by Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v1 1He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. v2And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? v3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. v4And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” v5And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. v6And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he went about among the villages teaching. Mark 6:1-6)
The itinerant preacher, Jesus, and his disciples have been crisscrossing the sea of Galilee. We learned the past Sundays from the gospel of Mark of the events that took place in those preaching journeys. One time they were caught up by a life-threatening storm in the middle of the sea wherein Jesus stilled the raging wind and rampaging waves. On reaching the other side Jesus continues his ministry of preaching, exorcising and healing. After these events 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. He taught the people to love and forgive each other.
The gospel story last Sunday tells us about how Jesus made a woman suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years well again and a dead girl alive again – because of faith, and because such concerns were brought before him. Amidst these wonderful and miraculous act that made his ministry colorful and heard all over the Palestine, Jesus went home. v2And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? (Mk.6:2).
***
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. We are familiar with the cliché “familiarity breeds contempt”. This would mean to say that if you know a person or situation very well, you can easily lose respect for that person or become careless in that situation. As we learn from Scriptures, Jesus grew up and lived in Nazareth for thirty years. Hence the moniker Jesus the Nazarene. This may attest to the unbelief of his listeners in the synagogue on that day.
***
And they took offense at him. v4And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” One reason for this is that it is almost natural for persons to hold of less account than they ought, those with whom they have been brought up and have lived on familiar terms. Prophets are commonly least regarded, and often most envied, in their own country. However unworthy may be the feeling, the inhabitants of a district, or members of a community, do not like to see one of themselves put above them, more especially a junior over a senior, or a man of humble origin over a man well born. But it should be remembered that God abhors the envious, and will withhold the wonders of his grace from those who grudge his gifts to others. The men of Nazareth, when they saw Christ eating, and drinking, and sleeping, and working at his trade, like others, despised him when he claimed respect and reverence as a Prophet, and especially because his relations according to the flesh were of humble condition; and Joseph more particularly, whom they supposed to be his real father, for they could not imagine or believe that he was born of a virgin, and had God alone for his Father.
“They took offence at him”. A more literal translation is:” They were scandalized by him”. The original Greek word is “scandalum” meaning a ‘stumbling block’. What is one person’s stumbling block can be another’s stepping stone. St Mark tells us that Jesus “could do no good deed of power there”. Isn’t it extraordinary to think that there are situations where we can “tie God’s hands”. Holman Hunt’s famous painting in St Paul’s Cathedral, London has Jesus the Good Shepherd knocking on a door without a latch. He explained that the door of our heart can only be opened from the inside. With God there is no forcible entry. The decision to admit Him into our hearts is ours.
***
The people listened and were amazed. But they refused to comprehend his message and they are upset. 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.
Pride and human familiarity led to contempt and rejection of Jesus by his town mates. A rural sociologist said that a small community is always hardest on its most creative people. It is also posited that gossip is a form of social control and indicated that crime or misdemeanors in the community are deterred because people are intimidated by what they thought others were saying and thinking about them. This kind of community easily attempts to keep everyone at the same level, so if an individual is conspicuous for creativity or a deviation to what is traditional, the community will try to control if not hinder these moves. Those who distinguish themselves either by hyper action or discourse will be criticized. This sounds very familiar in our Filipino Barangay culture or even in the churches. This maybe was the case as Jesus taught on that day in the Nazarene synagogue. In short, because of foolish pride and familiarity, the people rejected Jesus and his teachings – and other wonderful acts and gifts that he would have done for his people.
The cost of that rejection and fallacy is inestimable and a bane to the community. And they paid a great cost. “And he went about among villages teaching.” (Mark 6:6). Rejection costs enlightenment. The townspeople of Nazareth could have been enlightened on the most talked about reign and Kingdom of God and the Messiah had they removed the shutters of familiarity from their eyes. They would have received healing, a supernatural touch from God, but they rejected the teaching of Jesus which could have led to God’s hands of healing.
***
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.
Another cost that the Nazarenes forfeited: 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.
Let us not forfeit our faith for a false feeling of self-sufficiency. Has Jesus come to our hometown or city 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.
There is a passage at the beginning of John’s Gospel that encapsulates what is said to us about Jesus in today’s Gospel. “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him” (John 1:10-11).
Perhaps today’s Gospel invites us to be with Jesus in the profound suffering this must have caused Him. You might then let Jesus be with you in the ways you suffer when people are not sensitive to, or show respect for your dignity as a human being or as a Christian.
***
We will encounter people throughout our lives who are filled with unbelief. They will not believe no matter what we say or what God does in their life. It will take a miracle and a major crisis for them to go from unbelief to belief like Paul on the road to Damascus.
There may be some things you believe about Jesus and there may be some things you don’t. You are a mixture of belief and unbelief. In Mark 9:24 a man cries out to Jesus and says, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (NLT). This is where we are saying, “Jesus, there are some things I believe about you, but there are some things I’m stubborn about when it comes to you. I refuse to believe it. Help me overcome my unbelief.
Let us pray.
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 9 Collect, ECP BCP)**
