GOD’S GOOD NEWS IS AMAZING
Mark 6:1-16 - June 30, 2002
MARK 6
1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When 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, that he even does miracles! 3Isn’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.
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
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Dearest Fellow-Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:
There are many amazing things in our life for each one of us. Sometimes the simplest things amaze us. Certainly, if you have lived a few years in this life, you have seen many amazing things in the world around you. For me one of the most amazing things is faith itself, because faith is just that--it is sure of the things we hope for and certain of the things that we do not see. Sometimes faith doesn’t fit into all the rules of science. It certainly doesn’t fit into all the rules of reason, but it fits into our hearts for eternity. For example, Jesus was teaching His disciples when He said to them that it would be easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. They were all taken aback and said, "Jesus, who is going to be saved then? How can anyone be saved?" They were right that no one by themselves with their own doing could ever possibly be saved, to being even close to step into the gates of heaven. Jesus was right in saying that it would be easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for anyone on his own goodness to get into the kingdom of heaven.
God’s good news to them was amazing. "Jesus looked at them and said, ’with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’"(MATTHEW 19:26). You and I who possibly do not deserve anything at all but the punishment of hell are given the impossible--heaven itself. God’s good news is amazing! This is our theme for today. As we look at these words of our text, which God has placed before us, God’s good news is amazing; and we see that I. people are amazed at Jesus’ words; and sadly, II. Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.
I. People were amazed at Jesus? words
Our text opens by saying, "Jesus left there and went to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples." He went back home. He went to the town of Nazareth where He grew up, not Bethlehem where He was born. He went there to see His family and His friends and His relatives, went there to visit with those that He knew and those that knew Him. We aren’t told much at all about Jesus growing up in Scripture. We know that He went to the Temple when He was age 12, and we hear again about Jesus when He begins His earthly ministry about the age of 30. In between we are not told anything at all except that, as Jesus lived in Nazareth, He grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and among men.
Now, He went back to Nazareth to be among those men that He grew in wisdom and favor and stature. We are told His disciples went with Him. As His disciples were with Him and as His friends and family surrounded him, Jesus continues to teach not just by His words, but also by His actions. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. So when the time came for worship, He could have easily stayed at home with His family and friends and say, "Let’s just visit." When the day of worship came, He was in the House of Worship in order to worship God. As our text says, as the custom of the day, He was able to teach. The church leaders asked those who wanted to, to come forward and teach and preach.
Now we find the reaction: "When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were amazed." Many saw Jesus as He was growing up, and they were amazed as He came teaching as one with authority. "’Where did this man get these things,’ they asked. ’What’s this wisdom that has been given Him, that He even does miracles?’" It would be nice to think that they were amazed at the power and the Word of God as they heard it. (We are going to talk about what they really were amazed at later in the sermon.) But if we would stop right there, it would seem that they were amazed at the power that Jesus had. For Jesus came as one who had wisdom now, one who came with such power that He was able to do miracles because of the power of God’s Word. It was not just that He was God’s Son, but through the power of God’s Word Jesus was able to perform miracles. The people were amazed at this. They were amazed at the wisdom of God’s Word. They were amazed at the power of God’s Word. They were amazed at the miracles that God’s Word was able to perform.
Hopefully, today as we gather together once again, we too are amazed at God’s powerful Word, a Word that is able to change our lives. It is God’s good news, which is amazing. In the Book of Hebrews, it is described this way: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"(HEBREWS 4:12). This Word of God is not just in a dusty old book to be put on a shelf. It is living and active. Because it is living an active, it makes our lives living and active. No longer do we just walk around this world without purpose; no longer do we walk around this world aimless; but we have a living and active Word of God as part of our lives. It makes our lives living and active. It gives us purpose and hope. It gives us comfort and joy. It is amazing!
It certainly doesn’t make sense that we who are sinners are given heaven, but we are reminded that our God is a loving God. He wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. He wants even us who sometimes forget Him and forsake Him, who sometimes slap Him in the face by our sins and even reject Him by our sinful actions and words and thoughts. He says, "Sinner, your sins are forgiven. Inherit heaven itself.? It doesn’t make sense for many in this world since people are taught to be good thereby earning something, being promoted, working hard, getting ahead in life. Gods says, "It is all done for you." That is the wisdom of God. That’s God’s amazing good news. Paul describes it in Corinthians: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe"(1 CORINTHIANS 1:21). So just by hearing the Word of God, we are saved. Just by hearing the Word of God, this Word of God, which is living and active, this Word of God that is good news, which is amazing, then heaven is our home. That is the wisdom of God.
Now our lives are changed then because of that, aren’t they? The Apostle Paul realized that. You and I need to be reminded of that in our day and age--when sometimes the Word of God is not valued too much and sometimes even rejected. We want to remember that we don’t have to make excuses for God’s Word, which says that sin is still sin; but also on the other hand it says God’s forgiveness for sin is still forgiveness. First we have to start with that sin, sin which cannot be explained away in this world as a sickness or as "everybody’s doing it" or as "it’s not so bad." Still, when it is wrong in God’s eyes, it is still sin. Those who repent still enjoy the message of the Gospel. From Romans we read: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile"(ROMANS 1:16). God’s Word is amazing! It is His power to make believers out of unbelievers. It is His power to forgive sinners. It is His power to make us who are sons of men really sons of God and inheritors of eternal life.
God’s good news is amazing! The people were amazed at Jesus’ words. May we always be amazed at the words of Jesus. But now we see as our text comes to an end that Jesus was also amazed. II. Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.
II. Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith
It seemed as if there was a whole group in the congregation who were willing to listen, and they were anxious to hear what God had to say. They were excited because Jesus had taught with wisdom, and He had shown them the power of God’s Word but it quickly changes. For they go on to say, "Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son?" They couldn’t bring themselves to say, "Isn’t this Jesus?" Jesus’ name itself meant, "to save people from their sins." But instead He’s the carpenter. He’s the son of Mary. Joseph isn’t mentioned as he probably was dead already. They go and say, "Isn’t this Mary’s son, the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t the sisters here with us?" They said His whole family was here. What makes Him any different than them? What makes Him so special? Why should He be up in front of the church and in front of the synagogue teaching and proclaiming God’s Word?
Worst of all, in the last part of verse 3, we are told: "And they took offense at Him." He was a scandal for them. He was a stumbling block. Here, the very Son of God is proclaiming the Word of God; and now they sat there offended. His teaching and preaching scandalized them. They felt He was causing them to stumble and fall away from the faith.
So Jesus pronounces His condemnation against those who were condemning Him. "Jesus said to them, ’Only in his hometown, among His relatives and in His own house is a prophet without honor.’" They would not believe, and they did not want to believe. They had a strong lack of faith--not a strong faith, but a strong lack of faith. The result was evident. In verse 5: "He could not do any miracles there, except laying His hands on a few sick people and heal them." How sad Jesus must have been to realize that here, coming to bring them the water of life and the bread of life, coming to help and heal them; but He couldn’t perform miracles because of their lack of faith. Remember, it is always faith that heals. There was so little faith that we might say that Jesus was powerless.
A very sad note that ends our text: "And He was amazed at their lack of faith." So His homecoming (going back to His roots as it were) was not so joy filled for Jesus, because He was amazed at their lack of faith. Yet, it was not to be something that Jesus did not know and understand. It had been foretold that there would be many who would find in Jesus a stumbling block rather than the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
This sentiment still rings true today. Some would say that Jesus is outdated. Some who say that we are not even a nation under God. That sounds so strange to hear, and yet you will hear many who will defend that. Yet, no matter how much people try to dismiss that idea, we are a nation under God. In the Psalm we are told: "The stone the builders rejected (talking about Jesus becoming a stumbling stone and a scandal to some) has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes"(PSALM 118:22,23). Even though mankind tries to wash away the name of Jesus or God so that it is no longer seen anywhere, He is still the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and for us believers it is marvelous in our eyes.
As Jesus here was amazed at their lack of faith, Jesus today might be amazed at our lack of faith as a nation, as a country. Yet for you and I as believers, let us hold unswervingly to that faith which we profess. Oh, it is true that at times we will join the crowd and not speak up in defense of the Gospel, not speak up in defense of God’s law which condemns sin. Yet, God forgives us. Listen to this from Timothy: "If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself"(1 TIMOTHY 2:12b, 13). When we sin and turn away from God, we disown Him and are faithless; but God is still faithful to His promise that says, "And come. You will find rest for your souls. Come and inherit the kingdom of heaven." That’s His promise over and over again to every penitent sinner.
In the Scriptures we find three places where Jesus was amazed: One was that He was amazed at their lack of faith. The other two incidences talk about the centurion who came to Jesus. The centurion had a sick child who was about to die. He came to Jesus looking for help; and Jesus said, "I will go with you." The centurion said, "No, Jesus, you don’t have to. I, too, am a ruler over hundreds of people. When I speak, they listen. I know when you speak, it will be done." Jesus was amazed. In Luke we are told: "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ’I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel’"(LUKE 7:9). Wouldn’t that be something if we were like that centurion? It certainly would be better that Jesus would be amazed at our great faith rather than our lack of faith.
It all begins when we are excited about God’s Word, when we find in it just as these people did, that God’s good news, His Word, is amazing. It is amazing because it is able to change unbelievers into believers. It’s able to make us sinners saints. God’s good news is amazing! These people were amazed at Jesus’ words in a good sense and also in a bad sense because they were amazed more with Jesus, rather than God’s Word. We are reminded to be amazed at the words of Jesus, which are still alive and active today just as if He were speaking them Himself to us this morning. May Jesus always be amazed at our great faith, not our lack of faith. It is that faith which comes from God’s amazing good news that is able to do amazing things.
From John’s Epistle we read: "For everyone born of God overcomes the world (the world that would attack the church and everything else). This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God"(1 JOHN 5:4,5). Our faith overcomes the world. Our faith that Jesus is the Son of God--that is God’s good news that is amazing! Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
