Mk 6:1-6
Carpenter: Mark tackles a number of important issues and problems which were facing the community for whom he wrote the Gospel. The main issue, around which the others revolve, is the identity and consequent authority of Jesus.
First, it is on a Sabbath—a strict day of rest—that Jesus and his disciples enter the synagogue. Mark portrays Jesus as a teacher, who has no official authority to teach! So, the questions of the crowd function as a cue for the reader. In Jewish mentality, for a person to be a great teacher, he had to study with another, older teacher, who passes on his wisdom to his student. Jesus has no such background.
Second, Mark calls Jesus “the carpenter,” a designation given him by no other Gospel. He is also referred to by Mark in this passage as “the son of Mary,” which is unusual. In Judaism, a son is normally identified by reference to his father. In essence, Mark is dealing with Jesus’ identity. He is raising the question for the reader: Who is Jesus?
Again we come back to the fact that, in Mark, the unclean spirits are able to identify who Jesus is—the “Son of the Most High God” (5:7)—but Jesus’ disciples and family do not know who he is. Now, in this scene, the townsfolk of Nazareth likewise fail to recognize him. They lack faith!
Mark wants the reader to identify Jesus for himself or herself. Just because a person is numbered among the disciples of Jesus, the family of Jesus, or the fellow townsfolk of Jesus does not imply that he or she believes.