We need to keep in mind that Luke and John begin Jesus’ public ministry prior to the imprisonment of John the Baptist (Luke 4 to 6; John 3:22-24), but both Matthew and Mark begin Jesus’ ministry following John’s imprisonment (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14). To be sure, both Matthew and Mark do include some events belonging to Jesus first year of ministry and before John’s imprisonment.[1] However, the events described in Luke’s narrative can be shown that Jesus celebrated the fall festivals (Luke 3-6) before he celebrated his first Passover during his public ministry (cp. John 2). Moreover, John was imprisoned between that first Passover (John 2:13) of Jesus’ public ministry and the fall festivals at the beginning of his second year (John 4:46-54; cp. Luke 7:1-10), where Mark and Matthew begin their account (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14). John was slain by Herod just prior to the Passover in Jesus’ second year (John 6:1-4; cp. Matthew 14:12), which immediately preceded the miracle of the feeding of the 5000.
Therefore, we are able to say that Jesus and his disciples left Jarius and his family and the multitudes that thronged him at Capernaum to go to Nazareth where he grew up (Mark 6:1), and this was done during his second year of ministry. One has to wonder why Jesus would choose to go to Nazareth, where he had begun his public ministry, and where the rulers sought to slay him (cp. Luke 4:16-30). Nevertheless, Jesus often entered a dangerous area, using miracles to silence his enemies. With the news of his raising Jarius’ daughter from the dead, the authorities in Jesus’ home town would have to wait for a more convenient time, because Jesus’ current popularity hindered them from carrying out their wishes.
It appears that Mark is showing us how Jesus lived out the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9). Remember there were four kinds of soil, the wayside, the rocky soil, the soil infested with thorns and the good soil. What I find interesting is the religious leaders who sought to slay Jesus are always represented as the birds who take away the seed that fell on the wayside (Mark 4:4, 14-15). Jesus’ friends and family are represented in the stony ground, and they received the word with joy, but they would later reconsider once persecution (intimidation by the religious leaders) developed. The multitudes who thronged Jesus, on the other hand, seem to be represented by the ground infested with thorns. Surprisingly, however, the good ground seems to be represented in the most unexpected areas. The true followers of Jesus are seen as the demoniac, the secret believer (Jarius) and the ignorant folks who actually believe there is power in inanimate objects (the woman with the flow of blood).
So, it is in this context that Jesus came to Nazareth, among those who despised him, namely, the Jewish authorities, and those who were afraid to believe (i.e., his family and friends). While Jesus preached on the Sabbath, many bore witness of his eloquence but were offended by him at the same time (Mark 6:2-3). The problem seems to be that Jesus didn’t gain his wisdom from any of the rabbinical schools. Rather, Jesus, the carpenter, came out of nowhere (no specific schooling), teaching with wisdom that both astonished and confounded the well-known and respected rabbis. Nevertheless, Jesus repeated an often-used proverb: ‘a prophet is never received by those of his hometown or his family’ (Mark 6:4; cp. Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).
Mark concludes by saying Jesus marveled at the unbelief of the folks in his hometown (Mark 6:6a). The Gospels record Jesus marveling only twice, once here in Nazareth at their lack of faith, and once concerning the gentile centurion’s great faith (cp. Matthew 8:10; Luke 7:9). Jesus predicted that his hometown would tell him to do there what they heard of him doing in Capernaum (Luke 4:23), and this was put in the context of unbelief (Luke 4:22-24). So, in reality, what was probably done was the religious leaders there demanded a sign (cp. Matthew 12:38; 16:1). In other words, no miracle was real enough, unless they could demand a particular one of their own choosing. Thus, they were all in unbelief, rejecting the Messiah who came to save them, refusing to come to him, so he could express the power of God in their lives. Nevertheless, out of mercy, he laid his hands on a few sick folk (Mark 6:5).
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[1] Neither Matthew’s nor Mark’s narratives are strictly chronological. While all the Gospel narratives lead from the beginning to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, for reasons of their own both Matthew and Mark gather the events surrounding Jesus’ ministry and compile it differently than Luke. John’s narrative is almost entirely about events in Judea and Jerusalem and very little in Galilee where the Synoptics describe much of Jesus’ works. Luke seems to have compiled his data more like one would do today, in chronological order. Nevertheless, chronology wasn’t necessarily the most important matter concerning writing a book about the life of a person living in the first century AD. For example, during an era of oral tradition, similar data, regardless of chronological order, was often compiled together for easier memory (such is the case of Matthew). What was important was remembering what was said and done rather than knowing what order things transpired.
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