Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

July 8, 2018 

Readings:

First Reading: Ezekiel 2: 2-5

Psalm: 123

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

Gospel reading according to Mark 6: 1-6

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Homily:

Jesus did not forget to visit his own hometown despite of many rejections he received from his own relatives, because of his preaching and claiming he was the Son of the living God for he did the will of his Father and whoever does the will of his Father is his mother, his brothers and sisters.  So once again Jesus went to Nazareth with his followers.  “Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples” (Mk. 6: 1).  This visit was not his first time after he left for Jordan and baptized by his cousin John, for many times now he constantly went back to where he grew up until such time he felt that there was something he should do.  He was called by his urged.  The last time he visited his family was when he was called by his cousins and relatives “out of his mind,” with the intention, maybe, to conceal and  to protect him from the meticulous and suspicious people in the Temple in Jerusalem and from Herodian.  If Jesus was called crazy by his own relatives, how much more our president who called God, “stupid,” whom he did not know and believe.

Jesus loved to teach the good news of the Reign-Kingdom of God to all peoples, even to his own people in Nazareth.  So, when he was at his own town and it was a Sabbath day, he did not skip this day but rather he attended to the service of reading the Scripture in the synagogue, for he too has message to give to his own countrymen/women.  “When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished” (Mk. 6: 2).  He brought to mind and attention to the Nazoreans (people from Nazareth) the importance of loving God and their neighbors as the way to gain the Reign-Kingdom of heaven.  Their community is also their family and vice-versa, and they, as we, are members of the family of God.  He taught them many other things relevant to their lives and faith, and in relation to one another and to God.  The Nazoreans were amazed when they heard Jesus’ spoke to them, as if he was a master or doctorate graduate from the Jerusalem University.   They cannot believe that one like them, who were ordinary people of Nazareth, has a wonderful knowledge about life, of heaven and earth, about their Jewish religion and tradition, history, science and many more learnings, studies, etc.  They knew Jesus very well for he grew up and became man in their midst.  “They said, ‘Where did this man get all this?  What kind of wisdom has been given him?  What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands?’” (Mk. 6: 2).  They saw, they heard, and they witnessed that day, on the Sabbath day, the goodness of the Lord to Jesus for he did something beyond their understanding; beyond their comprehension for the knowledge and wisdom and learnings of Jesus, and the mighty deeds he performed before their very own eyes. 

The natural tendency of people, who do not use or see in the eyes of faith but rather see through their fallen nature, the hands of God working to his chosen ones, is to downgrade, lower, demote, and reduce their capacities received from God, (“minamaliit ang kanilang kapwa”).  This attitude is universal and not only limited to the people of Nazareth.  We have also some tendencies to downgrade our neighbors, especially when we are familiar with them.  “‘Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, and Joses and Judas and Simon?  And are not his sisters here with us?’” (Mk. 6: 3).  On the one hand, they knew Jesus, his parents and brothers and sisters very well.  They were familiar to Jesus and to his family.  That was why they could not believe him and could not accept what he preached in the synagogue on that Sabbath day.   “And they took offense at him” (Mk. 6: 3).  Jesus did not expect the harsh reactions of his own towns’ people.  They retorted him too much

Jesus, on the other hand, also knew them and their hearts, their attitudes, even their behavior, “ugali,” mannerism, customs and belief system, through and through. “Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his on house’” (Mk. 6: 4).  Jesus realized and discovered from the attitude of non-acceptance, not only of his relatives but even from his own town’s people, which no prophet is without honor except in his own place and among his own people.  If, he was accepted and longed-for in other places and peoples with love, confidence and faith in his capacities to cure them, but not in his own place.  They closed their hearts, minds and hands too to Jesus for they did not receive him and his teachings.   For them, Jesus was too less to match on them. 

What shall Jesus do?  Nothing he can do, for he cannot force his “kababayan” to believe in him.  “So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them” (Mk. 6: 5), inspite of his eagerness to help them their unguided belief by curing their infirmities.  Jesus, too, was not able to believe that his countrymen/women whom he knew displayed such unbelief.  “He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mk. 6: 6).  They have no faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, while other people outside his town believed and listened in him.  Nevertheless, he did not fail others, he cured them even they were only few.