Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v23He said to them, “I am sure that you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You will also tell me to do here in my hometown the same things you heard were done in Capernaum. v24I tell you this,” Jesus added, “prophets are never welcomed in their hometown.” – Luke 4:23-24 (Read full text: Luke 4:21-30)
A new music director was hired by a parish by its council. The new director is known for her no-none-sense discipline when it comes to handling music and choir organizational matters. Some of the old time members of the choir did not agree of the new music director. They wanted the newly hired director fired. They protested and claimed that they were not consulted in the selection of the director. They cited their long membership with the choir entitled them to have a say in the selection. Their protest did not change the decision of the parish council so they decided to leave. As a result, more than twice their number enlisted for the choir. Entitlement. This mentality is defined as a sense of deservingness or being owed a favor when little or nothing has been done to deserve special treatment. Many are not conscious of it but it would spoil any group or organization when it levels up to a belief that one’s importance, superiority, or uniqueness should result in getting special treatment and receiving resources or favors than others.
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The Nazarenes felt entitled to have more than those from Capernaum and expected Jesus to perform more miracles with them because they are his town mates. Yet, another ugly human trait reared its ugly head in this Jesus experience in his home town Nazareth: Familiarity. Faith results miraculous act from God to an individual or group of people. While the people of Nazareth recognizes the great things Jesus did in Capernaum and elsewhere in Galilee, their expectation of miraculous act is based on entitlement and their familiarity of him somehow deterred Jesus of performing any. Faith was absent. v22They were all well impressed with him and marveled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, “Isn’t he the son of Joseph?”. These words betrayed their contempt of Jesus because he is son of Joseph. They are aware of the Joseph-Mary affair that resulted to the birth of Jesus as they heard from the town folks and they are too familiar to the economic status of this family. Indeed, familiarity breeds contempt. This tells us that if you know a person or situation very well, you can easily lose respect for that person or become careless in that situation.
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Extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it. The COVID 19 virus has been with us in two years and every day it is referred to so often in print, broadcast and social media. It is substantially mentioned in the morning news and continues on at the evening and late night news that we are in danger of being complacent about it. With these information feeds many thinks they are already experts of the pandemic that they have come up of their own conclusions ranging from the bizarre dystopia to the absurd and mind boggling conspiracy theories.
Mark Twain observes, “Familiarity breeds contempt. How accurate that is. The reason we hold truth in such respect is because we have so little opportunity to get familiar with it.”
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One day Jesus together with his disciples made a homecoming of some sort. They went to Nazareth, his hometown, after their sorties in the Galilean region. And being a good Jew went to the Synagogue in a Sabbath day and he began to teach. Jesus walked all over Palestine preaching, healing, performing miracles, and even bringing the dead to life. He taught the people to love and forgive each other. Amidst these wonderful and miraculous act that made his ministry colorful and heard all over the Palestine, Jesus went home in Nazareth but failed to perform even a single miraculous act. The people listened and were amazed. But they refused to comprehend his message and they are upset. Why?
They say to each other, “Is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter? Did he not grow up here? How can he know so much and such profound things? Where does he get all his ideas? The Nazarenes think they know Jesus that well. And their human pride and familiar knowledge of him blinded their eyes on looking to the truth and wisdom on what Jesus was preaching and doing.
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In some church cultures, after a message is given, an invitation is offered for people to respond to that message. Well, Jesus got a response to his message in the synagogue, that’s for sure. The people were furious. Their response is a reminder to us that not all truth will be well received. Sometimes the truth of God provokes deep anger, especially among those whose faith is couched in prejudice and a false sense of ethnic or religious superiority. When prejudice is displayed by those claiming to be God’s people, the presence of Jesus leaves those people and moves to people who will share his grace. We must eradicate from our midst all racial and cultural hatred and any sense of ethnic or religious superiority. God’s people must realize that it is by grace that we are saved. That grace should move us to share God’s love with others with gentleness and respect, regardless of how similar to us or different from us they may appear to be.
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Some turned against Jesus, the one who spoke gracious words, or the one who spoke challenging words, and a mixture. He was liked and not liked. There were people who were very religious and liked him, who were the backbone of Judaism, and others who went off him when he said what they didn’t like or agree with. He started with the Scripture – but then went on to point out bits of the scripture they didn’t like to hear – about foreigners. And later they would say – sure we knew him as a kid and his family; that meant they could write off what he said.
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He was inviting them to the purity of their religion. Often happens when there are new challenges in the church. What is happening in the church where the world we live in challenges old customs and beliefs about marriage, civil partnerships, divorce, and also how to welcome people to church who don’t feel they belong. All are welcome here in the love of God. We don’t give up what is essential to our church but we are brought into rethinking and sometimes to change, sometimes to stay with what is an everlasting truth. James Russel Lowell (1845) wrote the lyrics of the hymn Once in Every Man and Nation,
“Once in every man and a nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
….. new occasions teach new duties…”
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This happens in the church and in the family. We need to be able to live in love with different points of view and different ways of life. Child not baptized, marriage not in church, gay partnerships, lay popes…old timers against newly churched, the people are more important.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of this passage is that Jesus does not do any miracles in his hometown. Why should they not receive a little benefit from Jesus’ ministry? Yet this very sense of being disturbed can be a helpful pointer for our own preaching and teaching. Do we feel entitled to the work of Jesus among us? Do we think that Jesus should do ministry for the church first? Or, do we share with Jesus his concern for the marginalized and vulnerable and for those beyond the boundaries of our local congregation and outside our church clubs?
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Jesus is challenging them and us today to see everyone as important, and especially the poor. He would always do this. And they would kill him for it, because he never put organized religion before people. The words which are at first upsetting may prove to be gracious words as they were from the mouth of the Lord.
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Every day ushers in a renewed opportunity for a new hope, a new trust, a new experience, a new healing, which rests in the hands of God. The Almighty reaches out for all of us to be touched by Him for healing of our minds, emotions, splintered families, social decay, loneliness, hatred and more.
The Nazarenes forfeited a very important gift of their narcissistic entitlement and familiarity: changed hearts. In rejecting Jesus, they have also shunned from being saved. Sin dominates hearts, demands its own way – completely selfish, inconsiderate, and hell-bent. Salvation changes self-centeredness to God-centeredness. Repentance is not a sentimental sorrow, but a revolution that is centered in God that turns us from the sinful path to the righteous boulevard.
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Let us not forfeit our faith for a false feeling of self-sufficiency. Has Jesus come to our hometown, city or church today? He has and always will. Let us then allow Jesus to touch us. Let us not use our false familiarity (pride) with the good news of Christ to suppress the power of Jesus’ message which is enlightenment about the Kingdom of God which consequently brings healing to our wearied and battered souls.
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in
heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of
your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect, Fourth Sunday After Epiphany)**
