“An insurmountable problem”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, July 7, 2024
Mark 6:1-13 (Forward, p. 70) CEV p. 1033
People are rather odd, and rather unpredictable at times. I have often noted how some communities outdo themselves in expressing their pride in ‘local boy—or girl—makes good’, whether that be on the hockey or curling rink or on stage and theatre. But then, still others, don’t get fame or recognition until they move away—and sometimes not even then! So, what gives?
Well, it is certainly that kind of situation that occurs when Jesus visits His hometown of Nazareth. The local folks are anything but proud of Him. In fact, they take offence at the reports that have been filtering in toa them about Jesus’ wisdom and works of miracles. And they are upset even without the rather provocative announcement Jesus makes in Luke’s version of His visit to Nazareth (see Luke 4:16-20). So, why is that?
Let me hazard a guess or two. Firstly, Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing could have been seen as a kind of presumption. After all, the men and women of those times were expected to follow in the shoes of their parents, that is, to take up their same trades or practices. So, if your father was a carpenter, then as a son you did the same. Anything else ranked of presumption, of stepping out of your proper place in society and in that community. Jesus, then, in His teaching and preaching ministry, was seen as setting Himself up for an earned, unacceptable role. So, essentially what the locals were saying is, “Who does He think He is? Doesn’t He know His place?”
However, coupled with this, there was the matter of expectations. All of them had seen Jesus grow up, and had observed Him in His earlier career as a carpenter. And, yes, they had never seen even an inkling of this. No wonder they had to question where He had gotten all this. No wonder they were surprised—and upset. They had not seen any of this coming, and so were decidedly cool over whether to accept this new ‘boy wonder.’ And certainly, they were not prepared to put their trust or faith in this new phenomenon. It totally disrupted everything that had gone on previously, everything they had experienced with this Jesus. After all, it was not at all what they expected from this local boy.
I began this meditation with the title, ‘An insurmountable problem’, which applies to the whole idea of expectations. What we expect of others, of ourselves, or of God, will naturally impact our behaviours and attitudes, and particularly the level of trust that we place in any of them. If we expect little, then there will be little trust, and naturally, relatively, little in terms of results. And so, this is my prayer: help us to expect more of ourselves, each other and God, and then help us to trust them even more.
Forward notes: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (verse 3a)
“Finley Peter Dunne, a journalist, once wrote that news existed to ‘comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.’ I believe the same is true of religion. This theme echoes through Scripture, including in Mary’s revolutionary Magnificat in the Gospel of Luke: ‘He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.’ I have a t-shirt that I love made by Episcopalian artist Benjamin Wildflower that depicts Mary saying these words with a fist raised in the air and her feet crushing a snake and a skull.
“God’s love is not just a pleasant feeling. It has power, and that power turns the entire world upside down. This is a liberating message for people who are suffering, but it can be a scary thing for people who benefit from the status quo. But even though we may feel differently about receiving this message, we are all fortunate to be liberated from evil and death—especially when we are complicit in it.”
Moving Forward: “How can you join in God’s work of lifting up those who are hurt and forgotten?”