Joel M Bradshaw

1He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3Is 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 took offense at him. 4And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And he marveled because of their unbelief.–Mark 6, part 1 (with emphasis)

The standard Christian theology is that Jesus is God. But the Bible presents Jesus also as a man. The dual nature of Christ makes him fully able to satisfy the wrath of God regarding our sin. He is the perfect sacrificial substitute that provided for our salvation. But did he have limits?

1. God incarnate in the flesh has a limit. The Bible presents Jesus as occasionally tired, hungry, and thirsty. Jesus experienced similar physical weaknesses as us that God in general does not.
2. Jesus was limited by logic. When he famously proclaimed in John 14:6 to be the way, the truth, and the life and that nobody came to the Father except through him, then logic demands we respect that either/or. He cannot be exclusive (THE way) and inclusive (merely A way).
3. Jesus clearly was limited by his submission to God the Father. We all remember the garden moment when Jesus said, ‘take this cup from me, but not my will but yours be done.’
4. Was Jesus limited in our text today? The Greek clearly says that he could not do works of power. The text also says that they were offended by Jesus. They thought him a scandal. This implies their hearts were hardened against him like those of the Pharisees. Just like no forgiveness was possible for the unpardonable sin (Mark 3) because of hearts that remain hard, no miracle was possible here. He could not do it. There is a lack of faith and then there is a deliberately hardened heart.

Difficult text today, but good to ponder. Best to check your own hearts and how you receive Jesus.–JMB