HomeMark 6:5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. (NKJV)
Matt 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (NKJV)
How often are these verses thrown out as an excuse for not getting somebody healed? Ministers say things like, “You need to get more faith to get healed.” “You need to get rid of your unbelief to get healed.” And they base it all on Nazareth. Let’s look at the complete picture for a minute.
Matt 13:54-58 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (NKJV)
Verse 54 says people were astonished because of the mighty works Jesus performed? So what mighty works couldn’t He do if the people were clearly astonished by the mighty works He did? Since this was Jesus’ hometown, people regarded Him according to the flesh. They knew Him as the carpenter’s son, not God’s son. They were offended at Him and rejected Him as their Saviour. The mighty works not performed were salvations. As far as healings go, we know He healed in Nazareth.
Mark 6:5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. (NKJV)
They didn’t want Him as Saviour, but that didn’t stop Him from healing a few sick. I believe Jesus healed every person that came to Him in Nazareth who needed healing. The words ‘many’ and ‘few’ are countable adjectives meaning when we look at the number of miracles performed, there were only a few. There are over 1 million people in the city I live in. There are less than a hundred in the church I attend. When a call for the sick is made to receive healing at church, maybe 5 or so come forward. So in a city of over a million, only five came. I would also say that not many mighty works were done if only 5 out of a million get healed.
Unbelief doesn’t stop Jesus. Even in Nazareth He healed those who came to Him. Unbelief will keep you from going to Him. Unbelief will cause you to reject the kingdom when it is so close at hand. Don’t limit yourself with unbelief. God is faithful, you have no reason to not trust Him!
Cornel
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July 14th, 2010 at 5:00 PM
Good call, man. I’ve seen people use this to try and let themselves off the hook when they couldn’t get someone healed, but I honestly don’t know how they think it holds up.
I think even the wording says a lot – “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them”.
Those he laid hands on got healed.
It doesn’t say anything about him failing to heal those he ministered to – that’s seriously reading between the lines.
The people who didn’t get healed are the ones he didn’t lay hands on. A great way to prevent someone from laying hands on you is to not show up at their meetings.
Why would you show up at the meetings of someone you thought was a total crank?
I think this verse has just been over-spiritualised.
Word.
July 15th, 2010 at 1:47 PM
OH YEAAAAAAH!
July 15th, 2010 at 8:07 PM
Good, solid teaching Cornel. Thanks! I would like to think that when I’m praying for sick people who have no real expectation of being healed, that my faith trumps their unbelief or limited belief. So often it seems people go for prayer because it’s what you’re supposed to do, as if human touch alone is all they’re after. Their lack of expectation just fires me up, as in, “oh, so you don’t think God can heal you right now do you? We’ll see about that!” (I don’t say that out loud.) I identify with Jesus, not the Nazarenes (Nazarites? Nazaratbags?).