Mark 6:1-13

Jesus left there and came to His hometown [Nazareth]; and His disciples followed Him. [Matt 13:54-58; Luke 4:16, 23] When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things [this knowledge and spiritual insight]? What is this wisdom [this confident understanding of the Scripture] 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 were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. He wondered at their unbelief. A nd He was going around in the villages teaching. And He called the twelve [disciples] and began to send them out [as His special messengers] two by two, and gave them authority and power over the unclean spirits. He told them to take nothing for the journey except a mere walking stick—no bread, no [traveler’s] bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals; and [He told them] not to wear two tunics. And He told them, “Wherever you go into a house, stay there until you leave that town. Any place that does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them [breaking all ties with them because they rejected My message].” [Matt 10:14; Acts 13:51] So they went out and preached that men should repent [that is, think differently, recognize sin, turn away from it, and live changed lives]. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them.