Discernment and Dismissiveness.
A call to question our own discernment process.
In Mark 6 v 2-3 (CSB) we read: When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. "Where did this man get these things?" they said. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him.
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We should be astonished by Jesus because we are born ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ. The rest of our Christian walk, by the grace of the Spirit, should include ongoing wonder and delight in Jesus. It should be the kind of astonishment that leads us toward greater humility. However, as you see in Mark 6 v 2-3, not all are astonished that way.
Sometimes people like us can be astonished unto prideful dismissiveness.
Being dismissive about Jesus and about His authority is more common than we think.
This dismissiveness shows itself in how we listen and in how we want Christ to be more conforming to our preferences; especially if He challenges us.
Today, as back then, people often confuse Discernment and Dismissiveness.
In Mark 6 v 2, we see that Jesus, during His Galilean tour, returns to His hometown, Nazareth, the diminutive and poor town that would have been seen as unimpressive to everyone else.
See the scene here: Jesus is not on a mere family visit, no He has come to do ministry there, specifically to preach. His message was different than the Scribes. His message had authority in Himself.
He wasn't just another synagogue preacher. He was the Word made flesh. He is the true and greatest prophet. He proclaimed the kingdom was present where He was, then and there.
Mark wants us to see that where Jesus was, the kingdom was. And if there was any doubt on the matter, he was doing things that demonstrated it.[5]
This occasion may have been the first time Jesus' fellow townspeople had heard him teach, and many of them were astonished.[1]
Look at how their astonishment is negative based on context. They were struck but not in the way we may hope for. "Where did this man get these things?" they said. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands?[2]
With each question, there was an undercurrent of doubt. The questions really are, "Who is this guy, and why should I listen to him? They are not driven so much by a desire to know what is behind Jesus' miracles as by an itch to confirm their private prejudice that he cannot be all that remarkable.[3] Their preoccupation with this issue means that they never get around to asking the crucial question: What does it all mean?[4]
In their questions, you can see that they are not contemplating the state of their souls before God, but they are sizing up the preacher. They are being exposed by the truth, but they rather be critical of Jesus.
They were purely focused on his appearance and background, comparing themselves with him physically. Their self-comparison led to them feeling comfortable dismissing his astonishing preaching.
They think they are being Discerning but they are actually being Dismissive.
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If anything, this text highlights that we are not naturally good at listening as we often think we can be. We all have a tendency to be dismissive and blind about areas we are not yielded to Jesus.
Let us all take the time to see where we can be naturally and positionally dismissive if things do not match our strong opinions.
The visit to Nazareth highlights the tendencies and perceptions of people like you and me. Each of us can fall into self-comparison and a heart full of competition.
Someone's giftedness distracts us in our pride sometimes and we can turn off our ears to careful listening and instead only size up the other person. There is a difference between being discerning and being fault-finding. It is painful to think of how we can suddenly become the chief investigators and authorities on the truth in the pew any given Sunday.
As you can see, people can ignore someone's valid points because of their age, status, experience, or education. Their perception justifies them to be dismissive, even when the points are in line with the truth of the Word.
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What are the signs of a dismissive spirit in the church?
Over the years, as a pastor, I've seen some of the most "devout" believers in their personal walk take offense to being addressed about their weak churchmanship because they cannot get past self-comparison.
- Lacking grace. Dismissive people often "humblebrag" about their quiet time and how their spiritual disciplines. They are able to fix their problems themselves by being so disciplined. They simply think they have pulled themselves up and therefore, so should you. Of course, as we would imagine, this produces a lack of grace for others and commitment to real patient work in the local church. In their system, which plays to their strengths, they are quite the little achievers. This mindset will show a lack of grace for those who do not have their strengths and disciplines and cause them to be dismissive of anyone they deem spiritually inferior.
- Misconfident/Self-deceived. Dismissive people even go as far as to say how much they love to be involved in the church, but in reality, they are not. If we look closely, we will see a pattern. They often find a church where the pastor only agrees with and praises them. They dismiss the idea that they need to grow.
- Detached. When dismissive people come around someone stronger, and the encounter exposes their weaknesses, they assume the fault must be the other person. Over time... they start being more involved elsewhere, and they end up leaving. Have you ever seen someone recoil from the life of the local church when they encounter Christians who are stronger and more faithful? They often grow more disengaged and look for ways that do not highlight weaknesses in their walks.
- Cannot receive questioning. Dismissive people take offense to be challenged as the Nazarenes did. Some folks do not like being told that they should be faithful to their church when she is gathered. They do not like being called upon to prioritize the Lord's Day. The ordinary means of grace (Word and Prayer) are not exciting enough. In fact, they often see themselves as experts in discipling/counseling. Being offended by the notion that their maturity and commitment level is not where it needs to be, they go to work securing their rightness.
- Vague about specific sin. Something else I've see over the years is that dismissive ones tend to talk about sin in a general way only. "I know I'm a sinner," they will quickly say, but they hardly ever talk about their own specific sins. They are very good however at listening to others talk about their walk. This gives them a competitive self-righteous edge. (Doesn't that sound frustrating?)
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Nazarene vs. Berean: Remember the Bereans of Acts 17? They were eager to grow and be convinced. It is not Berean to be dismissive, but Nazarene. Bereans want to receive plain teaching and know they need to learn. Nazarenes do not want to be challenged. Bereans assume they need help, but Nazarenes assume they can equip themselves.
Do you ever find yourself not listening well as you should because you are too busy trying to find fault and form a defense? Perhaps you run home and look to your favorite teacher online to see if you can undercut conviction in your life? When we do this, what kind of person do we think we are becoming?
All across our churches, some folks come into the gathering, and their spirit is one of dismissiveness. In their own minds, if something runs contrary to their standards, it must be wrong. We should pray to see if this is us. We should talk to people who we know find us frustrating.
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Questions:
- Do we let the Word read us when it is taught?
- Are we actually good listeners?
- Do we understand how important it is to humbly doubt ourselves?
- Are we truly eager to be evaluated in the truth, knowing deep down we are seriously flawed before Jesus?
- Are we dismissive in our hearts about the Word of Christ, the Bible, because we are too busy looking for confirmation about our own ways?
If you are going to be astonished, let it be for the right reasons, not the wrong ones rooted in yourself. Be astonished at the glory of Jesus. Be astonished that we would question His rule. Be astonished at how good His rule over our lives is.
[1] Walter W. Wessel and Mark L. Strauss, "Mark," in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition), ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 778.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mk 6:2.
[3] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 231.
[4] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 231.
[5] Tom Wright, Mark for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 66.
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