Mk 6:1-6
1[Jesus] departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 3Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” 5So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. 6He was amazed at their lack of faith.
THEY TOOK OFFENSE AT HIM: Unlike the three other evangelists, Mark is silent over the life of Jesus prior to his public ministry. He does not write about Jesus’ origin from God or about Jesus’ extraordinary conception and birth. From today’s Gospel and from other details, it would appear that for Mark, Jesus lived a humble life in Nazareth. The townspeople did not expect anything extraordinary from him.
When Jesus leaves Nazareth and starts preaching in Capernaum and the towns and villages by the Sea of Galilee, people are astonished by the authority of his words and the power of his actions. His fame spreads throughout the whole region of Galilee (Mk 1:28). People who flock to him come as far as Judea, Idumea, and the pagan districts (Mk 3:8). Definitely, this would not escape the notice of the inhabitants of humble Nazareth, including Jesus’ own kin. When Jesus returns to Nazareth accompanied by his disciples, the whole town is excited. But some wonder what the fuss is all about. Others ask where Jesus got all the powers attributed to him. They flock to the synagogue where Jesus is to speak. They like his words but they expect to see his miracles. When Jesus does not perform spectacular things, the townspeople are disappointed. They conclude that he is not the Messiah reports make him out to be.