For Those not familiar with an Anglican Service there are four Scripture passages read prior to the Message. Today's assigned passages are 2 Samuel 5:1-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 and Mark 6:1-13.
A saying that goes back as far as ..." Publius" the Syrian... in 2 BC.
And we see in today's Gospel text ...... how this happened to Jesus... when he returned... to his hometown ...of Nazareth.
Beloved... "Familiarity ... breeds contempt".
Yet ...Hear me on this.
"Familiarity breeds contempt" ... only ... only ... with ...... contemptible things ... or among ...contemptible people. REPEAT
The contempt shown by the Nazarenes... said nothing about Jesus Christ, ...yet ... it said a great deal... about ... them!
I am convinced ... that people ... are not opposed ... to having someone from their hometown ...become successful ... or even famous.
Yet......we are so familiar ...with those we grow up with... that we often fail... to see the potential ...the greatness ...in them.
How often ... have we heard someone place a slur ...toward some successful person... that they knew in their youth...instead of rejoicing... for them.
They seem to be surprised ...and even suspicious... of their success.
If we are not careful ... we could miss much ...of what is important in life... if we limit ... our vision. (Pause)
There was a vegetable juice commercial... where someone would drink a soda ...or some other type of juice.
And then realize ... that they had missed out on something better.
The commercial would end, ... (Lift the can) "Wow... I could have had ...a V8.
That was a catchy phrase ... but when it is applied to life... missing out on what Jesus has for us ... can have eternal consequences.
We must have an open heart ... to the movement of God.
You do not want to miss out...on what the Lord... has in store... for you.
Do not settle for less ......When you could have had Jesus. (Pause)
In our text ... Jesus returns to Nazareth ... where a year before ......He had been... rejected by the people ... and evicted ... from the synagogue. (Luke 4:16--30).
Jesus returns to Nazareth ... where he is rejected by the people ... evicted from the synagogue ... and driven from his hometown.
It was certainly an act of grace on His part... to give the people ...another opportunity ...to hear the Good News.
Another opportunity ... to believe, ...Another opportunity ... to be saved.
Yet their hearts ...remained ... hardened.
They could have had Jesus ... yet they chose unbelief.
In the previous chapter... Mark records how Jesus had performed... great miracles ... throughout the Region.
He had healed A man... possessed by a legion of demons. (Mark 5: 1-20)
He had raised Jairus' (Jair-us) 12-year-old daughter ... from the dead (Mark 5:21-43).
And now in our Gospel Text ...we see Jesus' returning home ... to Nazareth.
Our Lord had moved away from the crowds... in order to find rest.
Our Lord's reputation ...had once again preceded Him, ...so He was permitted ...to teach... in the synagogue.
We read from God's Word: 1. BIBLE "On the Sabbath ... he began to teach in the Synagogue ... and many who heard him ... were astounded" END (Do Not Put Bible Down) (Mark 6:2).
Mark does not actually tell us... what flamed the controversy.
Instead ... judging by the response ...he leaves us with the impression ... that what Jesus taught ... must have touched the very core ... of their souls.
For we read how the Nazarenes responded:
2. BIBLE "Where did this man get all this?"... "What is this wisdom that has been given him? ... What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ... Is not this... the carpenter, ...the son of Mary ...and brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon ...and are not his sisters here with us?"...And they took offence ... at him." END (Mark 6:3)
They were offended by Him ... they took offense at him.
The contrast between a peasant carpenter of Galilee ......who had earned His daily bread ...by the sweat of His brow.
With the Person... who delivered those wonderful discourses ...and performed those miracles, ...was too much... for His townspeople.
Remember the words of Nathanial one of the twelve ... when he heard that Jesus came from Nazareth?
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46)
It was a town ... with less than a stellar ... reputation.
They took offence ......they were astonished... The Greek verb is ek-ples-so ... means "to strike out, to expel by ...a blow...".
The verb is imperfect, ...indicating ... that this condition of being beside themselves ... continued ...for some time.
Their astonishment was so great... that their composure ...was exhausted.
The discourse ... and the miracles of our Lord ...struck them so forcibly... that they were astonished ...to the point of losing control... of themselves.
They could have had Jesus ...but they chose unbelief.
What was in Jesus' teaching... that generated... so much heat...So much discourse ... with the people?
One of the great blessings...... of having four Gospels ...is that many of the incidents... in the life of Jesus ...appear in more ... than one.
And often the account in the other Gospel... or Gospels ...will shed a different light... on the event.
Where one of the Gospels leaves out specifics ... the other ...will often give ...more detail.
And in this particular case, ...we are not disappointed.
In the parallel passage ...from Luke's telling, ...we are told more ...about the controversy:
Hear God's Word from the Gospel of Luke:
3. BIBLE He (Jesus) went to Nazareth, ... where he had been brought up... and on the Sabbath day ...he went into the synagogue, ...as was his custom... And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him...... Unrolling it... he found the place where it is written: ..."The Spirit of the Lord is on me... because he has anointed me... to preach good news to the poor... He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners ...and re-co-very of sight for the blind, ...to release the oppressed, ...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
...Then he rolled up the scroll, ...gave it back to the attendant and sat down... The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ...and he began by saying to them, ..."Today this scripture is fulfilled... in your hearing." END (Do Not Close The Bible) (Luke 4:16-21)
You might still ask...... why the controversy.
The key is in Jesus' closing words: "Today this Scripture is fulfilled." (Luke 4:21)
The passage that Jesus had finished reading from the scroll... was a well-known Messianic passage ...... from the book of Isaiah. (Isaiah 61:1-2)
The Jews were looking...for the coming ...of the Messiah... God's deliverer ...who was going to come ...and release ... those ...in captivity.
This was particularly poignant ...... for the Jews ...had been suffering ...under the yoke of the Romans ...for about ...one hundred years.
So ... They were seeking ... a military Messiah.
What made Jesus seem unorthodox ... was his proclamation ... that the Scripture had been fulfilled.
So ... Why did the Nazarenes reject him?
It seems to me ...that part of that rejection... was based on seeing Jesus ......as "one of them".
In their eyes... Jesus was not special.
There is a danger ...in our Christian lives ... that we too ...can miss out ... on God's blessings.
We can miss out... if we fail to recognize ...God's message... or God's messenger.
The people in Nazareth missed out... as the Scriptures sadly records:
4.BIBLE "He (Jesus) could do no deed of power there (in Nazareth), except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ... And he was amazed at their unbelief." END (Mark 6:5-6)
He could do no deed of power ... there.
The word "no" ...is fully translated ...from the Greek word "ou-de-mian" meaning ... "not even one."
So why could Jesus... do no deed of power... in Nazareth.
The answer ... is not ... that complicated.
Many Greek Scholars are convinced ... and so am I ......that the people of Nazareth... were so consistently unbelieving ......that they would not even ...bring their sick to Him.
In this state of unbelief ......they brought ...no one to Jesus ...therefore ...no miracles could occur.
He could do no deed of power...because no one came forth ... to receive the healing power... from on high.
Even the few sick people that were cured ...were not sick ... from diseases ...
The word translated "sick" used in this text ...is the Greek word ar-ros-tos which is regarded as ......constitutional weakness.
Not a sickness ... from disease!
The people of Nazareth... accepted unbelief.
They accepted what the world had to offer...when they could have had ...Jesus
His Hometown ... rejected him.
Well Beloved ... Where is the hometown... of Jesus today?
Where would Jesus go ...to be... with his People?
I believe the church... the Church that the Scriptures proclaim as the Bride of Christ ... is Jesus' hometown... today.
And if the church ...is Jesus' hometown ..., do you come this day ... believing.
Do you come ...with a heart open to God.
Do you come ...expecting Jesus ... to be here.
Jesus is clear ... His promise to each one of us is crystal clear ... "I will never leave you ... or forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5-6)
The kingdom of God... Is at hand. (Mark 1:15; Matthew 3:2)
God's spiritual kingdom ... Is here ... within this place.
It is Holy Ground ... When Jesus is present.
Beloved you and I are standing on Holy Ground.
Jesus was in the midst of the people from his hometown ...yet they rejected him.
Jesus is in our midst ... in the midst of his people in the midst of his bride ...this day.
Yield to him ...allow him ...to be not only your Savior ... but the Lord ... of your life.
Beloved ... Be a people of anticipation ... of expectation.
Allow Jesus to touch you ... and to heal you.
Allow him to be in the midst ...of every aspect of your life.
There is nothing that we cannot do ...of eternal importance ...if Jesus ... is in ... the midst.
There is nowhere ...that we cannot go ... if Jesus ... is in ... the midst.
There is no limit ...to what God can do in his church, ...if Jesus ... is in ... the midst.
The Scriptures share this glorious truth. Hear God's Word:
5. BIBLE I can do all things ... All things ...through Christ ...who strengthens me. END (Philippians 4:13)
Beloved ... We ... You and I ... can do all things... through Christ... who strengthens us.
What kind of strength are you talking about you ask?
Well thank-you for asking.
Illustration time!
(Pick up a glove) ... If said to this glove, ..."Glove, pick up that Bible," ... could the glove, ... do it?
The glove has the shape of a hand, ... It has a thumb ... and 4 fingers.
But could the glove ... pick up that Bible?
So, ... I say again to the glove, ... "I apologize, Mr. Glove, ...I have not told you ... how to pick up that Bible.
Put your thumb on top of the Bible, ... and your 4 fingers underneath it, ... squeeze tight, ... and then lift.
Now ... Mr. Glove...pick it up."
Will anything happen? ... No of course not!
Why? ...Because the glove has no strength ... it is powerless.
The glove is empty .... It has no life in it.
The glove cannot do anything ...It can do no thing ...until ... (hands on heart) Until ... I put my hand inside it.
(Put hand in glove) The moment I place my hand inside, ... the glove becomes ......as strong ... as my hand.
Everything that is possible ... for my hand .... becomes possible ... for the ... glove.
If the glove could speak, ... it might say: ... "I can do all things ...through the hand ...which strengthens me."
REPEAT (Long Pause)
Beloved ... In a way ...You and I are like ... a glove; ... and Christ is our strength.
He strengthens us.
And the Scriptures promise: "I can do all things through Christ ......who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)
Beloved... There is nothing of eternal importance ... that we cannot do ...if we allow His strength to flow through us.
There is no limit to what God can do in your life in my life ... or in the life ... of His church, ...if we allow him to empowers us.
As life tries to pull you away from God.
As life tempts you ...with the things ... of the world.
Stand in the strength of the Christ.
Jesus was in the midst of the people from his hometown ...yet they rejected him.
They chose unbelief ... when they could have had Jesus.
Jesus is in our midst ... in the midst of ... his people ...this day.
Wherever Jesus is Holy Ground.
Beloved this place .... is Holy Ground.
Yield to him ...allow him ...to be not only your Savior ... which many do ... but allow him to be ... Lord ... Lord of your life.
Beloved ... Be a people of anticipation ... of expectation.
Allow Jesus to touch you ... and to heal you.
Allow him to strengthen ... every aspect of your life.
Allow his joy to overflow ... and to impact ... your very being.
Do not yield to the world ... when you can have a supernatural life.
Do not yield to the world ... when you could have had Jesus.
Amen!
I used some of the descriptions by Martin Dale in his Sermon "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" and I commend it to you.
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