Mark 6:1-30

Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.

Close to Jesus, Yet Missing Him

Mark 6:1–29

Introduction: A Searching Question

Thank you again for your prayers and your kind words of encouragement for last week’s ministry. Today we continue with Mark chapter 6.

To begin, let me ask a question:

Can we be close to Jesus and still miss Him completely?
Can we be close to Jesus and still miss Him completely?

Last week in Mark 5, we met a bleeding woman and a desperate father, and we saw a beautiful picture of faith.

• There was the posture of faith—humility that bowed before Jesus, believing He was their only hope.
• Then we saw the product of faith—how Jesus responded with peace, healing, and wholeness. Shalom is peace, and it means not just physical healing, but the deep peace of being known and loved by God.
• And we ended with the persistence of faith—when all seemed lost, Jesus said, “Do not fear; only believe.”

Now in Mark 6, the lens shifts. Instead of faith, we see unbelief.

We see unbelief’s familiarity—a familiarity due to proximity, but underneath it is pride and prejudice.

Then we will see unbelief’s failure—faith’s failure, really, due to fear, the flesh, and a failing conscience on Herod’s part.

Later in the chapter—brother Keefe will handle this—we see unbelief’s forgetfulness when the disciples are straining in the wind and experience spiritual lows.

So it sounds a bit down from the heights of faith in chapter 5. Now we dive into unbelief.

But in the midst of all this, Mark also gives us glimpses of faith in action. In between, we see:

• Faith’s footsteps—the Twelve sent out, trusting simply, serving their Master, commissioned from disciples to apostles.
• Faith feeding—the Lord’s compassion on the sheep, His challenge to the disciples, and His glorious provision.
• And the chapter ends with faith’s fervor—people running to Him, reaching out, and receiving.

Mark chapter 6 is an interesting tapestry of scenes and stories. And as we go through them, we can relate to them. These are not just their stories. They are also our stories. It is a chapter about how we respond to Jesus.

Will we respond with pride or surrender?
Will we live in fear or trust Him?
Will we keep delaying, or will we reach out in faith?

So as we move through this chapter—beginning with me and continuing with brother Keefe—let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, soften our hearts, and stir our faith, so that we do not just hear the Word, but we respond with receptive hearts.

Opening Prayer

Let’s pray.

Our heavenly Father, our gracious God—we praise Your glorious name. May Your name be exalted above all blessing and praise, for You alone are the Lord.

As we are reminded this morning, we thank You that as sinners saved by grace, we have this boldness to come into Your holy presence, all because of the finished and perfect work of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—Your well-beloved, in whom You are well pleased.

And Lord, as we gather under the sound of Your Word, feed us with bread from heaven. Grant that our souls may be nourished and our spirits uplifted by the working of the Holy Spirit among us. We ask in the Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scene 1: Unbelief’s Familiarity

Pride, Prejudice, and Proximity
(Mark 6:1–6)

Let’s go to Mark chapter 6, reading from the NASB.

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 learn these things? And where is this wisdom that has been given to Him? And such miracles as these performed by His hands?
Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?”
And they took offense at Him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”
And He could not do any miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
And He was amazed at their unbelief.

When Jesus returned to His hometown—Nazareth—you might expect a warm welcome. After all, these are His people. They watched Him grow up. They knew His family. They had heard about His messages and seen His miracles.

But instead of celebration, He was met with skepticism. Instead of belief, He was met with offense.

“Is this not the carpenter?”

They saw the carpenter, but not the Christ. They could not imagine that a boy who once built tables for them was now building the kingdom of God. They boxed Jesus in based on their memories of Him. And when He did not fit their expectations of a lowly carpenter, they rejected Him.

Underneath that familiarity was something deeper.

Pride and Prejudice Beneath Familiarity

It was pride—the pride that says, “Surely God wouldn’t use this lowly carpenter that I’ve known before.”

And underneath pride was prejudice—a bias that disqualifies someone based on background.

To relate to today, it can be like when someone speaks on the pulpit and some judge with pride and prejudice: “Who is this person speaking? Is he qualified? Is he trained in seminary? How can he teach me the Word of God?” That helps us relate.

So there was pride, and there was prejudice.

Mark says they “took offense” at Him. They were deeply offended—not because He failed to speak the truth, but because they did not want to hear it from Him.

Their posture was essentially:
“I won’t believe it even if it’s true—because it’s coming from you.”

Unbelief is Not Just Doubt

Brothers and sisters, unbelief isn’t just doubt. Christians can doubt, and God clarifies in His timing. Unbelief is resistance. It doesn’t trust the Lord; it leans on its own understanding.

It is a sobering thought: we can be so near and yet so far. We can grow up in church, hear the Word regularly, and never truly trust Him.

And the product of unbelief is missed blessings.

Mark says:

“He could not do any miracle there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”

Does that mean human unbelief can limit God’s work? Was Jesus’ power limited by their unbelief?

Again, it’s a good question to ask your Bible study leader.

But let’s be clear: Jesus’ power was not diminished. His miracles were withheld—not because He lacked ability, but because they were unwilling to receive. Their hearts were closed. Their faith was absent.

God does not force Himself on unwilling hearts. This is the wonder of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.

Miracles were not for show. They were signs pointing to deeper spiritual truths. But in Nazareth there was no hunger to know, no desire to see, no faith to receive—so the mighty works stopped.

Jesus marveled at their unbelief.

The Creator and Sustainer of the world can marvel. Only twice in the Gospels did Jesus marvel: once at a centurion’s great faith, and once here at Nazareth’s unbelief. The contrast is stunning.

The centurion was far off, yet he said, “No need to come. I believe what You say, and my servant will be healed.” Nazareth was so close—yet they did not believe.

And the sad part is: there is no record that Jesus ever returned to Nazareth. The opportunity was lost.

Personal Questions

Are we like Nazareth?

Are we missing Jesus because we think we already know everything about Him? Has our pride or routine blinded us to His power in our lives? Do we reject truth not because it isn’t clear, but because it didn’t come the way we expected?

James urges us to receive with meekness the implanted Word.

So brothers and sisters: don’t miss God’s blessings because you are expecting something more impressive. The Lord often meets us in the everyday—in a prayer quietly answered, in a Scripture gently whispered, and in a sermon faithfully preached.

Scene 2: Faith’s Footsteps

Sent Out, Trusting and Serving
(Mark 6:7–13)

Let’s move on to faith’s footsteps.

And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. And He instructed them that they were to take nothing for their journey except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—but to wear sandals. And He added, “Do not wear two tunics.”
And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.”
And they went out and preached that people are to repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

Interestingly, after being rejected in Nazareth, Jesus did not wallow in disappointment or discouragement like some of us. He didn’t retreat. Instead, He responded with grace and with resolve.

Their unbelief did not stop His mission. He continued teaching, and He continued healing those who came to Him in faith.

And now He multiplies His ministry by sending out the Twelve two by two, with power and authority.

Jesus knew His mission did not depend on man’s approval, man’s support, or man’s endorsement—but on God’s sovereign will.

Where Nazareth closed its ears, the rest of Galilee will now hear. Rejection does not stall the kingdom. It multiplies it through His apostles.

They were to travel light—no bread, no bag, no money belt. As Singaporeans we wonder how to go like that. This is not a prescription for today’s missionary, but it teaches an important lesson: dependence on God rather than self-reliance.

This was more than an outreach assignment. It was a school for them to learn faith and trust. Where Nazareth doubted, His disciples would trust—and God would move. Their obedience would open doors for others to hear and be healed.

Interestingly, this is the first time in Mark’s Gospel that the Twelve are referred to as apostles. Until then they had been disciples—learning and following. Now they are apostles—sent ones.

So there is an important lesson for us: when others reject Christ, do we still go in His name? Do we still faithfully carry out His commission as His servants—knowing that unbelief may close a door, but faith will still walk through a door?

And whenever faith walks, God works.

Scene 3: Unbelief’s Failure

Fear, Flattery, and a Failing Conscience
(Mark 6:14–29)

Now we move to unbelief’s failure—fear and flattery and a failing conscience on King Herod’s part.

Mark gives us what feels like a flashback, inserted into the account.

Herod heard about Jesus and concluded: “John, whom I beheaded, has risen.”

It shows that Herod’s past was haunting him. He knew John was a righteous man. He feared him, protected him, and even enjoyed listening to him.

But brothers and sisters: fascination is not faith.
Hearing truth is not the same as heeding it.

He was convicted, but not converted. His heart was stirred, but never surrendered. Why? Because he never repented.

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ, preaching repentance, because the kingdom of God is at hand. He faithfully did that—and it landed him in prison.

So what happened to Herod? Why did he not repent after so much exposure to truth?

Enslaved by Lust, Paralyzed by Pride

The account reveals his unlawful relationship with his brother’s wife, Herodias. He was enslaved by lust. He could not give her up.

And he was paralyzed by pride before his guests. He feared embarrassment more than he feared judgment.

He made a foolish promise at his party—offering up to half of his kingdom. The girl asked for something prompted by her mother. What a terrible mother—using her daughter to do something like that.

So instead of saving the prophet, Herod saved his face. He saved his face.

This is the product of unbelief: a compromised conscience, moral paralysis. Herod knew the truth, but he was too weak to act on it.

Guilt should lead us to repentance—not deeper entanglement in sin. But Herod’s conscience was stirred and his heart never changed, and now his guilt became a prison.

Why Mark Includes This

One reason Mark may have placed this here is to show that John was the forerunner of Jesus not only in proclamation, but also in suffering and death. This would later mirror Jesus’ fearless testimony before Pilate and the Sanhedrin. Jesus would also meet Herod, who would be noted as “the fox.”

Jesus, too, would be rejected and killed. But unlike John, He would rise—and the message of salvation would never be silenced.

Mark wants us to see that preaching the truth—whether by John, by the Twelve, by Jesus, or by us today—invites rejection in a world ruled by self and sin. Kingdom ministry is not glory without cost; it is obedience with risk.

Personal Questions

So we ask ourselves:

Are we moved by the Word but not changed by it?
Do we listen to sermons and feel stirred, but never surrender?
Do we respect godly people, but refuse to follow their Savior?
Are we convicted by truth, but still resisting it?

Beware of admiring truth while resisting it. The longer we resist God’s voice, the harder it becomes to hear it.

Don’t follow Herod’s path. Let conviction lead not to regret but to repentance.

Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Conclusion: Unbelief or Faith?

I’ll end by saying: we saw how pride and familiarity in Nazareth closed the door to Jesus. We walked with the apostles who obeyed without knowing all the answers. And we watched how fear and people-pleasing silenced Herod’s conscience.

These are not just stories. These are realities. We see the barrenness of unbelief, and we see the beauty of faith in motion.

Each scene shows two ways of responding:

• Unbelief says, “I already know.” Faith says, “I want to draw near.”
• Unbelief delays. Faith runs toward the Lord.
• Unbelief resists the light. Faith reaches out for it.

So here is the simplified question we can ask ourselves:

Is there unbelief, or is there faith in my life?

Brothers and sisters, let us flee the path of unbelief. Let us live a life of faith. And by our example, let us draw others to Christ.

Faith does not grow alone in isolation. We are a community. We are an assembly. Let faith spread among us. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, so that all who come behind us may find us faithful.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray.

Our heavenly Father, our gracious God, thank You for speaking to us. Help us to have faith, and help us to address areas of unbelief even in our own lives. Help us turn to the Lord who is ever compassionate, gracious, and loving.

Even as we sing, help us remember the saints in our midst and those who have gone before us—how they have been wonderful testimonies of faith to encourage us, to fire us to continue—so that we ourselves may help others through our examples of faith in our lives.

We pray that as we sing, it will be to Your glory. We ask this in the Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.