Today’s readings: Ezekiel 2, 2-5; 2 Corinthians 12, 7-10; Mark 6, 1-6
There’s nothing like coming back home after a long trip. Jesus had travelled much and worked hard, teaching unreservedly and performing extraordinary miracles too. Now, after a well-deserved break, he donned his tallit (prayer shawl), strapped his sandals and headed to the synagogue, the place that filled his mind with childhood memories – those familiar faces of elders who seemed ever glued to the same seats, the smell of burning candles, the decorated curtains, the Aron Kodesh which contained the sacred scrolls, and that touch of holiness which filled the air.
However, when Jesus stood before the Word and caused it to shine in all its richness and splendour, its glorious colours refracted through him were more than these myopic tradition-fanatics could grasp. Curiosity turned into bemusement, and bemusement turned into anger. The very synagogue – a term which in itself denotes togetherness – ironically became the place of rebellion and division.
For the villagers of Nazareth, Jesus was a national. He spoke his people’s language, not an alien one. As he spoke, he addressed neighbours, acquaintances and surely friends too. But the carpenter’s son had become too smart… to the point of becoming a threat, or so they thought. What ensued was national rebellion before an unwelcome national. Yet, one might ask, why did they oppose him? Were his words too hard to understand, his message too complex to decode, or his theology too deep to fathom? None of that!
On the contrary, they took offence because Christ’s words were very direct, all too clear, and immensely challenging. In his own home town, Jesus drove the point home, literally! With stark honesty, Mark Twain reflected the villagers’ sentiments when he famously said: “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” Most of us probably share the same predicament. There are many texts in the Bible we would rather do without for the simple reason that they jolt some of our age-old customs or natural habits and tendencies to the point of real discomfort.
Christ’s words have continued to be a bother to many. It is intriguing that Christians have become the most persecuted of all peoples, Christianity the most loathed of all religions, and Christ the most shunned religious teacher of all times. It takes a huge effort to desist believing that the father of lies has a finger (read tail) in the pie. St Paul said of him: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor 4,4)
If taken to an extreme, Frank Sinatra’s provocative assertion, expressed in song – ‘I did it my way’ – could prove to be the royal road to rebellion. For its diametrically opposed assertion was made by the Lord as he surrendered totally to the heavenly Father, to whom he said: “Not my will, but yours be done.” (Lk 22, 42). The human person will always be faced with the most fundamental of decisions, namely to let one’s life be shaped by Christ’s life-giving words in conformity with God’s will, or otherwise. The former entails nothing short of a death to self, as Christ himself has described it. The beauty of it is that as the surrender becomes more real, one’s true self becomes more alive.
The stark reality recorded in the Gospel – “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” (Mk 6, 5) – shows why Jesus had to walk away from Nazareth. His full power, which is always characterised by his gentleness, can only have effect where rebellious wills are broken and hearts are wide open.