Jesus’ Homecoming
We can imagine Jesus’ eagerness to return to his hometown shortly after the start of his public ministry. As a righteous man, Jesus was certain to have made many friends in Nazareth. He probably had relatives there as well – cousins, aunts, and uncles. However, Jesus also had a profound understanding of human nature. No doubt this understanding gave Him a premonition of the possible reaction to his teaching from His former friends and neighbors.
His preaching in the synagogue at Nazareth starts off well enough. The people are eager to listen to Jesus. No doubt they have heard some “strange” reports about Him from the surrounding countryside, “The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.” (Lk 4:21)
A Less Than Positive Reception
Indeed, the initial reaction is positive, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His mouth.” (Lk 4:23) But then the skepticism kicked in. After all, Jesus has just made a mighty claim, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 4:22) He has equated Himself with the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylonian captivity seven centuries ago. He is claiming the long-awaited mantle of the Messiah. This reaction, even if expected, must have pained Jesus. He knew that His teachings would be rejected by many of those closest to him.
Why We Reject Prophets
On the surface it seems as if the skepticism among the townsfolk of Nazareth was well founded. “This is just a carpenter’s son!” There were false prophets back then, just as there are today. However, we know that there was something compelling enough about Jesus’ call that even total strangers were convinced to follow Him.
Could there be a deeper reason why these people who knew Jesus since his childhood are reluctant to believe in Him? The people in the synagogue that Saturday were not called to passively accept Jesus. They needed to recognize their need for Him. They could only do this by recognizing they were the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed that Jesus had come to heal. Faced with the truth of their own weaknesses, they chose to reject Jesus rather than accept his message.
So little has changed in two millennia! Jesus still comes to us with the same question. Will you believe in me, will you follow me? I find confessing that belief easy. I find living it hard. When things are going well, I ascribe my successes to my own cleverness. My need for Jesus diminishes as my ego inflates. I am loath to give credit to God.
The inevitable trials of life – personal failures, the sickness and death of loved ones – are all too often the trigger that reminds me of my own brokenness and the world’s. This is what Jesus has come to heal. I must constantly remind myself to use all available resources – support of family and friends, prayer, Mass, the sacraments – to put myself in the correct frame of reference. All that I have I owe to God and my ‘one job’ is to know and love Him. All else flows from that.
