by Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
“ I tell you this,” Jesus added, “prophets are never welcomed in their hometown.”
Luke 4:24
We are still in the season of Epiphany, the Christian calendar season after Christmas. We understand that this quite insignificant part of the Christian calendar as the revealing of Christ to the Gentile world through the Wise Men of which story was heard two Sundays ago. The dictionary provides this following definition of epiphany: “a sudden, intuitive perception … into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.” That definition applies in a profound and unique way to our Lord Jesus Christ. True to the literary definition of the term, Jesus brought perception “into the reality or essential meaning.” He stripped the superficial away from life and the artificial from religion. What we need, he told Nicodemus is a new birth: not just a reformation or higher resolves, but an utterly new start. To the woman of Samaria he prescribed water which would satisfy the deep, eternal thirst. For the rich young ruler, he commanded a whole new set of values, a change which the man, unfortunately, was unwilling to make.
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After Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness he returned to Galilee and was empowered by the Holy Spirit to teach wonderful things and performed miraculous acts. The news about him spread throughout that region and taught in the synagogues and was praised by everyone. Then it was time for him to go to Nazareth, the place where he grew up and most of his relatives are still living. It is difficult for a preacher to go back home. Everybody knows you. That is the problem. Of all the sayings of Jesus, one of the few things he said that appears in all four gospels is that a prophet gets no respect in a prophet’s hometown.
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Our gospel lesson tells us, v18″The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.” 20Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, v21as he said to them, “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.” 22They were all well impressed with him and marvelled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, “Isn’t he the son of Joseph?”. The people were amazed, the people could not comprehend his teachings – they were even upset! “Is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter? Did he not grow up here? How can he know such things? Where does he get all his ideas? They think that they know Jesus that well. And their human pride and familiar knowledge of him blinded their vision on looking to the truth and wisdom on what Jesus taught and did. Pride and human familiarity led to contempt and rejection of Jesus by his town mates.
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When God’s light shines on the way of the cross, you and I are invited to see both the stretch of God’s grace and the truth of our own disobedience. Here so early in Luke’s Gospel, the Lord’s encounter with humanity’s self-righteousness and preoccupation with the hometown attitude, it is already driving him to the cross. Before the healings and the teaching and the miraculous catch of fish, before Mary and Martha, and the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son and Zacchaeus, before the rich man who was told to sell everything and give it to the poor and the poor widow who put in everything she had, before all of that, Jesus was on his way to the cross. We despise people who challenge our cherished myths and kick us out of our comfort zones. The truth is that when Jesus sets about the task of saving us, he has to heal us of any myth or prejudice that is contrary to the spirit of Christ.
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A rural sociologist said that a small community is always hardest on its most creative people. This expert also spoke about gossip as a form of social control and indicated that one of the reasons police were not necessary in most rural areas is that people were 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, the community will try to control or even hinder that creativity. Those who distinguish themselves from the crowd will be criticized. Sounds familiar? The church as a community is like this, is not it? This may have been the case in Nazareth when Jesus did a homecoming. The bottomline: because of foolish pride of familiarity they rejected Jesus and his teachings – and gifts.
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And the cost of rejection is priceless. And they have to pay that cost. And he went about among villages teaching. Rejection costs them healing. The townspeople of Nazareth could have had a great healing, a supernatural touch from God, but they rejected God’s hands of healing. We are in the age of renewed opportunity for a new hope, a new trust, a new experience, a new healing, which rests in the hands of God. God reaches out for all of us to be touched by God for healing of our minds, emotions, splintered families, social decay, loneliness, hatred and more. Jesus touches the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same? And will you allow Jesus touch your life? Do not forfeit your faith for a false feeling of self-sufficiency. Has Jesus come to your hometown today? If so, let him touch you now. Let us not use our familiarity with the good news of Christ to subdue the power of Jesus’ message.
Let us pray.
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Saviour Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.**
