Daily Bread for Oct 20, Mar 6-7

Today’s readings are Mar 6-7.

Jesus is rejected in Nazareth, His hometown. The people in Nazareth are familiar with him and remember Him as a boy. His family has already expressed doubts about who He is (Mar 3:21,31). His reputation and news of the works He has done precede Him into the town. The comments and questions of the townspeople reveal their annoyance at Him, effectively asking, “Who does this humble craftsman think He is?” They are suspicious of the source of His power (Mar 6:2-3). Ultimately, they are they are offended by Him rather than being blessed by Him.

Much has been made of Mar 6:5. Some say that it shows a lack of faith prevented Jesus from doing miracles. Yet, the text clearly says that He did heal some of the people in the town. From what we can discern from the passage, it seems that most people simply stayed away. There were no friends lowering anyone through a roof, no one bringing their ailing loved ones to Him no one tugging at the hem of His garment. He is rejected regardless of the miracles He performs among them. It’s not that they prevent Him from doing miracles, the problem is that the Nazarites refuse to acknowledge the divinity of His works. To them, His works are anything but “mighty,” they may even be evil. Their hardened hearts refuse to accept that Jesus is the Son of God.

The disciples were witnesses to how Nazareth treated Jesus. He uses it to teach them how to evangelize as they move from town to town (Mar 6:7-12). It’s not up to them to make people believe. Their job is to preach and teach. Whether people listen and any transformation that may occur is in the hand of the Holy Spirit.

We see a similar lesson in faith in Mar 6:45-52 with the calming of the storm. The tendency is to focus on the turbulence consequently interpreting the teaching to be one that assures us that Jesus is here to ease the storms in our lives. The real point of the story is that Jesus presence brings peace. Before He came to them, they were in turmoil. His arrival first empowers Peter to do the impossible, so long as he keeps his focus on Christ. Then His presence with the men in the boat brings peace.

The Gentiles in Gennesaret are a stark contrast to the Jews in Nazareth. They come to Jesus, bringing their sick and ailing along for healing (Mar 6:53-56). This is an early sign that the ministry of the gospel will extend further than the Jews.

To further caution the Jewish leaders on their sense of self-righteousness and privilege, Jesus denounces some of the traditions that have risen in Judaism, ones that were intended to improve upon and refine the commandments (Mar 7:1-8), traditions that were man-made, not God ordained. Christ condemns those that hold to those traditions without having God-focused hearts (Mar 7:9-13). The practice of “Corban” was a way of side-stepping the responsibility to care for one’s aged parents to retain assets for his own comfort by saying, “I’m sorry. All I own is dedicated to God, and I’m not free to provide for you.” Jesus challenges this self-serving tradition attributing it to  greed and hypocrisy. 

Some may scoff at the ancient traditions of the Jews, deeming them transparent and foolish. Yet, modern traditions that are man-made exist in our culture and even in the church. Altar calls, the sinner’s prayer, modes of baptism, style of music, types of instruments used in worship, some liturgies and more can be practices the church has used to streamline and improve worship services. Some of these traditions can be a useful aid to our worship if they are observed with the understanding that they are neither the gospel nor necessary for salvation. When we, as believers, begin placing traditions above the gospel, we are no less guilty of hypocrisy than the Jews were.