He could work no miracle there. (Mark. 6:5)

He could work no miracle there.  (Mark. 6:5)
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Jesus went to His home town, Nazareth,  with his disciples.

On the Sabbath day He taught the people who came to the synagogue.

The people were astonished at His teaching.

They had known Him only as a carpenter, because He had been in Nazareth with His mother, helping His foster father as a carpenter, for about thirty years.

So they could see only a carpenter in Him, not the Messiah.

So they were astonished

at a carpenter

having   such a wisdom,

expressed in His teaching,

and

at the wonderful works  done by his hands.

They had  no confidence in him.

They were prejudiced against him,

and looked upon him with contempt.

So they did not believe in him.

Because of their unbelief Jesus
'could work no miracle there.'

How is it that Jesus 'could work no miracle'?

Jesus is God almighty.

It was He who created the whole universe out of nothing.

Nothing is impossible to Him.

Then why does Mark
say,  ''could work no miracle"?

Suppose one friend asks you to go with him for a film and you say,   ''I have plenty of work to do now. I cannot come.''

Does your 'cannot' mean 'powerlessness'?

No. It only means 'I choose not to come now.'

In the Gospel too Mark means that Jesus had chosen not to do any miracle, when he says, 'He could work no miracle there.'

Why?

Whenever we discuss the relationship between God and man, we should keep one basic truth in mind.

God, full off love and wisdom, is unchangeable.

Man is changeable.

God's love for us remains unchanged even if we go on changing.

Then why did choose not to do any miracle in His home town?

Because God respects man's freedom of choice, which is His free gift to man.

He expects man to use his freedom of choice to choose to enjoy His love.

Man should have faith in God to enjoy the fruits of God's love.

People of Nazareth did not believe  in Jesus at that time.

So He chose not to do any miracle there at that time.

But not all the people.

There were people who were cured by Jesus, which means they believed in Him.

By His experience in Nazareth  Jesus tells us,  ''Believe in me. You will know what miracles are"

Lourdu  Selvam.