Mark 6:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.

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

NASB: Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him.

CSB: He left there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.

NLT: Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.

KJV: And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

NKJV: Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.

Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–7) and spent some time in Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15), Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth, which is where Jesus grew up (Luke 2:39–40). In the first story of His adult life, we meet Jesus in Judea, east of Jerusalem, at the Jordan River (Mark 1:9). Shortly after, Jesus comes to Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, and apparently makes His home base at the house of Andrew and Peter (Mark 1:29). He does many miracles of healing and demon exorcisms in Capernaum and uses the town as a setting-off point for preaching tours in Galilee (Mark 1:39; Mark 5:1–20; 6:30–34).

Here we see Jesus returning to Nazareth (Luke 4:16) in central Galilee, about twenty-five miles from Capernaum. When Mark talks about Jesus' primary disciples, he typically refers to them as "the Twelve." So, by using the term "disciples," he may mean an extended group of followers. This might include those who asked for clarification on the parable of the sower (Mark 4:10) and whom Jesus called His family (Mark 3:31–35). If these disciples are the same, they would remember Jesus' mother and brothers coming to take Jesus back home in fear for His sanity (Mark 3:21).

Nazareth itself was small. Archaeologists estimate only a few hundred people lived in the town at the time, primarily Jews. It is not even specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, although the general area is.

Mark 6:1–6 somewhat fulfills the wishes of Jesus' family that He come home (Mark 3:21). Unfortunately, this homecoming does not go well. The Nazarenes' welcome is closer to that of Jesus' family's than to the mobs that flock to be healed in the rest of Galilee. The Nazarenes recognize the truth of Jesus' preaching, but reject Him, especially after He claims to be the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus can do few miracles there, because their lack of faith conflicts with His intent to provide miracles only for the faithful. Jesus' hometown population is so irate with Him that they try to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29). These events are also found in Matthew 13:53–58. Luke 4:16–30 records an extended version.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.