“Faithfulness to the Faithless”
Original sermon given July 7, 2024, written and delivered by Pastor Jeffrey Leininger at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.
Watch the sermon live.
“Faithfulness to the Faithless”
Mark 6.1-13
Mark 6.1-13
In the name of the Living God and the risen Christ. Amen.
“Familiarity breeds contempt”, so the saying goes. The famous American humorist, Mark Twain, offered his own spin on the familiar proverb: “familiarity breeds contempt…and children.”
Our Lord Jesus has returned to familiar and familial territory; back to Nazareth, his own hometown. These are his “people-people”—his closest relatives and neighbors, his own tribe who “knew him when...” We even get a sense of a snarl in their words, “Is not this the carpenter?” Some translations make it worse: “is not this the son of the carpenter?”—perhaps a dig at what they thought of his somewhat questionable origins.
Many a pastor hath quoted Jesus’ words here, when asked to preach at his own home congregation—where the Sunday School teachers remember his irreverence; or the youth director, his rambunctiousness; or the pastor, his rowdiness in 7th grade confirmation: “A prophet is never welcome in his own hometown.” They know you a bit too well (I’m just talking about Pastors in general, here, not any one in particular, just to be clear!).
Jesus’ own people-people, those who “knew him when”, have erected a barrier between themselves and true faith in the Lord. In this case it is over-familiarity (familiarity breeds contempt). You’ll note how they fully acknowledge the power of his teaching and the power of the miracles they’ve heard of and seen in villages surrounding Galilee. And yet the scripture is clear: they are scandalized by him—offended by him, today’s translation has it.
We might say it this way: they acknowledge that he taught cool stuff and did cool stuff. But this, my friends, is not true faith—it is something considerably less.[1] And their lack of true faith and true trust in who this Jesus truly is and what he’s truly come to do, amazes Jesus. The Lord, who once marveled at the faith of the centurion, here marvels “at the lengths to which unbelief could go in his own people.”[2] That’s called a bad day, when the Lord, who sees into every heart, marvels at your lack of faith.
It’s a convicting word, and a call back to true, living, faith, isn’t it? I mean, lots of people in this world believe that Jesus taught cool things and did cool things. Most people, probably. Ask a neighbor or a relative or a friend if they believe Jesus had wisdom; or that he did miracles. They’re quite likely to concede the point. But if that’s the only reason why we’re here today—why you’re here today—then, well, our faith also falls far short.
The witness of the true Christian faith, which St. Mark has recorded for us and which we proclaim here, is that Jesus, Messiah, was far more than just a brilliant teacher or wonder worker. He was, and is, the Savior of mankind and the Lord of heaven and earth. He was, and is, Son of God, the “heaven-sent envoy of salvation”, as one commentator put it.[3] His mission was God’s mission of bringing the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life to all who believe. His great fight against evil in all its forms culminated at the cross, where his atoning sacrifice cleanses us from sin. And at the resurrection on the third day—Sunday, the Lord’s Day, this day—He defeated death and hell for all people for all time. Risen now from the dead, He is not just one way, but the way; He is not just one truth among many, but the truth; He is not just another take on life, but life itself. This is the true faith to which He calls us, and, indeed, it is the faith which offends the world.
Jesus’ “people-people”, those who “knew him when” had erected a barrier between themselves and the Lord (Familiarity breeds contempt). The Spirit of God through today’s gospel call us to examine our own barriers, which we erect, between us and true faith in Jesus. Do we follow the world’s advice, or God’s word? Do we trust his path is the right path, no matter how difficult or uncertain it might seem? Do we believe that what Christ has done for us, really is all-sufficient—it is enough for us, no matter what’s happening in our world or our hearts? What barriers stand between you and faith in Christ?
Contrast the astonishing lack of faith by those from Jesus’ hometown, with the disciples which he sends out two by two. The disciples take only the basic essentials with them, because they have Christ’s word and promise. They need nothing but Christ, as they do his work in his name. Faith is to know who Jesus truly is and what he has done, and to believe he alone is enough for whatever might come.
Dear Christian friends, what a faithful savior we have! We struggle, but he is steadfast. We falter, but he remains faithful. Here, today, he feeds us again with his true body and blood, to strengthen our faith and call us back to him—to break down every barrier that would stand between us and him. To shatter every false god that would only deceive us and ultimately destroy us.
This Jesus is enough—the true messiah and Lord—who we receive today. Off he sends us now, to rise and follow. To forsake old ways. To climb whatever hills are before us. To give whatever is necessary. To love even the loveless. To hope even in the worst of circumstances.
Let us trust unwavering in him, and by such faith he gives, turn the world right-side-up again.
Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.
[1] Larry Hurtado, Mark, p. 89
[2] Alan Cole, Tyndale Commentary, St. Mark, 108-09.
[3] Hurtado, Mark, 89