unremarkable for the most part, enough so that when He comes back and ministers there, the people are taken aback. The question is why did this surprise turn into offense?
I think it has to do with unmet expectations and looking back into the past. They are seeing a whole new Jesus, hearing of His wonderful healing ministry, casting out demons, maybe even heard of Him raising the dead. Mark and Luke put His visit close the beginning of His ministry, while Matthew has it occurring a bit later. Regardless of the timing, they were seeing Jesus in a new light, and I think they were starting to think back on the times Jesus was present during someone's long suffering illness, or maybe when someone had suffered a tragic accident, and Jesus was present but didn't do anything! If He lived in that town for 20+ years, He would have been present when many people died, including apparently Joseph, His own earthly father.
Even in our day, standing by and watching someone suffer and die while having the ability to save them is considered a heinous thing, so imagine a day when there weren't ambulances, doctors, urgent care, antibiotics like penicillin, X-rays and a significant understanding of the human body, and someone you know apparently can lay their hands on a sick or wounded person and heal them completely, but they didn't!! I think the accusations in their minds were slow to start, but suddenly as people realized what Jesus didn't do while living in their midst, that they become offended and even enraged. In Luke 4:29 we are told the people were so enraged that they drove Jesus from the town to the brink of the nearby cliff in order to throw Him off! The people weren't just offended they were enraged enough to kill Him.
I think this same situation is played out in many of our lives, and the lives of those we love even today. We hear that Jesus can heal, we hear of God healing people through the prayers of other Christians and we encounter serious or terminal sickness in a loved one, and we pray knowing the Jesus can heal, or believing that Jesus can heal, and yet He doesn't! We get everyone we know praying to Jesus, asking for Him to heal our loved one and He doesn't and we get angry, offended, even enraged at this apparent lack of love and compassion, this unwillingness to help!!
My heart goes out to all who have suffered loss, to all who have prayed and not seen their prayers answered!
I have personally seen God heal people of cancer, seen Him heal blindness, seen Him heal even small things like headaches and even allergies. I have seen Him do miraculous things. At the same time, I have also seen dearly loved ones die of cancer, suffer through terminal illnesses, seen countless prayers apparently unanswered. I have seen those I love or know of turn their backs on God in their anger and offense.
In the face of this I must say that I don't understand why some prayers are answered and some are not. In the case before us from Jesus' early life, I don't understand why the Father had Jesus live for 20+ years in a town, and didn't let Him heal those that were sick or dying during those quiet years. I don't understand the ways of God, or His perspective, or His thoughts. I wish I did, but I don't.
What I can say, is that in spite of the loss I have seen, the loss I have suffered, the loved ones that have passed, unanswered prayers and unmet expectations, I have experienced the intimate love of God. I have experienced His embrace and love, His soothing words, His gentle guidance, His ever present love, and I have not lost my faith in Him. I have seen too much of His goodness to believe the accusations that float through my mind when I am troubled or hurt. I have known His love, seen Him move, and experienced His speaking into my life far to many times to think that He doesn't care, or stands idly by when I am hurting or sick, or watching a loved one suffer. Why He does or doesn't act is beyond me, but I do know He is good and that He loves me, and that is enough. I hold onto the words of the Prophet Isaiah, speaking from God's point of view, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. [9] “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV).
My faith in Him makes me a better person, makes me humble, compassionate, merciful, caring forgiving, and loving in ways I wouldn't be. I have a hope I wouldn't have if I walked in anger and offense. I am willing to say that I don't understand everything, but that makes sense to me, considering the great gap in ability and perspective between me and the Lord! I have seen His goodness, seen His power, seen His intimate love, mercy and compassion at work, and choose to follow Him.
Amen!
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