Swimming against the tide

Jo Penn February 07, 2026 0 2

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Mark 6: 1-6 (NIV-UK)

1 Jesus left there and went to his home town, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

‘Where did this man get these things?’ they asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.

4 Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’ 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few people who were ill and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

In today’s passage, Jesus goes back to his hometown. The people who hear him speak in the synagogue cannot cope with his wise words and miracles, because it is outside of what they have previously known Jesus to be. They knew him growing up within a local family and here he is showing himself to be extraordinary. Their lack of faith restricts what Jesus is able to do there in terms of signs and wonders – but even so he heals a few people.

The historian Tom Holland, author of ‘Dominion’, speaks about how Western society swims in the waters of Christianity and how the Christian faith has been the foundation of our society (see this interview in the Church Times). Christianity as a unifying base is able to give the stability of shared values to enable debate and freedom of expression to those living within its society.

I wonder when we last ‘took offense’ at Jesus? Are we so used to the water of our societal Christianity that we have been blinded to the radical nature of Jesus’ presence amongst people to bring wisdom and healing, now available to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. I wonder what Jesus would say about how we have taken the good news that he brings and institutionalized it?

Will we swim against the tide of ‘assumed Christianity’ towards a more radical, simple faith that puts Jesus as Lord? Will we seek after what He wants to say today – instead of going with the flow of how things have always been? Will we embrace the Jesus of the ‘now’ who has a heart for people on the edge, and cares about how much love we show to one another?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,

You came to show us how to be a servant leader, to stand against injustice, to forgive one another and build communities of hope.

Help us to hear the challenging call on our lives to carry our cross and follow You. Renew Your world through our prayerful actions, guided by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen