CONNECT Worship Gathering: Mark 6:1-6 Cooperating with Grace

Amazement is a common theme in the Gospel of Mark. The people of Capernaum were amazed that Jesus spoke with authority (Mark 1:27) and healed many of their sick. Amazement gripped the crowd as Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:12), and raised Jairus' daughter from death (Mark 5:32). In Nazareth the people were astonished at Jesus' teaching, but even so they rejected Jesus (Mark 6:1-3). When Andrew came running with excitement to tell his friend Nathaniel that they had found the Messiah, Nathaniel had replied, "can anything good come from Nazareth?" (John 1:46). The prophets had alluded to it as they wrote about the "Branch" (Hebrew 'natzer') which is where Nazareth derived its name (Zechariah 3:8-9, Isaiah 11:1-2). The people missed Messiah right in their midst. What's worse is that they assumed they knew Jesus, but sadly, they missed all the blessings that Jesus wanted to do there. Because we are free moral agents, we can resist God's gifts as a patient might reject their doctor's care. God will respond to our resistance by removing Himself. We are limited to God's gifts by our human will. In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis write, "There are two kinds of people in this world, those who say 'God's will be done' and those to whom God says, 'fine, have it your way.' Healing requires not only the power of the healer, but faith and cooperation on the part of the patient. Sadly, here it is Jesus who is amazed at their unbelief in Nazareth (Mark 6:6). I pray Jesus never says this of me. Let us not assume we know Jesus, but to strive to imitate Jesus and learn about Jesus. Let us be good disciples. Let us always cooperate with grace, inviting Jesus to teach, heal, and restore our lives and those around us.