Throw Jesus Down the Cliff Again?

Jesus Returns Again to Nazareth.

But They Don't Try to Throw Him Off the Cliff.

So, What's Different This Time?

What's the deal?

In the summer of AD 27, Jesus had gone to visit Capernaum after a wedding in Cana. Deciding to change his residence to the house of Peter's mother-in-law in Capernaum, he stopped at his childhood home in Nazareth during an evangelistic tour of Galilee. While there, he preached in the synagogue where the people attending took offense at him. They had heard of the healings Jesus had been doing, and it seems that they wanted Jesus to stay in the Nazareth area to become their local country doctor. But Jesus was moving on, and some roughnecks in the synagogue tried to throw Jesus down the cliff. Jesus just walked away from them (Luke 4:16-30).

So, he actually went there again?

Yes. Much later, in the late autumn of AD 28, Jesus returned to Nazareth on another evangelical tour. His preaching was scoffed at again, and doubts reigned about his healing powers, but no one tried to toss Jesus down the cliff this time. There was no sign of the angry ruffians from his first visit. What changed? (Mark 6:1-6a.)

Was someone there to protect Jesus?

It looks like that may be the case, and there are some clues in the Bible verses that support that idea. In Luke's story of the first visit, Jesus arrives in Nazareth apparently alone, and "in the power of the Spirit" fresh from his baptism and 40 days in the desert (Luke 4:14).

For the second visit, Mark is explicit in saying that his disciples were "with him" (Mark 6:1). And the listeners who were astonished by his preaching said, "Aren't his sisters here with us?" (Mark 6:3b). I would suggest that the ruffians in the synagogue would be less likely to cause a ruckus, for I cannot see a circumstance where Jesus' disciples would simply let their teacher be thrown down the cliff. And with his sisters there as witnesses, perhaps they may have been shamed into refraining from inciting violence.

The Real "Cliff" at Nazareth

 

And where were Jesus' four brothers?

It seems that four able-bodied construction workers ("carpenters") would be a strong deterrent against violence. Even if none of Jesus' brothers (all older than he) yet believed in him, if they allowed their younger brother to be bullied, they would lose honor in the town and be seen as pantywaists.

I propose that Jesus' brothers (from Joseph's first marriage) were absent from Nazareth during Jesus' first visit, perhaps gainfully employed in the active construction work under way in the nearby Roman city of Sepphoris. And then at his second visit, it is probable from Mark's text that Jesus' brothers were in town, or at least nearby.

In the company of Jesus' disciples, his brothers, and yes, even his sisters, there was plenty of motivation for the town ruffians to refrain from messing with Jesus.

Why Did Jesus Heal Few in Nazareth?

Mark 6:5 relates, "He could do no miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them" (Mark 6:5 NASB). This verse has troubled theologians for centuries. Jesus didn't have the power to heal them?

The answer lies in Jesus' healing practices. In most every case, Jesus healed those who came to him asking for healing. (One exception was at Bethesda, where he asked, "Do you want to be healed?") But in Nazareth there was little belief or confidence, and even less respect for his ministry.

Jesus could not heal many there because few came forward to be healed. Simple.

Post 74