The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth. Mk.'s reason for inserting this incident at this particular point is obscure. It seems to belong to the early period. Jesus is once more in the synagogue as His custom was at the first, and the presence of the disciples is especially mentioned, as if they were not yet habitually in His company. Perhaps Mk. places the incident here as a first sign of waning public interest. The disciples, in the next section, are warned to expect similar indifference and antagonism. Jesus-' own country is clearly Nazareth (cf. Mark 1:9). The very familiarity of the townsfolk with Jesus obscures His greatness for them. As an Indian saying has it, There is always a shadow under the lamp. They were too close to Jesus to appreciate Him. Mk. alone has the reference to kinsfolk in Mark 6:4. This perhaps presupposes the incident in Mark 3:31 f. Mk. is also unique in the freedom with which he speaks of the restraint laid upon Jesus by the hostility of the Nazarenos. He does not hesitate to attribute the emotion of wonder to Jesus. Want of faith surprised Him. This is significant. It shows how natural trust in God seemed to Jesus.
Mark 6:3. The reading, Is not this the carpenter? is the best attested for Mk., but it is doubtful whether Mt. is not more original in reading, Is not this the carpenter's son? Either reading might give offence to some Christians and be liable to change; either reading suffices to remind us that the early life of Jesus was associated with the everyday tasks of a Jewish artisan. The names of the brothers of Jesus may be mentioned because they had become leaders in the Church. There is no ground for questioning their blood-relationship to our Lord. The plain sense of the passage is, sons of the same mother, and indeed of the same father (Matthew 1:25 *).