Mark 6:1-13

Help My Unbelief!

            Family tends to be the most interesting and complex relationships we have. They’re often the people that love you more than anyone and will defend you against anything. And yet, family often are the ones you fight with the most. It seems completely contradictory and yet, how often we experience this reality. And it’s not that these relationships are simplistic, as in, they stay the same. Rather, familial relationships are dynamic. They change over time. They deepen; they expand; they grow. A good family can be the greatest blessing one could have. However, the downside is, a contentious family can also become our greatest strife. So, we often say, you can’t choose your family. You’re born into one. You’re related to certain people whether you like them or not. For so we learn how to live with people that we may not currently like. We often joke that the two topics you can’t mention on holidays, around the family table, are faith and politics. Families are either already on the same page with these two topics, or they’re not and there’s no changing anyone’s mind. This is so often our pain in the church, the pain of families divided by faith. When those in our own family disagree with us and don’t believe as we do, we’re often left speechless. I’ve heard many people ask how they’re supposed to witness to family members who don’t believe. And it’s only more grief when I say, there is no secret formula or special words.

            Yet, in our Gospel lesson, we have a special encounter as Jesus returns to his home and deals with his own family. Family relationships haven’t gotten any better or worse in two thousand years. So, let us learn directly from Jesus how to interact with unbelieving family, as we learn today:

THE ONLY REMEDY FOR UNBELIEF IS JESUS!

I.

            All of his brothers and sisters thought he was crazy because of what he believed. His mother was supportive, but most of that seemed like a way to keep the peace among the family. It’s strange that such division is actually describing the very family of our Lord. His family, the ones who knew him the best, were actually the most critical of him. This is the situation to which Jesus returns as he goes back to his home. As we read, “[Jesus] went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, … ‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? … And they took offense at him,” Mark 6:1-3. You would think that those who knew Jesus the best would understand who he is, would even worship him as the one true God. Yet, they take offense at Jesus. They hold contempt for him. Not one of Jesus’ siblings believes in him or cares to listen to his teaching. So terrible is the case of their unbelief that we read this, “And [Jesus] marveled because of their unbelief,” Mark 6:6. There are some things you just don’t want to hear from Jesus or God… and this is one of them.

            If anyone would cause us to be bewildered, it would be family. We marvel at the unbelief of our family, especially because they’re the ones who have gone to church with us for years. We see their unbelief and marvel how they can’t comprehend the same truth that we know so firmly. Thus, we take up the call of mission, by witnessing to our unbelieving family. We speak God’s word, of sin and grace, of death and eternal life, only to marvel that it seems to have no effect. For this is where we must be careful that we in our witness not fall into sin. We must not let our marveling turn towards anger or hatred, nor contempt. Where we do mess up, we too must repent and seek God’s forgiveness. No matter how much or how well we’ve spoken God’s word to our unbelieving family and friends, we ought not fall into believing that anyone is completely lost.

II.

            Consider that Jesus has seen the worst of unbelievers. He’s seen the faithlessness of Israel, the hardness of heart Pharisees, and the spiritual captivity of those who are demon possessed. Yet, it’s at his own family that he marvels. It would have been easy for Jesus to write them off as “unsavable”. But Jesus quite simply doesn’t give up! Jesus never gave up on his family; and Jesus never gave up on you. As we read, “And he went about among the villages teaching,” Mark 6:6b. The Greek shows us that this was a continual action. Jesus kept going. He kept teaching. No matter how many times and places and people rejected him, Jesus didn’t give up. For following his interaction with his family, Jesus sends out the disciples to preach and teach throughout all the towns and villages. Jesus arranges for his word to keep going through the ministry of the Church that all people, even our own friends and family may know that God hasn’t given up on them.

            Consider one of our favorite Psalms, Psalm 23… as King David writes, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” Ps. 23:6. Follow isn’t necessarily the best translation. Rather, it means “pursue”. God’s goodness and mercy pursues us all the days of our lives. Jesus saw our spiritual bankruptcy and pursued us with his goodness and mercy. This is how he wins over even the most stubborn unbeliever. Jesus didn’t give up on us because of our sin or unbelief, rather, he went to the cross. He died for us and our sins. He was buried in the grave and rose from the dead so that he may continually pursue us by his grace! It doesn’t matter how far gone someone may be… no one is too far gone for Jesus to reach. Not even family… For consider the family of Jesus, the very ones Jesus marvels at their unbelief. It was James, the brother of Jesus who became a pillar of the church. James became bishop of the church in Jerusalem, and author of the epistle bearing his name. Jesus’ own family are the ones who become foundational in the early church, the very ones who once rejected Jesus. This is the encouragement we have for our own families. Keep going. Keep witnessing. Keep sharing Jesus with them because he alone is the remedy for unbelief. 

            So, don’t give up. Don’t stop sharing Jesus even if it seems to have no effect. For by your words, your witness, Jesus is pursuing them with his grace and mercy won for them through his cross. For Jesus hasn’t given up on them, nor on you and me that he may win all people for his kingdom and eternal life! In Jesus’ name! Amen!