Saxlingham 06-07-03
A prophet is without honour in his own country
We all know the old adage “Familiarity breeds contempt” - a saying that goes back as far as Publius the Syrian, in 2 BC.
And we see in our Gospel reading this morning, how this happened to Jesus when he went back to his hometown of Nazareth.
I didn’t grow up with anyone who went on to be famous. Though I missed being a contemporary of the rock group "Genesis" at Charterhouse by one term.
But I wonder how I would have responded if one of my friends had gone on to become famous
You could imagine the Nazareth Times that Sunday:
The front-page story: “Local Boy Makes Good” – followed by a report on the miracles that Jesus had been performing. And undoubtedly - in the letters column - you would have found a letter by one of the religious leaders carrying some severe criticisms.
So WHY was there a problem when Jesus came to
Nazareth.
In the previous chapter, St. Mark records how Jesus had performed some great miracles – away from home.
He had healed the man possessed of a legion of devils (Mk 5: 1-20) and then he had raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mk 5:21-43).
And in Mk Chapter 6, at Jesus’ homecoming to Nazareth, we read that:
“When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the Synagogue and many who heard him were amazed” (Mk 6:2).
St. Mark doesn’t actually tell us what flamed the controversy. All he does / is to leave us with the impression / that what Jesus taught / must have been controversial - judging by the response he got.
We read how the Nazarenes responded:
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?" And they took offence at him. (Mk 6:3)
What was in Jesus’ teaching that generated so much heat?
One of the great blessings of having four Gospels / is that many of the incidents in the life of Jesus / appear in more than one Gospel. And often the account in the other Gospel or Gospels will shed a different light on the event. Where one of the Gospels skates over a particular aspect – the other will often give more detail. And in this particular case, we are not disappointed.
In the parallel passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, St. Luke tell us more about the controversy: Let me read you what St. Luke says:
He (Jesus) went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour."
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:16-21)
You might still ask – why the controversy.
I think you can find the key in Jesus’ words: "TODAY is the Scripture fulfilled." (Luke 4:21)
The passage that Jesus had just been reading - was a well-known Messianic passage - from the book of Isaiah - Isaiah 61:1-2.
The Jews were looking forward to a Messiah – God’s deliverer who was going to come and release all those in captivity.
This was particularly poignant - as the Jews had been suffering under the yoke of the Romans for about a century (since 63BC). And they were hoping for a political and military Messiah – someone in the mould of Judas Maccabeus – who had lived almost two centuries earlier – and who, in 166 BC had delivered the Jews from the yoke of Antiochus IV, a particularly despicable monarch.
What made Jesus unorthodox was his claim TO BE that Messiah.
Why did the Nazarenes reject him?
Well I think it is because they saw him as “one of them”. In their eyes he wasn’t someone special. Who did he think he was - rising above his station?
God is no respecter of persons – and he will use whom he wishes - as his messenger.
Story: This year is the tercentenary of John Wesley’s birth. John Wesley was actually an Anglican clergyman all his life.
Today, we have great respect for John Wesley in the Anglican Church, but in Wesley’s day he was despised by many in the Church of England. The term “Methodist” was a term of abuse – a bit like the term “Happy Clappy” is used today of Charismatics.
J.C.Ryle (the first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool) in his book “Christian leaders of the 18th Century” had this to say about the opposition Wesley received:
“It is needless to tell a Christian reader that Wesley continued to fight with opposition. The prince of this world will never allow his captives to be rescued from him without a struggle. Sometimes he (Wesley) was in danger of losing his life by assaults of violent, ignorant and semi-heathen mobs, as at Wednesbury, Walsall, Colne, Shoreham and Devizes. Sometimes bishops as an enthusiast, a fanatic and a sower of dissent denounced him. Often – far too often – he was preached against and held up to scorn by the parochial clergy, as a heretic, a mischief-maker and a meddling troubler of Israel.
Calmly, resolutely and undauntedly he held his course and in scores of cases lived down the opposition.” (p.79-80)
There is a danger - in our Christian lives - that we too can miss out on God’s blessings - because we fail to recognise God’s messenger.
The people in Nazareth lost out - as the Scriptures sadly records: "He (Jesus) could not do any miracles there (in Nazareth), except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them." (Mk 6:5) because of their unbelief.
We see in contrast in the second part of our Gospel reading this morning (Mark 6:7-13) the great miracles that the disciples did - when Jesus sent them out into the surrounding villages. Why because their message of repentance was received with faith.
St. Mark records: They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mk 6:13)
We can expect great things from God when we respond to God’s word – regardless of who brings it.
This doesn’t mean we don’t exercise our critical faculties – to discern whether or not WHAT is being taught conforms to Scripture.
But woe betide us if we will only listen to the clergy!
We should be open to hear from God from the most unexpected sources – perhaps even from our nearest and dearest and those in the pews around us!
For we don’t - we may make the same mistake as those Nazarenes - who were looking for the Messiah - but missed Him when He came.
