✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 6:1-6.
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
1. Before the Babylonian exile God made series of effort to call Israel to order but their ears remained deaf to God’s words spoken through his prophets. They mocked and persecuted the prophets especially Jeremiah whom they described as prophet of doom. When they were taken to exile they still remained adamant to the call to return to God. Today’s first reading recalls the attitude of the exiled Jews to prophet Ezekiel who was sent to encourage them in their exile (Ezekiel 2:2-5). All they needed was deliverance and not call to righteousness. But God didn’t give up on them. He told his prophet to stand his ground and continue preaching in spite of their hardness of heart. Their rejection of God didn’t make God to change his nature. The same experience of rejection felt by Ezekiel was what Jesus encountered with his town’s people. Mark presents Jesus preaching at Nazareth as his first visit to his town after starting his mission. The people were amazed that Jesus could display a high level of wisdom and wonder. But realizing that he was a man from the fringe of the society, a simple carpenter from an unimportant family, they moved from admiration to scorn. They reminded him of his lowly family background.
2. Jesus was not deterred by their insult. He stood his ground. He knew why he came to the world. He came as an ordinary person so that the ordinary people can imitate his extraordinary attitudes. His people were getting it wrong. They missed the mark because right before them was standing the God whom they sought in extraordinary manifestations. He addressed them as a prophet telling them that a prophet is to be respected for the work he does not for his social status. He reminded them that they were wrong. He was shocked by their lack of faith.
3. The people of Nazareth seem to be ignorant of the fact that God can use anybody to pass his message even an animal. He once made an animal speak to a wordly prophet (Numbers 22:28). The tragedy of religion in the contemporary society is that people go far and wide searching for God while God is there before them without their noticing him. Some people kill God and the build a temple for the same God that they have killed. When Fredrick Nietzsche, the German philosopher proclaimed the death of God people branded him atheist. But was he not saying the truth. He said that”God is dead, we have killed him.” If we have not killed God in our life how is it difficult for people to recognize God in one another? Why was it difficult for the people Nazareth to recognize God in the simplicity of the carpenter who lives a godly life?
4. Jesus could not perform many miracles in his hometown because they despised him for his humble beginning. They preferred to look away from whom he has become and held on to whom he was. We all have our past, our humble beginnings. But in the hands of God, we are wired for greatness independently of how we began. Jesus stands as a symbol for all who want to go beyond their status at birth. The scornful comments of the Nazarenes did not stop Jesus from moving forward. He moved on because he has set a clear goal for himself. Jesus did not just listen to their insult. He confronted them, teaching them the truth even when they refused to listen. Those who want to be more useful to the kingdom should not be disturbed by the criticism of the chicken-hearted fellows. Jesus is our model.
5. You always have two options before you when it comes to the things of the kingdom: to be hot or cold. You either join the critics of Nazareth or the disciples. You are either a critic or an actor. The place of the actor is the stage, that of the critics is in the audience. Where are you in the kingdom? Stage or audience? What role are you playing in your faith community? Do you just come and go or are you engaged in doing something. You can always be more useful for the kingdom if you want. Stand your ground like Ezekiel, Paul (2Cor12:7-10) and Jesus.
© Vitalis Anaehobi, 07/07/24.
