Thinking We Know It All

Let’s start the next mini-series in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.

Mark 6:1 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.6.1.NIV

You probably already know this, but let’s make sure that everyone is on the same page: Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth; hence His being known as “Jesus of Nazareth”, or “Jesus the Nazarene”. We might think of other cities like Bethlehem (where Jesus was born) and Jerusalem (where Jesus was crucified), but He grew up in Nazareth. Even today, we generally understand the idea of someone’s “hometown” being where they grew up, even if their family moved around a little bit. My parents were living in another small town when I was born, and I was delivered in a nearby hospital, but they moved to my “hometown” around my first birthday.

Let’s continue with what happened this time when Jesus went to His hometown.

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Mark 6:2-3 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.6.2-3.NIV

Jesus teaching in the synagogue wasn’t unusual, nor was the fact that people were impressed with His teaching. The unique thing here was the location.

In Jesus’ hometown, people would have known more about His story and how He grew up, compared to those in other towns and other regions. Now, Jesus was sinless and divine His whole life, so His most important characteristics remained unchanged over time. However, let’s think about what was different between those who had known Jesus and His family while He was growing up, versus those who didn’t learn about Him until He began His more “formal” ministry.

Those from Nazareth knew His earthly family. They were acquainted with Mary, Joseph (who may have passed away by this time), and Jesus’ half-siblings. Jesus’ half-brothers and half-sisters were not divine, so they may have gotten into their share of trouble growing up (like I did).
Those from Nazareth knew His family trade. Rabbis in Jesus’ day typically would have had many years of training and study, just like most pastors have today. If we came to church one morning and a local tradesperson stood up and delivered a powerful sermon, we might wonder how they became so skilled in preaching or teaching, too. Of course, we know that God can gift all sorts of people with those abilities (if they let the Holy Spirit lead them), but we’d still probably be surprised if we heard a great lesson from someone who we had only known for other skills.
Those from Nazareth might have known Jesus’ family history. Many would have heard of Herod’s order to kill baby boys, and Jesus was of the right age to have experienced the consequences of that decree. Those in Jesus’ hometown might have heard how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt, and were refugees for a while before moving to Nazareth.
In fact, those in Nazareth might have even heard about events that accompanied Jesus’ birth, from the fact that His parents weren’t married, to stories of angels appearing to shepherds and a visit from Magi. While we know these things to be true today, those might have been facts that Jesus’ family kept to themselves. Regardless of the family’s decisions about what to share, what they – and others – did talk about from that time was probably mangled through the “rumor mill”.

In verses 4-6, Jesus points out their lack of faith and respect for Him, and the gospel writer says that His ability to perform miracles there was limited. Faith and God’s exercise of His power often go together. Because God is sovereign, this isn’t because He doesn’t have the ability to act when the recipients lack faith, but rather due to His wise choices about what people need.

Overall, I think that those in Nazareth thought that they knew Jesus, but their understanding of Him was based on incomplete or incorrect information. And, let’s think about it: How many people still have that same problem today? After all, we all think that we’re pretty smart, but we rarely know everything about topics that we speak confidently about.

How many followers of Jesus think that we know it all (perhaps because we have been going to church for a long time)?
How many people have heard bits and pieces about Jesus – some true, some false – and think that they know all about Him?
How many people have encountered a religion that they were told was Christianity, but which didn’t accurately reflect Jesus and His teaching?

So, what do we do to address these critical knowledge gaps? If you grew up in the church, let’s not be like those in Nazareth. What we think we know about Jesus may not be entirely accurate, and there’s a risk of reaching a point where we stop trying to learn more. Keep an open mind as you read the Bible and listen to the Holy Spirit, and be OK with God surprising you with something that you never realized before.

Let’s also help other people whose understanding of Jesus is incorrect or incomplete. We can help by both speaking and living out the whole truth about Jesus to others. We might be able to offer an polite, loving perspective that doesn’t carry a lot of baggage, or we might be able to offer insight to someone whose family or friends have not accurately presented the truth about Jesus to them. And, perhaps by our demonstration of humility (i.e., admitting we don’t know it all), we can encourage others to learn the truth about what they have misunderstood (or been mis-taught), so that they don’t miss out on the real Jesus Christ.

From Sunday School lesson prepared for October 5, 2025

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