What Amazes Jesus
He (Jesus) was amazed at their lack of faith. -Mark 6:6a, NIV
“What amazes God about humanity is not its sinfulness and propensity for evil but its hardness of heart and unwillingness to believe in him. That is the greatest problem in the world, and herein lies the divine judgment on humanity. Humanity wants a spectacular sign of God, or, like the devil, a great display of divine power (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). But it does not want God to become a human being like one of us (John 1:11). The people of Nazareth see only a son of Mary, only another one of the village children who has grown up and returned for a visit. If only God were less ordinary and more unique, then they would believe. The servant image of the Son is too prosaic to garner credulity. God has identified too closely with the world for the world to behold him, too closely with the town of Nazareth for it to recognize in Jesus the Son of God. Humanity wants something other than what God gives. The greatest obstacle to faith is not the failure of God to act but the unwillingness of the human heart to accept the God who condescends to us in only a carpenter, the son of Mary.” – James R. Edwards
As the ‘holiday’ parades, light displays and non-stop music begin all around us, we must admit, ready or not that Advent is right around the corner. Most often when I think about Advent, I think of the nativity of Jesus. I think of Bethlehem. Mark 6, though, has me thinking about Nazareth. There were no breathless shepherd visits in Nazareth, no Magi from the east with treasures showing up to Jesus’ boyhood home. In fact, as far as the Biblical record (and the response of Nazareth’s residents) go, nothing too far out of the ordinary happened in Nazareth involving “Mary’s son” Jesus. It is all so pedestrian that when Jesus shows up, a widely celebrated teacher and miracle worker everywhere else He goes, Nazareth scoffs. It wasn’t that they didn’t know about Jesus and therefore didn’t believe. Rather it is because they know about Jesus that they don’t believe. And at first, it is easy enough to file them with other skeptics and fools. But, consider for a moment their perspective. Imagine someone growing up in your hometown, a kid just down the street who then becomes famous. To you, they are still the kid down the street. They aren’t famous, they are just the kid down the street.
I am not cool enough to have anyone I know be truly ‘famous’ so you will have to excuse my weak analogy. I know Tim Meier. He is an Assistant Vice President within the C&MA. As VP of Advancement, Tim appears often in video pieces for the Alliance. Oh, I am sorry, Dr. Tim Meier. But see, to me, he will always be Tim. The guy I met when he was a college sophomore who ran cross country and track with me. Tim is my teammate and buddy. He will always be that to me first and foremost. Now, please hear me, Tim does not fancy himself famous nor is he chasing that in any way. He doesn’t care to be called Dr. and he could care less if you know his official title, because Tim isn’t that kind of guy. My point here is simply this: once we sort someone into a category and relate to them that way, it is hard to switch modes. Here is Jesus, the kid down the street only He’s come home as a teacher with authority whose miracles are renowned. Rumors of lepers cleansed, paralytics walking, demon possessed people being set free, have had to reach the town of Nazareth. Even Jesus’ own family thought He’d gone off the rails a bit (see Mark 3:21). So, maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on the townsfolk of Nazareth. The ordinary Jesus turned out to be someone extra-ordinary. But, it was to them too great of a mode switch. They knew Jesus for too long before they were asked to believe anything extra-ordinary about Him. I wonder as the carols play and the halls are decked if we have some danger of the same. Could it be that Jesus has become ordinary to us? That miracles like ‘incarnation’ and ‘atonement’ and ‘redemption’ have simply become words which hold no wonder for us? It is my prayer that they have not. Still, the possibility exists, especially for the “every Sunday” attender. I close with some probing questions from Daniel Akin with which he closes his commentary on Mark 6:1-6:
““What about you and me? Do we show contempt toward the Jesus revealed in Scripture? Are we ‘scandalized’ by the simplicity of His gospel? Are we offended by the unfairness of its message that says a child molester or even a serial rapist and murderer on death row can be made right with God by childlike faith in Jesus Christ? Or do we allow the biblical evidence to slay our biases and reshape our preconceived notions of who Jesus must be for us to accept Him and trust Him?
Or again, have we become so familiar with Him, having been raised in church all our lives, that His words no longer convict, His miracles no longer astonish, and His death on the cross no longer strikes the chord of ‘Amazing Grace’? Familiarity can blind us to the greatness and glory of a Savior if we are not careful. Spiritually inoculated at some point in life, we become immune to the real thing… We must not come to Jesus on our terms but on His. This prophet was without honor in His own hometown. We cannot make the same mistake in our own hearts. The consequences are eternal.””
May our hearts always and for eternity be filled with wonderment at Jesus.