Gospel of Mark, chapter 6:4

When Jesus stood up in the Synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown, He declared His mission to His own kinsfolk by quoting from the prophet Isaiah:

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me because He anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18).

This mission statement was great news to the poor, to those held captive, to the blind, to the oppressed, and to everyone who looked forward to the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission of redemption. But it was not good news to those who rejected Jesus’ mission; it was not good news to those who were only out for themselves which appears to have been the case with His own kinsfolk in Nazareth who tried to kill Him. They had no faith in Him; He could not work any miracles in Nazareth (Mark 6:5-6).

Instead of being like a politician who makes promises which he says will later fulfill when he is in office, Jesus tells us that His promise is already fulfilled. The promise of the prophet Isaiah was already fulfilled in Jesus at the moment He began His ministry. This is good news for all of us for it means that God’s plan is already complete; it is not based on what we will do but on what God had already done for us. Blessed Mother Teresa understood this very well: “We are called to be faithful,” she said, “not successful.”

Jesus’ kinsfolk in Nazareth were ready to acknowledge that He was an awesome teacher who impressed them by the eloquent words he spoke, but their admiration stopped there (Mark 6:2). He was Joseph’s son to them; a carpenter who could make a yoke for their prized oxen or a table and chairs for their home. But they were not going to allow Jesus, the carpenter, to be their Messiah. As a result, He performed no miracles in Nazareth, and He left there to preach in the neighboring villages (Mark 6:6).

The people of Nazareth were brainwashed by their superficial familiarity with Jesus, as the carpenter, the son of Joseph. They were unable to accept Him, however, as the Son of Yahweh.

Who is Jesus to you? Do you see Him in the faces of the poor and the marginalized? Or do you see Him only in the intellectually gifted, and financially successful people of the world? These questions demands a response that is life altering.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

* * * DO NOT MISS TOMORROW’S BLOG * * *