(Homily 4th 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)
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