Gospel Reflection for Sunday July 7th 2024 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Fr Brian Maher OMI

Gospel Reflection for Sunday July 7th 2024, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Mark 6:1-6

It would seem that Jesus did not go home very often. There are only two accounts in the Gospels of this happening, one in Mark (the story we read today) and one in Luke. The story in Luke is more detailed and ends with the people wanting to throw Jesus off a cliff outside the town. While the two stories have similarities there are enough differences to convince many scripture scholars that they probably recount two separate occasions. The Gospels also tell us that, at some point in his ministry, Jesus moved from Nazareth to live in Capernaum. Regardless of whether he returned home to Nazareth once or twice in his ministry it is clear that he had, at best, a fraught relationship with the town.

Nazareth, by all accounts was a small, sleepy, back-water town with no claim to fame in the great history of Israel. In fact, it is never mentioned in the Bible except in connection to Jesus. Its population was probably no more than five hundred, so it is probably best described as a village. In the Gospel of John, when Nathaniel is told about Jesus he quips, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  That comment fairly accurately sums up how most Jews viewed the town.

As an aside, isn’t this this another example of how God chose ‘poor’ and ‘humble’ people and places as settings for the revelation of his Son? He was born in a stable; poor shepherds were the first people told of his birth; Joseph was an ordinary woodworker/stonemason and by no means wealthy; Jesus spent his childhood and young adulthood in a small, unimportant and unknown village; his closest friends and disciples were ordinary fishermen. Truly, when Jesus linked the words of the prophet Isaiah, “he sent me to bring Good News to the poor…” to himself he was stating what God had carefully planned from the beginning.

God’s choosing of the poor and humble to reveal his Son is important. Today the poor surround us in many guises – homeless, hungry, immigrants, asylum seekers, minority groups, parents working two jobs and still unable to feed their children, etc. Like it or not, these are the people whose background Jesus understood, and these are the people with which he was most comfortable. They are, therefore, the people we, as today’s Christians, are called to recognise and care for. If that makes us uncomfortable, good! It certainly makes me feel very uncomfortable!

While the above is said as an aside, we could appropriately finish the reflection here with more than enough to occupy our prayer and thoughts for the next week. Feel free to read no more if you already have enough food for thought.

However, this small episode in Jesus’ life has much more to teach us, so those brave souls who wish to delve deeper into Jesus’ relationship with his home town may wish to continue reading.

Why exactly Jesus chose to go home at this time is unclear. His ‘amazement’ at the reception he received suggests he had no idea that he would be rejected. Was he, perhaps, naïve in not realising that there would be those jealous of his popularity as a healer, and those who would want to take him down a peg or two?

Mark tells us that shortly before this incident, Mary and his brothers sought him out and tried to take him home because they feared ‘he had lost his mind’. At that time he avoided meeting them. Maybe he returned home seeking a reconciliation with them?

Jesus was returning home as a kind of celebrity – a local man making a name for himself. That he would be invited to the synagogue to read from the Law and Prophets and teach there would almost be an expectation.

When he stood up to preach it is likely that the authorities of the synagogue were delighted for him to do so, and the synagogue was likely filled with local people come to see him and hear what he had to say.

I can imagine a hush falling on the crowd as Jesus stood to speak. At first those listening were impressed by what he was saying. They whisper to one another in amazement, “For a local man he is so wise. Where did he get this wisdom? And all of these miracles we hear about. Where are they coming from?”

But…then…gradually things change…some whispers of discontent can be heard. “…but he’s only a carpenter and here he is speaking as if he is a Rabbi or some learned scholar! He’s only Mary’s Son, don’t we all know her? Look around and you’ll see his brothers, and don’t his sisters live in the town? They don’t act all high and mighty, so why does he?”

Just before this incident Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and they had given him different answers – John the Baptist, Elijah, Moses, one of the Prophets…and then Peter took the leap of faith to recognise him as the Messiah, the chosen one of God.

In this Gospel another group of people give their answer to the same question. “Who do people say that I am?”  and their answer is not at all flattering: “Only a carpenter and the son of a carpenter… and Mary’s son, and we always had questions about her! …”  We cannot overlook the cruelty in saying that Jesus was Mary’s son. Jews trace family lines through a person’s father. We might expect, “Isn’t he Joseph’s son….”? By saying “Mary’s son.” they are alluding to rumours about the legitimacy for his birth.

Mark, ever the diplomat, finishes the incident saying that they “took offense at him”. Luke’s conclusion is a lot more blood thirsty: they try to ‘throw him off a cliff’!

A return home is normally a happy and joyful occasion. We catch up with family and friends, recall memories of childhood and relax in a safe and accepting environment. Sadly, for Jesus, his visit home was a very painful one. When he says that “a prophet is not without honour except in his own country, among his own people and in his own home” he may well be referring to ongoing tensions with his own family. One cannot but feel extremely sad for Jesus in this episode. At home, the place where he might expect most support and understanding, he finds only rejection. Even sadder, they can accept the truth of what he says and does, but they cannot bring themselves to accept HIM!

The crux of the matter is that they cannot accept the ordinariness of Jesus. If he was a learned Rabbi, or even if he had been taught by some learned teacher of the Law, it would be OK. If he was wealthy, with an entourage of slick, professional handlers, then they could accept him. Even if he made an effort to avoid being seen in the company of prostitutes, tax collectors and such like, they might acknowledge him.

But no! He is nothing more than the son of a local carpenter, whose birth raised questions and whose family still lives in the town. Who does he think he is coming back here, throwing his popularity and miracles in our faces and expecting us to sit at his feet and listen like children? Oh, he may say great things and work marvellous wonders, but we are the ones who grew up with him; we are the ones who know him best, and he does not have the pedigree or education to be great.”

The old adage that ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ may sound a bit stale to us today, but it is still true. Put simply, Jesus was too familiar to them. They knew him when he was running around as a child, getting up to mischief which his friends. They saw him learning his trade as a carpenter from Joseph. They even heard rumours about his legitimacy!

Familiarity is a lot more dangerous than we might think. It so easily becomes a straight jacket from which we cannot escape. It refuses to allow a person to develop or change and leads to the paralysis of boredom.

At the end of the Gospel Jesus, we are told, “is amazed by their lack of faith. He is amazed but not angry. He knows that he will never break through their familiarity and accepts that. He reminds them that a prophet is not honoured by the people who have known him from birth, and then he moves on. He didn’t stay to try to persuade them, nor did he argue and debate with them. Politely he points to what is happening – that a prophet is not recognised by those who know him best –  and then he moves on.

The lesson here is this:  Jesus forces himself on no one. He gives countless signs and indications that he is to be trusted, that he is who he says he is, but he is not a ‘magician’ with clever tricks to draw people to himself. In accepting Jesus there will always be a need for trust and faith.

At all times Jesus invites; he does not compel. If we refuse his advances, he leaves us free to go our own way. He wants followers who are friends, not servants – he offers a Kingdom of freedom, not bondage.

This is something worth saying again and again and again: “He wants friends, not servants. He offers a Kingdom of freedom, not bondage.”

We must never lose it in the blandness of familiarity.

God wants us to be friends, not servants.

God’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of freedom, not bondage.

God invites. God does not compel.

Many thanks,

Brian.

If you have any comments, questions or thoughts on this scripture reflection, please feel welcome to email me at b.maher@oblates.ie