Gospel Reflection for Sunday January 30th, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Brian Maher OMI

Luke 4:21-30

Today’s Gospel begins where last Sunday’s finished. Jesus had returned home to Nazareth and speaking in the synagogue he shared with those present his mission to the poor, the captives, the blind and the downtrodden. It was a message of hope and compassion he was bringing. He was being sent to bring ‘Good News’ to them, proclaiming “the Lord’s year of favour”.

It was such a positive message, filled with hope and joy and unending love. It was a message which made no judgements, had no favourites, everyone was welcome, rich and poor alike. Who could possibly find fault with it?

And at first, we are told, this is what happened. He “won the approval of all”, astonishing them with his “gracious words”. How could it be otherwise? Speaking in his hometown, in the synagogue he went to every Sabbath of his life, with the people who watched him grow up and those who were his peers, those he played with, laughed with, and probably even got up to mischief with.

He must have been so pleased to be home, to share his awesome message with those he knew and was comfortable with. As he spoke, he must have been so proud of their acceptance of his message, of their nods of approval at his “gracious words”.

And then……then…as always happens, one person, who maybe carried a jealousy or dislike of Jesus since childhood, mutters, “Who does he think he is? Lecturing us as if we know nothing. Coming back with all these big ideas about being appointed by God, no less! I mean, come on! We all know him. This is Joseph’s son!”

And once started, it spreads. The longer version of this story is told by Matthew, who adds, “Isn’t Mary his mother, and are not his brothers and sisters still living in the town?”

Before long the message is lost to the sniping, petty jealousy of probably only a small number of those present.

Jesus, as was inevitable, hears the muttering and he becomes annoyed and disappointed with them. He comes home to share a joyful, hope-filled message with his own people and what happens? They reject it.

The next bit, the examples of rejection Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, would all be familiar stories to orthodox, synagogue-attending Jews, and, it must be said, Jesus’ words were guaranteed to antagonise them. It certainly was not Jesus at his most diplomatic or sensitive and probably shows the very human hurt Jesus must have felt.  

Luke, who was writing his Gospel for non-Jews, had another reason for including these examples; he wants to assure his readers that the message of Jesus is for everyone, not just Jews, but also Syrians, Greeks, Romans – all are welcome.

The story finishes quite abruptly and maybe as a bit of an anti-climax. Given the strength of what Jesus said to them we can’t be surprised that they were enraged and wanted him gone. Wanting to throw him off a cliff seems a bit dramatic but anyway, in the end, we are told, he simply “slipped through the crowd and walked away.”

At its heart this whole episode gives us another small glimpse of the ‘person’ who was Jesus. If St. Teresa of Avila encourages us to spend time contemplating the humanity of Jesus, then this story certainly helps us to do that.

One of the things I really appreciate in all the gospels is the willingness of the writers to share with us stories which are not particularly flattering to Jesus. Being rejected in his own hometown and physically forced to leave it is an episode that could easily have been left out. Nothing central to the message of the Gospel would be lost by doing so, and the embarrassment of being rejected in Nazareth would simply be forgotten. But no, Luke is happy to allow us to see how approval and acceptance turn to anger and rejection. More than that, Luke, is happy for us to see Jesus’ reaction to the rejection he experienced. Hurt, disappointment and anger can be felt in his words and sentiments.

It was Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300’s who said that “familiarity breeds contempt.” The suggestion is that the better we know someone, the more likely we are to dislike or lose respect for them. That certainly seems to accurately describe what Jesus is experiencing in Nazareth.

Probably all of us have experienced the same rejection at different times in our lives. Family, friends, work colleagues, school mates, as they get to know us, spot our human weaknesses and shortcomings, and can then see through any attempts we make to appear better than we are. It is something we all do. It’s called being human!

In the case of Jesus, it seems obvious that it is simple jealousy that motivates the rejection he suffers. It is a case of “how dare anyone I know be more popular or more listened to than me.” It is something we have all experienced, I’m sure, and sadly, it is also something we probably have done or been part of. At its core it is the sin of pride, the sin which haunts us all.

How could the wonderful message of love and compassion and forgiveness spoken by Jesus be rejected by those who knew him best. The answer, sadly, is “all too easily!”

God speaks to us through his word every time we read the Gospels. Today, might God possibly be asking us think again about those we know and love who we have rejected in the past? Those who rejected Jesus in Nazareth missed out on his healing, forgiveness and compassion and were left only with their own anger and prejudice. What a pity if we miss out on the love and affection of those we know and love.

It is also good for us to realise that when we experience rejection, or our ideas are ridiculed because of jealousy or anger or bitterness, we have, in Jesus, a person who can truly identify with our feelings.

Today’s Gospel can give us strength and hope when we suffer rejection. Other Gospels share with us stories of Jesus being tempted, being angry, having doubts, being afraid, being tired, being sad, grieving, being betrayed, suffering physically, suffering injustice, and so much more.

Of course, the Gospels also tell us of Jesus celebrating with his friends, his popularity, his successes, his life and energy, his compassion, his gentleness, his forgiveness, his dedication, his commitment to prayer, his trust in God, and so much more.

We can be certain that when Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, I call you friends.” he understood what friendship means and demands. As a friend he has walked before us, been in our shoes, and experienced everything that we experience

We must be thankful that the writers of the Gospels shared with us all of the experiences of Jesus, not just the positive ones. In Jesus, in times of rejection, we have a friend we can trust.

If you have any comments, questions or thoughts on this scripture reflection you would like to share, I would be delighted to hear from you – please feel free to email me at b.maher@oblates.ie