5th Sunday after Pentecost
July 9, 2006
Rev. Dan McMiller
Text: Mark 6:1-6
Mark records four great miracles just prior to this chapter. Jesus had calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee, healed a demon-possessed man in the region of Gerasenes, raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and healed the woman who suffered from bleeding for 12 years. Word of Jesus’ power had spread throughout Palestine. His reputation, by the time He had returned to His hometown of Nazareth, had more than preceded Him. When it was the Sabbath Jesus went to the Synagogue with His disciples. As was the custom, the guest teacher was allowed to preach, but the opportunity was unique, for this was His home town.
Jesus lived in Nazareth up to the age of 30. There, He was more than the carpenter's son. He Himself was a carpenter. Tradition teaches that He made such simple instruments as plows and yokes or other tools for working the soil and producing a harvest. Now, during His ministry, He continued to make simple instruments for working the soil of the Kingdom, and for producing a Harvest - unto Life Everlasting.
But having lived there from His youth, Jesus was well known. His mother and siblings still lived there. Jesus most likely had been preaching and teaching and healing for over a year. He was at the peak of His earthly ministry. His life had certainly changed. His humility in Nazareth had been set aside in many ways. Wherever He went people watched and listened and believed that this was no ordinary man. Yet, Jesus, upon returning to Nazareth, continued to look like that same carpenter that had lived quietly and humbly among them for years.
But when He spoke in the Synagogue on that day, little did they know what was happening. As they listened to Him speak, they were listening to God speak - firsthand. As they gazed into His eyes, they were gazing into the face of God. They were a least as close to the Lord as any high priest had been in the Holy of Holies. How do they react? At first - astonished. They witness His wisdom, intelligence, learning, and even speak of His mighty works. YET, it is not enough. They continue by commenting, "But this is the carpenter, whose family is still with us."
Familiarity breeds contempt. I served 3 countries 14 years in Latin America. I heard men from the villages preach and teach faithfully, according to the Word of God, yet, because I was the missionary, the foreigner, from a distant land . . . it carried a whole different level of meaning. In reality, the faithful preaching of the native son and the faithful preaching of the missionary are one and the same - the preaching of Christ - the very Word of God. It is obviously not about the person standing here. Nunes: "If you knew me like I know me, you wouldn't have bothered coming here. If I knew you like you know you, I wouldn't waste my time teaching you." Ah, but we have the Gospel. It is not about the person. It is about the Word of God and its truth, power and mercy.
So it is that Jesus says in our text: "ONLY in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." A true Prophet proclaims the Word of God. In Jesus’ case, there is no excuse for such sinful behavior. The text says that they were amazed or astonished at His teaching, wisdom, learning, and even His miracles. In Jesus’ case, no one, absolutely no one could accuse Him of a single sin. Impeccable. Yet . . . they stumbled. They were offended at the humility of His past. They fixed their eyes on His years in Nazareth and thought that since there had not been anything great exhibited then, the greatness they now perceived had to be a sham. Their amazement and astonishment were transformed into contempt, envy and even hatred.
Jesus too expressed amazement or astonishment. He was amazed at their unbelief. Only a couple times in Scripture is Jesus amazed: here and at the faith of the Roman centurion who trusted in the power and authority of Christ's Word to heal his servant - even from a distance. No such faith here. Only contempt.
But, why did they lack faith? Of what did their unbelief consist? They couldn't argue with Jesus' learning, wisdom or even His miracles! They couldn't accuse Him of a single sin. What did they reject? What was at the root of their offense? The very content of His message. This they could not tolerate. It struck too close to home. This message revealed that Jesus knew them . . . very well. He knew their thoughts, their heart and their soul. He told them that they were spiritually weak, crippled, lame and bound in the slavery chains of sin, and that He had come to deliver them.
"How dare He say we are sinners! Who does He think He is? He leaves here and comes back saying we are in need of repentance?"
Here's the rub. It is hard to preach a message of repentance. It is harder still to hear it and accept it. This is Jesus' alien work - the proclamation of repentance - the preaching of the Law in all its severity. Be perfect even as My Heavenly Father is perfect. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The wages of sin is death. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. This was Jesus' alien work then, and it is His alien work now through the church. It is not His primary work. His primary work is to live a perfect life in our stead, die a perfect death as a perfect sacrifice in full payment for our sins, and proclaim to us the good, sweet, comforting news of complete forgiveness and eternal salvation. But, before we might believe this message of forgiveness and salvation, our hearts must be broken, the scales of our eyes removed, our necks lowered and our backs bent downward in repentance.
This they would have none of for He was, in their mind, only Jesus. Their familiarity with Him quickly shut Him out and with Him they shut out the riches of the Gospel - its saving power, light, mercy, peace, forgiveness and deliverance from eternal death.
So we are today. "I know the church. I know that pastor. I know the Bible. I know Jesus. I know His family . . . I grew up with them. There is nothing so great there." But it is not only people out there with whom familiarity breeds contempt. We too see familiar things in the church and stumble.
The ever-changing, trend-conscious world wants something new - new fashion, a new statement, a new philosophy. The devil tempts similarly. Even in the garden at the beginning of time - Satan was into change - changing the Word of God - twisting it into something new. Our flesh also itches for a new look, taste or feel. The result? We want to put this message of repentance aside. And then we too shut out the power and riches of the Gospel - its saving light, mercy, peace, forgiveness, and deliverance from eternal death.
But it is not just here in this Sanctuary before God's holy things of corporate divine worship where such despising or contempt for the Word of God occurs. It also occurs among us - out there.
Does the Word of God, and Jesus Himself in that Word, lose its power outside these hallowed walls? Does the Word of Jesus - Jesus Himself -lose its power when spoken by someone other than the pastor? . . . Does the Word of Jesus lose its power when it is not set to a beautiful melody or harmony . . . or when it is not read antiphonally?
Dear friends, the Word of Christ - His message of repentance and forgiveness - is powerful, rich and effective when shared by you with a suffering family member, when shared with the neighbor on the street, a friend in the office, a classmate in school, a teammate in sports. Has familiarity bred contempt among us, because we believe that somehow, Jesus is only at work here, and couldn't possibly be effective among us in our daily vocation or familiar roles around the community or home?
Jesus is merciful, and He was merciful even in His hometown which had rejected Him. The sick came to Him and He healed them. These who saw their physical frailty were inclined also to see their spiritual weakness. To these the words of repentance rang true. And, to them, Christ showed mercy. Those who had rejected Jesus were sick also. They only refused to see it.
We live in a sick time, and in many ways we too are sick. Our city and our community have ever growing ills. Our congregations too show such signs. Our pastors suffer and are weak. Our people do not stand together as they once did. What is needed? Confession. When the word of repentance is proclaimed, we confess Lord, I am a sinner. I am the weak, blind, lame, and imprisoned who is in need of the healing and freeing that You alone can give. To such comes the word of complete forgiveness.
Of such as these (those who repent), the carpenter from Nazareth continues to makes tools to work the soil so that a rich harvest may be produced and also gathered. You are such tools, made by the hand of the Carpenter. His powerful Word has shaped you to share your faith and the reason for the hope that lies within you. God grant you His grace to bow in reverence before His Holy Word and Sacrament here in this sanctuary as you are continually shaped / fashioned / tooled together; and God grant you grace to use His Holy Word - believing in its power - even and also out there where rocky soil lies, but where also a great Harvest is waiting. Amen.
Rev. Dan McMiller
Text: Mark 6:1-6
Mark records four great miracles just prior to this chapter. Jesus had calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee, healed a demon-possessed man in the region of Gerasenes, raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and healed the woman who suffered from bleeding for 12 years. Word of Jesus’ power had spread throughout Palestine. His reputation, by the time He had returned to His hometown of Nazareth, had more than preceded Him. When it was the Sabbath Jesus went to the Synagogue with His disciples. As was the custom, the guest teacher was allowed to preach, but the opportunity was unique, for this was His home town.
Jesus lived in Nazareth up to the age of 30. There, He was more than the carpenter's son. He Himself was a carpenter. Tradition teaches that He made such simple instruments as plows and yokes or other tools for working the soil and producing a harvest. Now, during His ministry, He continued to make simple instruments for working the soil of the Kingdom, and for producing a Harvest - unto Life Everlasting.
But having lived there from His youth, Jesus was well known. His mother and siblings still lived there. Jesus most likely had been preaching and teaching and healing for over a year. He was at the peak of His earthly ministry. His life had certainly changed. His humility in Nazareth had been set aside in many ways. Wherever He went people watched and listened and believed that this was no ordinary man. Yet, Jesus, upon returning to Nazareth, continued to look like that same carpenter that had lived quietly and humbly among them for years.
But when He spoke in the Synagogue on that day, little did they know what was happening. As they listened to Him speak, they were listening to God speak - firsthand. As they gazed into His eyes, they were gazing into the face of God. They were a least as close to the Lord as any high priest had been in the Holy of Holies. How do they react? At first - astonished. They witness His wisdom, intelligence, learning, and even speak of His mighty works. YET, it is not enough. They continue by commenting, "But this is the carpenter, whose family is still with us."
Familiarity breeds contempt. I served 3 countries 14 years in Latin America. I heard men from the villages preach and teach faithfully, according to the Word of God, yet, because I was the missionary, the foreigner, from a distant land . . . it carried a whole different level of meaning. In reality, the faithful preaching of the native son and the faithful preaching of the missionary are one and the same - the preaching of Christ - the very Word of God. It is obviously not about the person standing here. Nunes: "If you knew me like I know me, you wouldn't have bothered coming here. If I knew you like you know you, I wouldn't waste my time teaching you." Ah, but we have the Gospel. It is not about the person. It is about the Word of God and its truth, power and mercy.
So it is that Jesus says in our text: "ONLY in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." A true Prophet proclaims the Word of God. In Jesus’ case, there is no excuse for such sinful behavior. The text says that they were amazed or astonished at His teaching, wisdom, learning, and even His miracles. In Jesus’ case, no one, absolutely no one could accuse Him of a single sin. Impeccable. Yet . . . they stumbled. They were offended at the humility of His past. They fixed their eyes on His years in Nazareth and thought that since there had not been anything great exhibited then, the greatness they now perceived had to be a sham. Their amazement and astonishment were transformed into contempt, envy and even hatred.
Jesus too expressed amazement or astonishment. He was amazed at their unbelief. Only a couple times in Scripture is Jesus amazed: here and at the faith of the Roman centurion who trusted in the power and authority of Christ's Word to heal his servant - even from a distance. No such faith here. Only contempt.
But, why did they lack faith? Of what did their unbelief consist? They couldn't argue with Jesus' learning, wisdom or even His miracles! They couldn't accuse Him of a single sin. What did they reject? What was at the root of their offense? The very content of His message. This they could not tolerate. It struck too close to home. This message revealed that Jesus knew them . . . very well. He knew their thoughts, their heart and their soul. He told them that they were spiritually weak, crippled, lame and bound in the slavery chains of sin, and that He had come to deliver them.
"How dare He say we are sinners! Who does He think He is? He leaves here and comes back saying we are in need of repentance?"
Here's the rub. It is hard to preach a message of repentance. It is harder still to hear it and accept it. This is Jesus' alien work - the proclamation of repentance - the preaching of the Law in all its severity. Be perfect even as My Heavenly Father is perfect. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The wages of sin is death. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. This was Jesus' alien work then, and it is His alien work now through the church. It is not His primary work. His primary work is to live a perfect life in our stead, die a perfect death as a perfect sacrifice in full payment for our sins, and proclaim to us the good, sweet, comforting news of complete forgiveness and eternal salvation. But, before we might believe this message of forgiveness and salvation, our hearts must be broken, the scales of our eyes removed, our necks lowered and our backs bent downward in repentance.
This they would have none of for He was, in their mind, only Jesus. Their familiarity with Him quickly shut Him out and with Him they shut out the riches of the Gospel - its saving power, light, mercy, peace, forgiveness and deliverance from eternal death.
So we are today. "I know the church. I know that pastor. I know the Bible. I know Jesus. I know His family . . . I grew up with them. There is nothing so great there." But it is not only people out there with whom familiarity breeds contempt. We too see familiar things in the church and stumble.
The ever-changing, trend-conscious world wants something new - new fashion, a new statement, a new philosophy. The devil tempts similarly. Even in the garden at the beginning of time - Satan was into change - changing the Word of God - twisting it into something new. Our flesh also itches for a new look, taste or feel. The result? We want to put this message of repentance aside. And then we too shut out the power and riches of the Gospel - its saving light, mercy, peace, forgiveness, and deliverance from eternal death.
But it is not just here in this Sanctuary before God's holy things of corporate divine worship where such despising or contempt for the Word of God occurs. It also occurs among us - out there.
Does the Word of God, and Jesus Himself in that Word, lose its power outside these hallowed walls? Does the Word of Jesus - Jesus Himself -lose its power when spoken by someone other than the pastor? . . . Does the Word of Jesus lose its power when it is not set to a beautiful melody or harmony . . . or when it is not read antiphonally?
Dear friends, the Word of Christ - His message of repentance and forgiveness - is powerful, rich and effective when shared by you with a suffering family member, when shared with the neighbor on the street, a friend in the office, a classmate in school, a teammate in sports. Has familiarity bred contempt among us, because we believe that somehow, Jesus is only at work here, and couldn't possibly be effective among us in our daily vocation or familiar roles around the community or home?
Jesus is merciful, and He was merciful even in His hometown which had rejected Him. The sick came to Him and He healed them. These who saw their physical frailty were inclined also to see their spiritual weakness. To these the words of repentance rang true. And, to them, Christ showed mercy. Those who had rejected Jesus were sick also. They only refused to see it.
We live in a sick time, and in many ways we too are sick. Our city and our community have ever growing ills. Our congregations too show such signs. Our pastors suffer and are weak. Our people do not stand together as they once did. What is needed? Confession. When the word of repentance is proclaimed, we confess Lord, I am a sinner. I am the weak, blind, lame, and imprisoned who is in need of the healing and freeing that You alone can give. To such comes the word of complete forgiveness.
Of such as these (those who repent), the carpenter from Nazareth continues to makes tools to work the soil so that a rich harvest may be produced and also gathered. You are such tools, made by the hand of the Carpenter. His powerful Word has shaped you to share your faith and the reason for the hope that lies within you. God grant you His grace to bow in reverence before His Holy Word and Sacrament here in this sanctuary as you are continually shaped / fashioned / tooled together; and God grant you grace to use His Holy Word - believing in its power - even and also out there where rocky soil lies, but where also a great Harvest is waiting. Amen.
posted by Luther Memorial Chapel at
7/11/2006
