Chapter Text
A Prophet Without Honor
And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.
2And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4But Jesus said unto them , A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
7And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
8And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse.
9But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.
10And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
12And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
13And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
The Death of John the Baptist
14And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
15Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
16But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
17For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.
18For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
19Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
20For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
26And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
30And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
32And they departed into a desert place by ship privately .
33And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
34And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
37He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
38He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
39And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
40And they sat down in ranks , by hundreds, and by fifties.
41And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
42And they did all eat, and were filled.
43And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
44And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
Jesus Walks on Water
45And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
46And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
47And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
48And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
49But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
50For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
51And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
52For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
53And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
54And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
55And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was .
56And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
Summary
Jesus returns to Nazareth and teaches in the synagogue, but the people take offense at Him because of His humble origins. He marvels at their unbelief and can do no mighty work there. He sends the twelve out two by two with authority over unclean spirits and instructions to travel light.
Herod hears of Jesus' growing fame and fears that John the Baptist has risen from the dead. Mark recounts the imprisonment and execution of John through the scheming of Herodias. The apostles return, and Jesus feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fishes.
Meaning
Nazareth's rejection illustrates how familiarity breeds contempt. The people could not see past the carpenter's son to the Son of God. Jesus' inability to do mighty works there was not a limitation of His power but a consequence of their unbelief, revealing that faith is the intended channel for God's power.
The sending of the twelve in pairs teaches that ministry is not a solo endeavor. Their dependence on God for provision during the mission was preparation for a lifetime of trusting the Lord who supplies every need.
Background
In first-century Nazareth, a carpenter or craftsman held a modest social position. The reference to Jesus as the son of Mary rather than the son of Joseph may suggest Joseph had already died. The mention of brothers and sisters indicates Jesus had a larger family.
Herod Antipas' guilty conscience over John's execution made him susceptible to superstitious fears about Jesus. The birthday banquet where John was killed illustrated the corruption and moral bankruptcy of Herod's court.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-6Rejection at Nazareth
- vv. 7-13The Twelve Sent Out Two by Two
- vv. 14-29Herod and the Death of John the Baptist
- vv. 30-34Compassion on the Shepherdless Crowd
- vv. 35-44Feeding of the Five Thousand
- vv. 45-52Jesus Walks Upon the Sea
- vv. 53-56Healings at Gennesaret
Key Verses
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”— 6:3
The only Gospel verse to call Jesus himself 'the carpenter,' grounding the incarnation in ordinary labor and naming his family. It illustrates how familiarity bred contempt and unbelief in his hometown.
“But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”— 6:4
A proverbial saying that has entered common speech, capturing the rejection prophets face from those closest to them. It frames Jesus within the long line of rejected messengers of God.
“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”— 6:34
Echoing Numbers 27:17 and Ezekiel 34, this verse identifies Jesus as the true Shepherd of Israel whose compassion drives both his teaching and his miracles. It is the theological key to the feeding miracle that follows.
“For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.”— 6:50
The phrase 'it is I' renders the divine self-disclosure 'I AM,' echoing Exodus 3:14 and revealing Jesus' identity in the storm. It is one of Mark's clearest hints at Christ's divinity.
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The Messiah, rejected at Nazareth yet sending out the Twelve and feeding the multitude.
- Mary — The mother of Jesus, named by the Nazarenes as they question his origins.
- James, Joses, Juda, and Simon — The brothers of Jesus listed by his hometown neighbors.
- The Twelve (Apostles) — Jesus' chosen disciples, sent out two by two with authority over unclean spirits.
- King Herod (Antipas) — Tetrarch of Galilee who fears Jesus may be John the Baptist risen from the dead.
- John the Baptist — The forerunner of Christ, imprisoned and beheaded for rebuking Herod's marriage.
- Herodias — Wife of Herod's brother Philip, whose grudge against John leads to his execution.
- Philip — Herod's brother and the lawful husband of Herodias.
- The daughter of Herodias — The young dancer whose request, prompted by her mother, secures John's beheading.
- Elias (Elijah) — The ancient prophet whom some supposed Jesus to be.
Places
- Nazareth (his own country) — Jesus' hometown in Galilee, where he is rejected by his neighbors.
- Sodom and Gomorrha — Ancient cities destroyed for wickedness, invoked as a warning of judgment.
- Galilee — The northern region where Herod ruled and Jesus' ministry centered.
- Bethsaida — A fishing town on the Sea of Galilee toward which the disciples set sail.
- Sea of Galilee — The freshwater lake Jesus crosses and upon which he walks to his disciples.
- Gennesaret — A fertile plain on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals many.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Jesus' rejection at Nazareth (vv. 4-6) embodies the prophetic pattern of Israel spurning God's messengers, fulfilling Isaiah 53:3 that the Servant would be 'despised and rejected of men.' His compassion on the leaderless crowd (v. 34) directly evokes Numbers 27:17 and Ezekiel 34:5, identifying him as the long-promised Shepherd-King who gathers the scattered flock. The feeding of the five thousand recalls God's provision of manna in the wilderness and points to Jesus as the new Moses and bread from heaven. His self-revelation on the water, 'it is I' (v. 50), echoes the divine name of Exodus 3:14.
Devotional
Mark 6 holds together rejection and abundance, sorrow and provision. Jesus is dismissed by neighbors who think they know him, and John is silenced by a king too weak to keep his conscience. Yet the same chapter shows Christ feeding thousands and walking through a storm to reach his frightened friends.
Familiarity can dull our wonder at Jesus, and the world's pressures can shake our courage. But the Shepherd still notices the hungry crowd and the straining oars. When the night feels long, his word remains the same: 'Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.'
Literary Style
Fast-paced Gospel narrative typical of Mark, marked by his signature word 'straightway' and vivid sensory detail. The chapter weaves three episodes through a Markan sandwich (mission of the Twelve framing John's death) and culminates in two great miracle accounts rich with Old Testament allusion.