David Bahn – Reflections

Mark 6:5-6

⁵ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And he marveled because of their unbelief.

Have you ever had to withhold an act of kindness because it would be taken and understood wrongly? Perhaps it is an employee who is not performing well yet demanding a raise. Maybe your child is being rebellious so you don’t buy the candy bar at the grocery store check-out line. It might be a situation that requires rigorous training rather than a gentle hand.

Here Jesus experiences such a conundrum: he has the power to heal but, Mark tells us, “could do no mighty work there.” How can this be? Is not God all-powerful? Is Jesus not the Son of God? Is this not the one who stilled the storm at sea and raised the little girl from the dead? While he did heal a few sick people, the greater experience in his home town was to marvel in the face of unbelief.

There are those who too quickly blame others’ lack of faith for a failure to be healed or to thrive. Some would cause the weak to stumble by such mis-guided urgency. But note well: unbelief stands in the way of experiencing the fullness of God’s work in our lives.

God promises that he will not break the bruised reed, or quench the smoldering wick. The most feeble faith that looks to Jesus avails before him. Many people sympathize with the man who said to Jesus, “Lord I believe. Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

But doubting faith is different from unbelief. There is a great difference between rejecting Jesus as some sort of Johnny-Come-Lately, and believing he is from God but wondering if he will help me in a particular situation. Too often we do not know how to pray; we realize that we don’t have all the answers. We understand that a yes to us may mean a no to someone else. But that is a far cry from rejecting Jesus outright which is what the people from his home town apparently did.

Having said all that I wonder whether I sometimes forfeit richer blessings because I do not lean into Jesus’ promises and grace more fully. He will not force himself on us to bless us. His desire is that we look to him and live. Perhaps we can catch ourselves whenever we’re tempted to believe that Jesus cannot help us here. That place may be at work with a difficult client, or in relation to a personal relationship, a difficult task, or a challenging season of life. If we factor Jesus out of the equation we will see only glimpses of his grace and power.

Mark 6:1-13

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ² And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? ³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴ And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” ⁵ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And he marveled because of their unbelief.

And he went about among the villages teaching.

⁷ And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— ⁹ but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. ¹⁰ And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. ¹¹ And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.