Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, "Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?"
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house."
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
In this passage, Mark the Evangelist reminds his readers that miracles could only occur with faith. Unlike the Gospel of John, where miracles were meant to bring people to faith, in the synoptic gospels, the miracles were not possible without faith. What is interesting to note, in this passage we see a glimpse into the life of Jesus. Here, Jesus is named a carpenter. This gives us insight into his lifestyle prior to traveling around ministering to the poor, sick, and lame. He likely picked up this profession from his father.
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