A.T. Robertson Commentary Mark 6

Into his own country (εις την πατριδα αυτου). So Mt 13:54. There is no real reason for identifying this visit to Nazareth with that recorded in Lu 4:26-31 at the beginning of the Galilean Ministry. He was rejected both times, but it is not incongruous that Jesus should give Nazareth a second chance. It was only natural for Jesus to visit his mother, brothers, and sisters again. Neither Mark nor Matthew mention Nazareth here by name, but it is plain that by πατριδα the region of Nazareth is meant. He had not lived in Bethlehem since his birth.

Began to teach (ηρξατο διδασκειν). As was now his custom in the synagogue on the sabbath. The ruler of the synagogue (αρχισυναγωγος, see Mt 5:22) would ask some one to speak whensoever he wished. The reputation of Jesus all over Galilee opened the door for him. Jesus may have gone to Nazareth for rest, but could not resist this opportunity for service.

Whence hath this man these things? (Ποθεν τουτω ταυτα; ). Laconic and curt,

Whence these things to this fellow? With a sting and a fling in their words as the sequel shows. They continued to be amazed (εξεπλησσοντο, imperfect tense passive). They challenge both the apparent

wisdom (σοφια) with which he spoke and

the mighty works or powers (α δυναμεις)

such as those (τοιαυτα)

coming to pass (γινομενα, present middle participle, repeatedly wrought)

by his hands (δια των χειρων). They felt that there was some hocus-pocus about it somehow and somewhere. They do not deny the wisdom of his words, nor the wonder of his works, but the townsmen knew Jesus and they had never suspected that he possessed such gifts and graces.

Is not this the carpenter? (Ουχ ουτος εστιν ο τεκτων; ). Matthew 13:55 calls him "the carpenter's son" (ο του τεκτονος υιος). He was both. Evidently since Joseph's death he had carried on the business and was "the carpenter" of Nazareth. The word τεκτων comes from τεκειν, τικτω, to beget, create, like τεχνη (craft, art). It is a very old word, from Homer down. It was originally applied to the worker in wood or builder with wood like our carpenter. Then it was used of any artisan or craftsman in metal, or in stone as well as in wood and even of sculpture. It is certain that Jesus worked in wood. Justin Martyr speaks of ploughs, yokes, et cetera, made by Jesus. He may also have worked in stone and may even have helped build some of the stone synagogues in Galilee like that in Capernaum. But in Nazareth the people knew him, his family (no mention of Joseph), and his trade and discounted all that they now saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears. This word carpenter "throws the only flash which falls on the continuous tenor of the first thirty years from infancy to manhood, of the life of Christ" (Farrar). That is an exaggeration for we have Lu 2:41-50 and "as his custom was" (Luke 4:16), to go no further. But we are grateful for Mark's realistic use of τεκτων here.

And they were offended in him (κα εσκανδαλιζοντο εν αυτω). So exactly Mt 13:56,

were made to stumble in him , trapped like game by the σκανδαλον because they could not explain him, having been so recently one of them. "The Nazarenes found their stumbling block in the person or circumstances of Jesus. He became--πετρα σκανδαλου (1 Peter 2:7,8; Romans 9:33) to those who disbelieved" (Swete). Both Mark and Mt 13:57, which see, preserve the retort of Jesus with the quotation of the current proverb about a prophet's lack of honour in his own country. John 4:44 quoted it from Jesus on his return to Galilee long before this. It is to be noted that Jesus here makes a definite claim to being a prophet (προφητης, forspeaker for God), a seer. He was much more than this as he had already claimed to be Messiah (John 4:26; Luke 4:21), the Son of man with power of God (Matthew 9:6; Luke 5:24), the Son of God (John 5:22). They stumble at Jesus today as the townspeople of Nazareth did.

In his own house (εν τη οικια αυτου). Also in Mt 13:57. This was the saddest part of it all, that his own brothers in his own home disbelieved his Messianic claims (John 7:5). This puzzle was the greatest of all.

And he marvelled because of their unbelief (κα εθαυμασεν δια την απιστιαν αυτων). Aorist tense, but Westcott and Hort put the imperfect in the margin. Jesus had divine knowledge and accurate insight into the human heart, but he had human limitations in certain things that are not clear to us. He marvelled at the faith of the Roman centurion where one would not expect faith (Matthew 8:10; Luke 7:9). Here he marvels at the lack of faith where he had a right to expect it, not merely among the Jews, but in his own home town, among his kinspeople, even in his own home. One may excuse Mary, the mother of Jesus, from this unbelief, puzzled, as she probably was, by his recent conduct (Mr 3:21,31). There is no proof that she ever lost faith in her wonderful Son.

He went round about the villages teaching (περιηγεν τας κωμας κυκλω διδασκων). A good illustration of the frequent poor verse division. An entirely new paragraph begins with these words, the third tour of Galilee. They should certainly be placed with verse 7. The Revised Version would be justified if it had done nothing else than give us paragraphs according to the sense and connection. "Jesus resumes the role of a wandering preacher in Galilee" (Bruce). Imperfect tense, περιηγεν.

By two and two (δυο δυο). This repetition of the numeral instead of the use of ανα δυο or κατα δυο is usually called a Hebraism. The Hebrew does have this idiom, but it appears in Aeschylus and Sophocles, in the vernacular Koine (Oxyrhynchus Papyri No. 121), in Byzantine Greek, and in modern Greek (Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, pp. 122f.). Mark preserves the vernacular Koine better than the other Gospels and this detail suits his vivid style. The six pairs of apostles could thus cover Galilee in six different directions. Mark notes that he "began to send them forth" (ηρξατο αυτους αποστελλειν). Aorist tense and present infinitive. This may refer simply to this particular occasion in Mark's picturesque way. But the imperfect tense εδιδου means he kept on giving them all through the tour, a continuous power (authority) over unclean spirits singled out by Mark as representing "all manner of diseases and all manner of sickness" (Matthew 10:1), "to cure diseases" (ιασθα, Luke 9:1), healing power. They were to preach and to heal (Luke 9:1; Matthew 10:7). Mark does not mention preaching as a definite part of the commission to the twelve on this their first preaching tour, but he does state that they did preach (6:12). They were to be missioners or missionaries (αποστελλειν) in harmony with their office (αποστολο).