Have you ever heard the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt”? It’s true in everyday life. Many of us didn’t fully appreciate our parents until we left home. New Yorkers can live their whole lives without ever visiting the Statue of Liberty. I’ll never forget my first trip to the Rocky Mountains—jaw dropped in awe of their majesty. But the locals? Unmoved. Why? Because those mountains had always been there. Familiarity dulled their wonder.

That is exactly what happens in Mark 6. Jesus returns to His hometown, Nazareth. The people who knew Him best—neighbors, childhood friends, even family—did not greet Him with faith but with rejection. They had heard His teaching and even acknowledged His miracles, but they dismissed Him. Why? Because they thought they already knew Him. To them He was “just the carpenter,” Mary’s son, the boy who grew up down the street. Familiarity led not to faith but to unbelief.

And isn’t that the danger for us? Many of us know about Jesus, but do not truly know Him. We can grow up in church, sing the songs, and know the Bible stories, but never bow to Him as Lord. We, like Nazareth, keep Him at a safe distance when He challenges our expectations. If Jesus doesn’t give us what we want—a comfortable life, easy answers, or quick fixes—we are tempted to dismiss Him. Unbelief doesn’t just come from outright rejection; sometimes it comes from superficial familiarity.

But here is the good news: unbelief is not unforgivable. The cross proves that. The rejection Jesus faced in Nazareth pointed forward to a greater rejection He would face at Calvary. There, the Son of God was rejected by men and, ultimately, forsaken by His Father, so that sinners like us could be reconciled. Even those in the crowd who once dismissed Him—including Jude, the half-brother of Jesus—came to worship Him as Lord after His resurrection. That same forgiveness and invitation is extended to us. Don’t let familiarity rob you of faith. Don’t settle for merely knowing about Jesus. Trust Him. Treasure Him. Follow Him, and intimately pursue Him.

Main Idea – Resist unbelief by embracing the one who was rejected for us.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think Mark places this passage immediately after the story of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, and just before Jesus sends out His disciples? Why does Mark emphasize that “his disciples followed him” (v. 1)?
2. The crowd in Nazareth did not deny the humanity of Jesus, but they rejected Him in unbelief. What is unbelief? What were the root causes of their unbelief? How does the indwelling sin of unbelief still manifest itself in your own life?
3. In verse 6, Mark tells us that Jesus was amazed. The Greek word is thaumazō—to be struck with wonder and awe. What is it about unbelief that causes Jesus to respond this way? What other places in Scripture reveal the danger of unbelief and help us understand its seriousness?
4. In what ways can “superficial familiarity” with Jesus—knowing facts, attending church, practicing outward religion—be dangerous if it does not lead to true submission to Him as Lord? (See Matthew 7:21–23.)
5. What Old Testament prophecies or stories point forward to the rejection Jesus experienced by His own people? How does His rejection in Nazareth prepare us to see the greater rejection He endured at the cross? And how does the cross speak to our own struggle with unbelief?
6. How can you actively combat superficial familiarity in your life? How does participating in the means of grace that God provides help you to truly know and love Jesus?
7. Who in your life comes to mind when you think of someone who has hardened their heart toward Jesus in unbelief? How can you begin praying specifically for them this week?