Mark Chapter 6 Verses 1 – 2

• The way this reads in the English one would think that the crowds there in Nazareth (which is where Jesus is now about 40 miles away from Capernaum) you’d read this and think they were impressed. They’re not. And I’ll get to that in a moment…something major I want to point out in verse 1… 

• Mark says that Jesus went out from there and traveled 40 miles, by foot, and His disciples followed Him…yea so I heard that too…but consider the implication, consider what was just said! If I were writing a book, a novel, a story, I would write that Jesus called His disciples to Himself, explained to them where they were off to, and then they prepared, gathered provisions…their food, their tents, their D.O. for their B.O. and then when they were ready, Jesus said, "come on boys, off we go!"

• But that is not at all what Mark says! And thats not at all what happened. Jesus and the boys had been working hard. Crowds had gathered, ministry was relentless…healing and teaching and touching and praying and visiting and counseling…and then Jesus stands up…and walks. That is the implication of the scene here. No practical preparation. No collection and subsequent acquisition of gummy bears, sunflower seeds and Red Bull…the essentials for any road trip… 

• He simply stands and moves out…and Mark tells us that the disciples followed Him. And I’m impacted. Why? Because, major point here, this is what a disciple of Jesus does. We ‘Mericans have grown so accustomed to a mentality customer service. "The customer is always right." Call up Verizon on the phone and talk with them about your phone that won’t work…"well did you drop it?" They never ask that do they? "How dare you imply that this is MY fault," mostly everyone will think! 

• And my how this has crept into our idea of what following Jesus is…that we are the customer…not so…prepare the provisions, provide for my needs, tell me the next step, wait until I’m ready to move…the disciple asks, expects, requests none of these things…the disciple follows Him. He moves, I move. He speaks, I listen. He corrects me, I change. He directs, I do. He leads, I follow. Completely! Why do you think Jesus does this? This journey between Capernaum and Nazareth? Because He knew that you and I digging into His Word, seeking after Him with all of our hearts this morning, He knew that we would know that that trip is 40 miles! 

• 40! Let’s see how deep this rabbit hole goes…What is the significance of the number 40, biblically? The number of completion! The children of Israel wandering the wilderness for 40 years until the ungrateful, unrighteous, unfit, unsuitable generation died out in their grumbling and complaining! 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert right after being baptized by John so that the fulfillment of His humanity in that He was tempted by Satan would be complete. Noah’s rains fell for 40 days and 40 nights! Goliath presented himself to Israel for 40 days. Saul reigned for 40 years. David reigned for 40 years! The Holy of Holies in the temple was 40 cubits long! Oh we’re deep in the rabbit hole now!!! Jesus hung out on earth for 40 days after the resurrection before ascending up into heaven! Belshazzar when he feasted in the time of Daniel and the Medes and the Persians were lurking even at the door drank 40’s with his homies! 

• Ok that last one was a joke…he did pour one out though, for the ones lost along the way! HA! Psyche! (I told you I’m bring that word back!) But look, you get the point! 40 everywhere in the Bible and here this morning, just waiting to be found by anyone who would diligently seek the truth of God’s Word and that person, me, you, us as we press in would see that Jesus shows us what it takes to become complete as His disciple. Reject consumerism. Reject personal rights. Deny your own needs, take up your cross…and follow.

• Now what would ever ever ever motivate a person to do that? Truth? I’m not so sure. Promised victory? I’m not convinced. Prosperity? Not a chance. If that’s the offering, in all honesty, my heart doesn’t move…and if my heart doesn’t move, neither do my feet. The only only only thing that would ever ever ever motivate a person to do that…to lose his own life…is love. 

• Tell me that you wouldn’t move heaven and earth to get to your child who is in mortal danger…to protect them, to rescue them…of course you would! Why? So that you could prosper? Because that’s just the "right" thing to do? Nope…you move out because your heart is filled with love for them and a desperate need to care for them, insulate them, safeguard them, preserve them…shelter them…love is the only motivation capable of moving heaven and earth. God showed us that by sending Jesus man…and love is the only thing that will ever make a disciple… 

• If you do not know Jesus, if you do not know His Word, what He has done for you personally, what He does for you and for me daily…if you do not love Him…then you cannot be His disciple. He said the world would know who are His by their love…their love of peanut butter? Their love of righteousness? Their love of the Word? Their love of church? No, no, no, no! Their love for Him…proven, made complete, revealed…when you know nothing, have nothing, understand NOTHING…but He gets up to go…and you follow. 

• Imagine a soldier in the ranks of a perfect commander or captain…and the orders are given…would we schedule a meeting with the commander and review those orders? No! Ridiculous! Especially in combat right? We. Move. Out. Lest we be guilty of treason man…you see we have our orders. To go and make disciples. To be dead to the flesh and alive unto Christ. To bless when we are cursed, entreat when we are persecuted. To serve with un-ending energy…when asked to go one mile we readily and cheerfully go two…to cheerfully give ourselves, a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to Him, as a reasonable service…do you do that? Do I do that or do I "talk it out" with the commander and follow only the orders that fit into my commoditized lifestyle? Am I or am I not a disciple of Jesus Christ? 

• I. Am. Impacted. Now, He arrives, goes into the synagogue and teaches and folks are not impressed. He left a carpenter, He returns a rabbi…no training…no schooling…no qualifications…someone has "given" Him something. See that there in verse 2…they were haters man… 

• Just like a high school reunion where you show up and everyone wants to know what you do and where you live and what you drive and what your kids do which hottie is your wife…why? So they can congratulate you? HA! Not so much!!! 

• That word for astonished in the Greek is actually "ekplesso" where we get our word, "expel." They wanted to throw Him out….

Mark Chapter 6 Verse 3

• Many scholars believe that by them referring to Jesus being the Son of Mary rather than the Son of Joseph, that Joseph has died by now…but I’m not 100% with that. I see an insult here. Whether dead or alive, a man or a woman would be known as the son or daughter of their father. It’s an honor thing. So this, to me, is clearly an insult. 

• This is in effect, the crowd calling Him illegitimate. And you know what, in the natural man’s eyes, in the world’s eyes, Jesus was and is factually, actually and practically illegitimate. Were Jesus’ parents man and wife? The obvious answer…no…and so look, check this out, don’t miss this…this crowd is rejecting Jesus why? BECAUSE they do not know His father! See what I’m saying!

• John 14:7, Jesus said to them, "If you had known Me then you would have known My Father who sent Me." And John wrote in 1 John 2:23 that, "no one who denies the Son has the Father." So this crowd hurls insults at Jesus, rejects Jesus, slanders Him as illegitimate…they want to get Him out, why? Because they do not know the Father! Now watch this…this a major issue with any religion or belief system that rejects Jesus as the Son of God…right? 

• And the crowd calls out Jesus’ brothers. Interesting right because even to this day the entire church of 1.2B Roman Catholics believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary…then how the brothers?

Mark Chapter 6 Verse 4

• (3 "owns" here…just a nugget) Quite literally, in the Greek, the word for country here in the English is "father land." So Jesus is saying that yes they’ve known Him for 30 years before he broke away from His trade and His family to reveal His identity and ministry but more practically for us He’s saying careful that with near proximity we don’t allow for insensitivity… 

• What do I mean by that? Who’s on trial here? Jesus? Nope…the people…just like when you go to an art museum and there are priceless works of art there on the wall and you think, "um, I don’t get it…" it’s not the art that is lacking, it’s your ability to appreciate it…

• We are in danger of making the same grave mistake even with Jesus and severely wrecking our homes and our relationships and our jobs and our churches and our lives even…Yes, He lives inside us. Yes, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Yes, He is always available to us – but nonetheless…He is God. And as God, He has the right to our time, money, abilities, energy, life, attention, obedience and hearts…Jesus has the right to all that we are… 

• But we settle in…get comfortable…With us, Jesus is in His Father’s land, among relatives and among His own house…yet I wonder, in your country, in your heart…in your life…is He without honor…stack up all the attributes of you…if humility and service and love towards others falls into your categories of weakness…top areas for improvement…then let me answer for you…Jesus is most likely…without honor in His own country…if that’s you…look at the result if so…

Mark Chapter 6 Verse 5

• Fairly sobering. He could do no mighty work there…why? Because God is somehow limited by man? Not at all. Where’s the opportunity? Where are the dead being brought to Him? Where are the hungry crowds following Him for days without eating? Where are the leprous? Where are the maimed? Where are the demon possessed? They are not being brought to Him. They are not calling out to Him…and so what work is there to be done…no God is not limited…man is.

Mark Chapter 6 Verse 6

• Scriptures record Jesus marveling in only two scriptures…He marveled at the Centurion in Matthew Chapter 8…when the Centurion begged Jesus to heal his servant and Jesus said "let’s do it" but then the Centurion said…just by Your word Lord, He will be healed…and Jesus marveled at his faith…and the servant was healed… 

• Here they don’t believe…and Jesus marvels at their unbelief…how is it that they can be cured, freed, made alive…yet they choose death and decay…truly holiness does not understand evil… 

• For you this morning…is Jesus, the Savior, the cure, the One, the Truth, the Resurrection and the Life…is He marveling at your faith today…or at your unbelief?

• I know taking up your cross, denying yourself, your needs, your finite carnal intuition…I know it’s hard…to get up and follow in faith…not easy…but the question is not will you follow…the question is…do you know what He’s done? Do you know who He is? Do you know His love for you? Do you love Him? 

• I want to offer you a picture of marvel…if I were to tell my son to wait outside for me…and yet he knew it was cold, about to rain…but went anyway…when I find him standing there shivering and drenched, would not my heart surge for him? Would not that establish "father/son" connection that nothing could bend or break?

• Yet same son, same situation, "but dad, it’s about to rain…can I just wait inside?" No marvel. I want to make Him marvel…I want to receive my orders and move out…I want to hear not just well done…but well…done…son.