Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 

      Mark 6:1-3

If you have ever been taken for granted, unappreciated, or even reviled in some way then this passage is for you. Jesus, yes, Jesus, the Son of God, God incarnate, was treated the very same way…and in His hometown of all places. For those of you who have been saved, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and walk with Christ everyday, you know that Jesus was God in human flesh (John 14:9, John 10:30, 2 Corinthians 5:19). And it is this fact that makes this passage of scripture even more revealing, exposing just how blind we, as mankind, can be regarding the Person of Christ. But we won’t use our time here to beat up on these people from Jesus’ hometown, for all of us, prior to our conversion, were also blind to our depravity, our need for a Savior, and the very  character and nature of the Savior Himself. But analyzing the response of the people in Jesus’ hometown, toward Him, will yield some consistent, revealing, and tragic characteristics that we still see in the unbelieving world today…and it all begins with being “offended” by Christ.

So, Jesus enters His hometown, returning to the place where He grew up, teaches the people, providing them with spiritual guidance and wisdom, and even does a few miracles (we will look at that a little later), and what was the response of the people? One phrase says it all, “And they took offense at Him.” As is often the case with the unbelieving world, these people were caught up in the temporal aspect of Jesus’ life, His earthly occupation (carpenter), His earthly mother (Mary), and His earthly family (brothers and sisters), while being completely void of any spiritual understanding regarding HIs identity. In other words, God was right in front of them and they didn’t even recognize Him. 

This word “offended” is an important one. The word means that, for many, Jesus was a stumbling block. The people distrusted Christ. “Offended” can also mean that the people were judging Jesus unfavorably and unjustly. But perhaps the most applicable portion of “offended” for our culture today is that of being annoyed at another because they are demonstrating godly characteristics. While the offended party is spiritually stumbling, being entangled in sin and depravity, their attitude toward that which is truly good can only be explained as “offended.” We often see the wrath of people, rooted in depravity and sin, displayed toward the righteous in this world. That was exactly what was happening in Nazareth as Jesus returned to His hometown. They were amazed at His teaching and the wisdom with which He spoke but not amazed in a good way rather in a way that led to their being “offended” by Him. 

Here are two verses of scripture that bring this duality of either rejection or glad reception of Jesus:

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

    1 Corinthians 1:22-24

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

    Romans 1:16

Salvation is found in no one else but Jesus (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) yet there are two responses that we still see in our world today regarding the Savior. For Jews, Christ is a stumbling block. The new covenant, that is now firmly in place until the return of Christ, offers salvation for Jew and Gentile alike, for all who will surrender their lives to Him. And while there are Christian Jews, there are many in the Jewish community that still reject Christ as Messiah thus placing them in the category of being “offended” by Jesus. For the rest of the world (non-Jews), who have yet to surrender their lives to Christ, the cross of Jesus Christ is foolishness. But for the saved, those born again and full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is “the power of God” and “the wisdom of God” to save a depraved and sinful creation for all who will believe (John 3:18, Romans 10:13). That is why the response is either complete rejection of Jesus, being offended by Him, or bold, unapologetic proclamation of the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord! (Philippians 2:9-11) 

This is why Paul was so concerned for his fellow Jewish brethren. Paul wasn’t just a Jew, he was a Jewish Pharisee. But all of that changed when he met the Person of Jesus Christ (Acts 9). That is why he would go on to write the following:

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

  Romans 10:1-4

In this passage, Paul is referring to his Jewish brethren. His heart’s desire was “for their salvation,” a sentiment that all Christians should have toward unbelievers, Jew and Gentile alike. Paul could say with certainty that these people had a “zeal for God” but it wasn’t “in accordance with knowledge.” There are those today who prescribe to a religious bent that promotes ritualistic motion, being built on a foundation that is contrary to that of the Word of God. These religious beliefs can often leave a person unsaved, unredeemed, and spiritually dead because they are void of any proclamation of the Word of God, promoting salvation without an authentic, born again relationship with Jesus Christ (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8, Acts 17:24-27).

Paul goes on to explain that the people were ignorant to God’s righteousness, namely that it is by faith in Christ, and that they were seeking to “establish their own” righteousness through following the Law, something none of us have or can accomplish (James 2:10). So, tragically, they “did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God,” meaning that they continued in religious motion, lacking true, authentic, spiritual transformation (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24). And the same is true today, and not just for the Jews, but for the whole world. While the masses will continue to be offended by Christ, the truth of scripture, the suggestion of their own depravity, even the idea of absolute truth, there is spiritual transformation, redemption, restoration, provision, protection, and salvation for all who will call on the name of the Lord!

“Offended” and rejecting the Savior or glad reception of Christ? Which category would best describe your life?

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:18