The gospel narrative in Mark 6:1-6 brings to us a memory of Jesus rejected in his own hometown. The growing reputation of Jesus as a Teacher with authority is not recognized in Nazareth. The fact that he is a carpenter and his family and relatives are known to the townspeople make these latter "take offense" at him. As a result, Jesus is not able to perform many miracles there. The lack of faith of his own townmates become an obstacle for his own work.
The story marks the first time that the word "prophet" is applied to Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. It must be noted that Jesus does not say he is a prophet. Rather he says something about prophets that applies to his situation of failure in Nazareth. The word "prophet" is applied to Jesus two other times in this Gospel. The second time is in 6:15. Herod has been hearing things about Jesus and wonders who could he be. One of the answers given is that he is like one of the prophets. Herod concludes that Jesus is John the Baptist redivivus, "returned to life." Herod was the one who ordered the execution of John in a moment of drunkenness and uncontrolled lust. The association of Jesus and John the Baptist in the crazed mind of Judah's puppet king is ominous: it anticipates the fate of Jesus who will also be executed later because of the weakness of Pilate.
The last mention of "prophet" is in 8:27-30: the incident of Peter's confession. When Jesus asks the disciples about the way people look at him, one of the answers was "one of the prophets." After this incident (8:31ff) Jesus begins to talk about the way he is going to be rejected and killed in Jerusalem.
All the above indicates that the narrative about Jesus' rejection in Nazareth is an anticipation of the his rejection in Jerusalem. His townmates "took offense at him" (NAB). The Greek word used here is a form of the verb skandalizw skandalizw which means "to cause to stumble, give offense or scandal". Outside of 6:3 the verb appears seven more times in Mark.
In 4:17 the verb is applied to those who are like
the seed sown on rocky places: (they) hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
In 9:42.43.45.47, the verb appears in a saying that is familiar to anyone who hears the gospel in the liturgy. It is about avoiding the occassions of sin and structured in a way that is easy to remember:
if [a part of the body] causes you to sin
cut it off and throw it away
better for you to enter life maimed
than to be thrown whole into Gehenna
Here, the verb has the meaning "to cause to stumble" and rendered as "cause to sin" because of the context of entering into eternal life or into Gehenna.
In Mk. 14:27.29, the verb appears twice in a dialogue set at the Last Supper about what happens to the disciples after Jesus is arrested and led to his death. Here, the meaning of the verb is similar to its usage in 4:17 and is tied up with Zech. 13:7
I will strike the shepherd
and the sheep will be scattered
The disciples will go each to his own at the moment of Jesus' arrest: they will fall away. Not even the remonstration and pledge of allegiance of Peter at the supper table will prevent this from happening. He too, at the crowing of the cock, shall have fallen like the rest.
This brief survey of the usage of the verb skandalizw in the Gospel of Mark illustrates how the people of Nazareth "took offense" at Jesus. They "stumbled" at the ordinariness and familiarity of Jesus. They could not accept the honor that has been conferred in other towns to Jesus because he was "the carpenter." Hence Jesus could say that "a prophet is without honor except in his own country, among his relatives and in his own family." In this sense, Jesus is lined up with the prophets of old who were not accepted during their own lifetimes but who were later on vindicated by God.
For the discussion on this article, please go to Sunday Thoughts for Sunday 14 OT B
