Mark 6:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?

NIV: 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?

NASB: And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, 'Where did this man learn these things, and what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?

CSB: When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. "Where did this man get these things?" they said. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands?

NLT: The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, 'Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?'

KJV: And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

NKJV: And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!

Jesus begins His public teaching ministry in the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1:21). Once the people discover He can provide miraculous healing, the synagogue quickly becomes too small, and He has to move into the open (Mark 3:7; 4:1). In Nazareth, Jesus is able to preach in the synagogue again. There, instead of the religious Pharisees and the political Herodians (Mark 3:1–6), He faces a new roadblock: the familial townspeople. These people know Him, and they are shocked by what seems to them a sudden change.

Questions regarding Jesus' teaching are evolving. The Capernaum synagogue starts by probing the nature of Jesus' miracles and teaching (Mark 1:27). The Pharisees ask why Jesus is able to do such things (Mark 2:7). The disciples begin to understand that Jesus is someone different, but they can't identify who He could be (Mark 4:41). The people of Jesus' home town think they know exactly who He is but can't understand how He could have received such power. To their credit, they don't immediately assume Jesus was possessed by Beelzebub (Mark 3:22).

In keeping with Mark's tendency to value action over speech, He doesn't record what Jesus is teaching. However, Luke does (Luke 4:18–27). Jesus claims the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1–2, asserting He is filled with the Holy Spirit and can bless and rescue the poor, captives, blind, and oppressed. This is a sacred description that Jews believe will identify the Jewish Messiah. Jesus is saying that He is the Messiah they have been waiting for. The people of Nazareth can't accept it. To a modern audience, this would be like a seemingly-ordinary childhood friend coming home years later and insisting he's the richest and smartest man alive.

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.