Church Fathers Commentary Mark 6:1-6

"And he went out from thence; and he cometh into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, Whence hath this man these things? and, What is the wisdom that is given unto this man, and [what mean] such mighty works wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in him. And Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages teaching." — Mark 6:1-6 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: After the miracles that have been related, the Lord returns to His own country, not because He was ignorant that they would despise Him, but so that they might have no reason to say, “If You had come, we would have believed You.”

Wherefore it is said, And He went out from there, and came into His own country.

The Venerable Bede: He means His country is Nazareth, where He was brought up. But how great the blindness of the Nazarenes! They despise Him, whom they might know to be the Christ by His words and deeds, solely on account of His family.¹

It goes on: And when the Sabbath day had come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard Him were astonished, saying, “From where does this man get these things? And what is this wisdom that has been given to him, that even such mighty works are performed by his hands?”

By “wisdom” He means His doctrine, and by “mighty works,” the cures and miracles that He performed.

It goes on: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?

St. Augustine of Hippo: Matthew indeed says that He was called the son of a carpenter, and we should not be surprised, since both could have been said; for they believed Him to be a carpenter because He was the son of a carpenter.²

Pseudo-Jerome: Jesus is called the son of a workman; however, this was the workman whose creation was the morning and the sun—that is, the first and second Church, which are figured in the healing of the woman and the young girl.

The Venerable Bede: For although human things are not to be compared with divine things, the type is still complete, because the Father of Christ works by fire and Spirit.

It goes on: ...the brother of James, Joses, Jude, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?

They bear witness that His brothers and sisters were with Him. These, however, are not to be understood as the sons of Joseph or of Mary, as heretics claim. Rather, as is common in Scripture, we must understand them to be His relatives, just as Abraham and Lot are called brothers, though Lot was Abraham's nephew.

And they were offended at Him. The stumbling and error of the Jews is our salvation and the condemnation of heretics. For they despised the Lord Jesus Christ so much that they called Him a carpenter and the son of a carpenter.

It goes on: And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country.”

Even Moses testifies that the Lord is called a Prophet in Scripture. Predicting His future Incarnation to the sons of Israel, he says, A Prophet shall the Lord raise up for you from your brethren (Acts 7:37). But not only He Himself, who is Lord of prophets, but also Elijah, Jeremiah, and the other minor prophets were received more poorly in their own country than in foreign cities. For it is almost natural for people to envy their fellow-townsmen; they do not consider the man's present works, but instead remember the weakness of his infancy.

Pseudo-Jerome: Often, a man's origin also brings him contempt, as it is written, Who is the son of Jesse? (1 Samuel 25:10). For the Lord has respect for the lowly; as for the proud, He beholds them from afar.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, if the prophet has noble relatives, his countrymen hate them, and for that reason do not honor the prophet.

There follows: And He could there do no mighty work, etc. What, however, is expressed by He could not, we must take to mean He did not choose to. This was not because He was weak, but because they were faithless. Therefore, He did not perform any miracles there, because He spared them, lest they become worthy of greater blame for not believing, even with miracles before their eyes.

Alternatively, for performing miracles, not only the power of the Worker is necessary, but also the faith of the recipient, which was lacking in this case. Therefore, Jesus did not choose to perform any signs there.

There follows: And He marveled at their unbelief.

The Venerable Bede: This is not as if He, who knows all things before they happen, was wondering at something He did not expect. Rather, knowing the hidden things of the heart and wishing to show people that their unbelief was truly astonishing, He openly showed that He marveled.

And indeed, the blindness of the Jews is astonishing, for they neither believed what their prophets said about Christ, nor would they personally believe in Christ, who was born among them.

Mystically, Christ is despised in His own house and country—that is, among the Jewish people—and for this reason He performed few miracles there, so that they would not become completely inexcusable. But He performs greater miracles every day among the Gentiles, not so much in healing their bodies as in saving their souls.

1. in Marc., 2, 23
2. de Con. Evan., ii, 42