From Admiration to Rejection!

(Homily 4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. C)

     Today the word of God presents an age long challenge that faces prophets and harbingers of the divine word and message, at one end we see the fate of the prophets called to deliver God’s words to the people, and at the other end we see the recipients, those to whom the Word is addressed to, who often do not give a positive response. This hostile response and reaction that often accompany Prophets and messengers of the Good News is indeed the common ground of the two exemplary figures of today’s readings: Jeremiah and Jesus. They found themselves in a similar experience and situation of hostility, prejudice and rejection. Till date, many a times, the ordeal of any authentic prophet is that of prejudice and incomprehension. However, irrespective of this human factor, divine grace still prevails.

     In the first reading Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4-5.17-19) narrates his prophetic call. It is indeed, a dialogue replete with tenderness and sincerity, from which two realities emerge: the human frailty and the creative force of God. Jeremiah was one who does not know “how to speak”, and was “young” too, but God chose him from his mother’s womb. And as such, Jeremiah like other prophets was called to “stand in the name of God”. And standing in the name of God comports many things. Those touched by the word of God reacts negatively or positively, and he never escaped this ordeal, the ordeal of incomprehension, rejection and persecution. However, what sustained him was the awareness of being sent by God. It is the divine support that led him far in the tributaries of the prophetic mission. “They will fight against you, but will not overcome you, for I am with you” (Jer. 1:19). Invariably, for any disciple or prophet of God, tribulation and persecution await him, just as Christ experienced it in the Gospel periscope. By extension, every Christian through his baptism is called to participate in the prophetic mission of Christ and as such, to announce the coming and nearness of God’s kingdom, to be a spokesman of Christ and His message of salvation.

   At a wider consideration, Jeremiah’s mission was not merely to Israel but to “the nations”. The caption: “I have appointed you as prophet to the nations”, redirects our attention to the universality of Jeremiah’s mission. In the second paragraph of the reading the prophet was cautioned for the opposition he will incur in Israel. Jeremiah’s imminent opposition in Israel links this reading to the Gospel passage, as orchestrated by Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth. As such, one notices a kind of consistency both in God’s dealings with his people and the reaction of the people to God’s word and this from the Old Testament dovetails into the New Testament. Behold, the Christian tradition sees in the drama of Jeremiah, a figure of the drama of the passion of Christ. However, this is the underlining message of the Gospel, that Jesus came to his homeland as a prophet, but he faced hostility and prejudice as did Jeremiah.

     The passage of today’s Gospel (Lk. 4, 21-30) begins with the transforming affirmation of Jesus: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled as you listen”, this announces the redemption that is present in the action of Jesus, with the word “sémeron” (today). It was the beginning of the preaching of Jesus, which does not consist like in (Mk. 1:14-15) on announcing the nearness of God’s Kingdom, but on the proclamation of the fulfillment of promises. The presence of Jesus represents the “today” of salvation and the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Most especially, it is in his word and actions that God’s salvific action is manifested. Little wonder, Jesus said that the scripture is fulfilled before you. Luke used the word “sémeron” (today) in the occasion of the birth of Jesus (cf. Lk. 2:11), but the decisive “sémeron” will be the one of his death on the Cross, “In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43). His destiny was anticipated right from the moment of the first proclamation of the “sémeron” of salvation. In the parlance of St. Luke this event is better read in the light of the mystery of Jesus’ Passion.

     St. Luke in this passage anticipated Jesus’ visit to Nazareth in order to use it as an introduction to the public ministry of Jesus, while Mathew (13:53-58) and Mark (6:1-6) placed or collocated this event at the end of his ministry in Galilee. The passage is a continuation of the passage of the Gospel of last Sunday, and there we see what could be termed man’s changing and inconsistent attitude before the Word of God. At first they were amazed, but later their hearts were drawn from admiration of wonders to delusion. They passed from an attitude of admiration to that of rejection, hatred and even attempted homicide. Indeed, from the episode of today’s Gospel Jesus appears as a “sign of contradiction”, that the old Simeon prophesized at the presentation of Jesus in the Temple (cf. Lk. 2:34). When Jesus finished reading the scripture taken from the prophecy of Isaiah (61), He said to them: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” and they all wondered at the gracious words that were coming out of his mouth. And this led some to ask: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” In this question already we see some dints of prejudice. His people looked at Him, but could not see the latent real Him, because for them He is only the son of Joseph. They refused to see in Him the Messiah.

     Then, Jesus continued, I know you will tell me, “physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country…in truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country” (vv.23-24); here Jesus associates his experience to the common fate of prophets, and the fate of the persecuted just. He did not hesitate to confront his townspeople with their sins of indifference and unbelief. Jesus went further and told his fellow Jews about two times in history when God intervened to help non-Jews and foreigners (vv. 25-27): That during the ministry of Elijah there was famine and God made it possible for Elijah to be fed by one poor widow (cf. 1Kgs. 17). Jesus gave the second example, that when Elisha succeeded Elijah, there were many lepers in Israel, but they were not cured, only Naaman, a foreigner came to seek for healing and was cured (2Kgs. 5). This annotation reveals the universal dimension of Jesus’ ministry, and thus links it to that of Jeremiah “prophet to the nations”. The healing of Naaman is a prefiguration of the mystery of the healing granted to all nations by Jesus. It was as if Jesus read their minds. What Jesus has said so far was too much for them to bear, little wonder, they sought to kill Him. The Jews looked down on others who were not Jews, others were inferior while they are superior, but Jesus challenged this mentality. Therefore, the questions we ought to ask ourselves are: do we look down on others? Do I consider others to be inferior? The Jews were blind to God’s blessings, favor and miracles for others, are we blind to the blessings of others? How far do we try to pull down the walls of division among us? Are there some among us like the Jews who still believe that they are free while others are slaves or outcasts? We are all adopted sons and daughters of God, sons and daughters in the Son.

     The episode ended on a sad note with the deadly attempt on Jesus’ life. However, Luke reported that Jesus escaped from their malicious attempt, and this “miraculous” escape could be paralleled to that of John 10:39: “They again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches”. They desired not the proclamation of the word, but the display of miracles and powers as if he was a magician. This provocation is similar to the one of his enemies at the foot of the cross: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself” (Lk.23:37). Jesus therefore affirmed that God has no preference, as He performs miracles even in pagan countries. For them, non-Jews and foreigners at the time of Jesus were regarded as outcasts and inferior. Here, Jesus touched their open wounds. However, they must have understood that his mission supersedes the limits of Israel; it is destined for all the nations. The rejection of the Gospel by his people necessitated the outgoing of the Good News to the Gentiles. This fact permeates deeply into this particular passage of the Gospel.

     St. Luke therefore, showcases two different kinds of reaction from the Jews (his listeners): one of admiration and enthusiasm, for “he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips” (Lk. 4:22) and for the authority inherent in His teaching; and the other is the reaction of rejection, they attempted to kill Him. This violent reaction is precipitated by two major reasons: first, it has to do with the person of Jesus. It is a sort of attack to His person: Is he not Joseph’s son? Certainly, those asking this question presupposed that the Messiah has to manifest Himself in a splendid and extraordinary way. Second, they expected miracles and great signs, forgetting that the greatest and unique miracle of God is Jesus Himself. As if to tell Jesus “see, beautiful words alone are not enough, we want a God at our own disposition, one that stupefies us, not one that changes our heart”, “do your miracle and leave us the way we are”. Many a times, we are also like the people of Nazareth, for sometimes we tend to construct a Christ according to our own standard, or according to our own human preference, but we have to accept Him as the Father willed, not as we want Him to be or appear. Ask yourself: what are my expectations from Jesus? What are my illusory and deluding expectations from Him? Do I only accept Him when He performs miracles? Or He is God for me both in good and bad times.

     In the second reading (1Cor. 12:31-13:13), St. Paul presents the most beautiful biblical page on and of Christian Love or Charity. For this St. Paul attests elsewhere: “That our hope does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rm. 5:5). Indeed, today this passage from the epistle of St. Paul calls us to replace our attitude of rejection, hatred, hostility and persecution with the virtue of Love. If we have been part of those that reject the word of God, or the preachers of his word, St. Paul calls us to Love. He calls us to contradict the vice of rejection with the virtue of Love. Love is superior to all the gifts of God (charisms) and all other virtues, for this St. Paul opined that love is “the perfect bond” (Col. 3:14).

    With, in and through love Jesus went far beyond Jeremiah and the Old Testament prophets, because while Jeremiah invoked God’s wrath on those who rejected the prophecy (cf. Jer. 11:20), Jesus invokes pardon, mercy and love: “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Jesus therefore invites us to do away with hatred and every form of complex and unnecessary familiarity that may devalue the Word of God and relegate the person of Jesus in our life. May His words continue to touch and heal our wounds of hatred, superiority and inferiority complex, rejection and persecution. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)