Jesus went on from there and came to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.
Mark 6:1—6
Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which was a small Jewish village in his day. He began his ministry at the age of 30 and dedicated himself to serving others and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
The people of the Galilee flocked to Jesus to hear his teachings and to receive healing from him. In his home town Nazareth, however, Jesus was treated quite differently. The inhabitants of his city knew him from his youth, and their familiarity with him made them doubt his mission and caused them to stumble. They were so opposed to Jesus that he wondered at their unbelief!
It is notable that the Gospels never mention that Jesus wondered at any human accomplishment or display of earthly power, but he did express wonder at people’s faith in him, or lack thereof. For example, Jesus wondered at the great faith of a Roman officer. The officer believed that Jesus had the authority to heal his servant without even going to meet him. But in Nazareth of all places he wondered at the inhabitants’ lack of faith in him. Because of their lack of faith Jesus only healed a few people there, and did no mighty work. Consider this: Having faith in Jesus, or a lack thereof, is of eternal significance — it is a matter of life or death, salvation or condemnation. Through faith in Jesus we are granted salvation:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:16—18
Knowledge, self-sacrifice and good works cannot save us. We can’t earn our salvation, it is a gift:
“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8—9
Faith and confession are inseparable:
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.”
Romans 10:9—10
