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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_6:1-6 a
1Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. 2When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him. 4Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household." 5And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And He wondered at their unbelief.
Mar_6:1 "Jesus went out from there" This refers to Capernaum, which had become His Galilean headquarters.
▣ "came into His hometown" This is literally "his native place" and refers to Nazareth (cf. Mar_1:9; Mar_1:24), where He grew up. It was twenty miles southeast of Capernaum. Apparently it was a recent settlement of Judeans.
▣ "and His disciples followed Him" Jesus trained His disciples by taking them with Him at all times (see Robert Coleman's The Master Plan of Evangelism). Much of Jesus' teachings and miracles were for their benefit.
Mar_6:2 "to teach in the synagogue" Jesus regularly attended synagogue. He was often invited to speak as a guest teacher, which was a common practice.
▣ "the many listeners were astonished" They did not disagree with His teachings, but questioned His qualifications and schooling. This is similar to the Pharisees questioning His authority.
▣ "'Where did this man get these things'" Jesus' wisdom, power, and authority surprised everyone. As a child Jesus was just like the other village children. Different groups kept asking where these attributes came from? It was obvious to all that Jesus had great wisdom and authority!
▣ "such miracles as these performed by His hands" Capernaum was only 20 miles from Nazareth so word of His miracles had spread.
Mar_6:3 "'Is not this the carpenter'" The word for carpenter means "craftsman" which can mean a worker in wood, metal, or stone. Justin said it referred to someone who made ploughs and yokes (i.e., Dial. 88:8). Apparently Jesus had become the town carpenter after Joseph's untimely death.
▣ "'the son of Mary'" Like "this man" of Mar_6:2, this may have been an attempt to show contempt. The townspeople would have known of Mary's pregnancy. Origen says the original text read "the son of the carpenter and Mary" because it was so highly unusual for the mother to be mentioned. Because of Joh_8:41 some see this related to the widely spread rumor that Jesus was an illegitimate child of a Roman soldier. Most of the MSS variations are based on the theological bias of copyists who may have feared that the doctrine of the Virgin Birth was being comprised by the Matthean parallel phrase "the son of the carpenter and Mary" (cf. Mat_13:55).
▣ "'the brother of'" This shows the normal childhood of Jesus (cf. Luk_2:40; Luk_2:52). It also shows Mary had other children. Of this list of brothers and sisters (cf. Mat_13:55-56), two, James and Jude, are NT authors.
NASB "they took offense at Him"
NKJV "they were offended at Him"
NRSV "they took offense at him"
TEV "they rejected him"
NJB "they would not accept him"
This is the term skandalon, which meant a baited trap stick. We get the English term "scandal" from this Greek term.
This concept had great OT Messianic significance (cf. Psa_118:22; Isa_8:14; Isa_28:16). Just like the religious leaders the townspeople could not overcome their bias (cf. Mar_6:4).
Mar_6:4 "A prophet" Mar_6:4 was a popular proverb of Jesus' day. Jesus was surely more than a prophet, but that was one of the titles used by Moses of God's special coming One (cf. Deu_18:15; Deu_18:18).
Mar_6:5 "He could do no miracles there" This does not imply weakness on Jesus' part, but willful limiting of His ministry. The Mat_13:58 parallel has "did not" instead of "could not." Jesus was not a respecter of persons; He had no favorites. Luk_7:11-14 shows that Jesus did not always demand a faith response, but it was the normal prerequisite. Faith in God and in Jesus opens the door to the spiritual realm. How much faith is not as important as in whom it is placed!
▣ "He laid His hands on a few sick people" See Special Topic at Mar_7:32.
Mar_6:6 a
NASB "He wondered at their unbelief"
NKJV "He marveled because of their unbelief"
NRSV "he was amazed at their unbelief"
TEV "He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith"
NJB "he was amazed at their lack of faith"
This is an imperfect active indicative, implying repeated action. Jesus was amazed by the peoples' blindness and hardness (Jesus was rejected twice in Nazareth, cf. Luk_4:16-31). In the presence of great truth, even miraculous signs (cf. Mar_6:2), they refused to believe (cf. Isa_6:9-10).