Ez 2:2-5; Ps 123; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6
COMMENTARY
The Rejection of the Wisdom of God in Mission
Today we have heard a special Gospel episode which marks a turning point in Jesus’ mission for the Kingdom of God: the rejection by the people of “his native place”, Nazareth. This is the drama that foreshadows and prefigures the great final rejection by the religious leaders and the people of Jerusalem of the ministry of Jesus and of His person as the Christ, the wisdom and power of God. It is the reality that is described in the profound reflection of the Prologue of the Gospel of John, precisely on the saving mission of the Word of God made flesh: “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him, but to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name” (Jn 1:11-12). In today’s Gospel, three significant details can be identified that are still relevant for the evangelizing mission of our time.
1. “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom…? What mighty deeds…!” The Implied Image of Christ, the Wisdom and Power of God, and the “Astonishment” toward Him
The questions of the people of Nazareth to Jesus were pointed, especially those concerning His “normal” family origin which indeed made them perplexed, shocked, or, in the words of the Gospel itself, “scandalized” by His “abnormal” wisdom: “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?” It should be noted that in these words of identification there is a certain form of disdain in the formula “the son of Mary.” Normally, in the biblical-Jewish tradition, “son of + father’s name” was said to identify a person. In addition, the generic mention of Jesus’ brothers and especially sisters (without names) in Jewish culture (and also in some Asian countries, such as Vietnam, where “cousin” is sometimes simply referred to as “brother/sister”) tends to imply those of the extended family, i.e., cousins.
In any case, the confusion of the synagogue listeners is clearly expressed here. Despite recognizing the special wisdom “given to him” (impliedly by God), they were unwilling to accept Jesus as the Sage of God. In fact, we have here, on the one hand, the almost explicit recognition of the presence of extraordinary wisdom in Jesus during His public ministry, which goes along with the power of miracles, as we can see from the second part of the quoted question (“what mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!”). On the other hand, there is a question about the origin of such powerful and extraordinary wisdom, as suggested by the perplexity of the people about Jesus’ “trivial” family (cf. Mk 6:3 // Mt 13:55-56). The implication being that it couldn’t have come from them. If we then consider that the binomial wisdom-power (sophia-dynamis) echoes the qualities of the Messiah in Is 11:2 (sophia–ischys “wisdom-strenght/power”; “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength”), we can observe here the intention to present Jesus as the Messiah, with the Spirit of God possessing extraordinary wisdom and power. His wisdom is then inexplicable because it is divine, expressed not only in words but also in deeds.
It should be noted that in the Gospel of Mark the term sophia “wisdom” applied to Jesus only occurs here. What is most important for the evangelist is the question of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, i.e., Christ, and the Son of God, as suggested by the first sentence of this gospel (Mk 1:1: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]”) and also by its bipartite structure, culminating in two confessions of faith (by Peter and the centurion) about these two identities: “You are the Messiah” (Mk 8:29) and “This man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:39). In this sense, it is noteworthy that while others were amazed and scandalized by the wisdom of Jesus and His teaching, Jesus himself said, “A prophet […] in his native place”, and not “No wise man/teacher…”. Of course, He may have been quoting a popular saying to comment on His situation before the people of Nazareth. However, one could see here a certain self-identification of His person with the figure of a prophet.
It can be inferred that by being recognized as the Wise Teacher, Jesus reveals Himself as the eschatological Master Prophet who, with wisdom and power, points out the ways of God to humanity at the end of time. So much so that the Evangelist Luke, in recounting the same episode in the synagogue of Nazareth, shows Jesus, after reading the passage in Is 61:1-2 about the mission of the prophet anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, proclaiming the fulfillment of Scripture in His own person (cf. Lk 4:16-21).
2. “He was not able to perform any mighty deed there”. The Strange “Limit” of Christ’s Power and His “Missionary Response
In spite of all that they heard and saw of Jesus, the people of Nazareth could not believe in Jesus as God’s special messenger because they knew “too much” about Him. They could not go beyond their “usual” view of Jesus, the human view according to the flesh, to use St. Paul’s expression, even after being “amazed” by hearing Him!
In other words, they were well closed in their “old” knowledge of Jesus, even though His words stirred something in them. Thus, with a certain irony, the evangelist later notes that Jesus, who was unable to accomplish anything but a few healings, “was amazed at their lack of faith,” literally at their apistia “unbelief” or lack of faith. All this will also be a warning to all of us believers who think we know Jesus, but actually do not, and often remain lazy prisoners of our supposed knowledge of Jesus, becoming ourselves unable to see and welcome God’s new miracles in our lives!
In the Gospel account, the fundamental role of the necessary faith through which the needy man (or woman, as we saw last Sunday) opens himself to the miraculous grace of God is clearly revealed. In this sense, the omnipotent and omniscient God who acts through Christ will also, paradoxically, be limited by human faith or lack of faith. As Pope Francis has taught, “Saint Augustine uses a very beautiful expression in this regard, saying: ‘He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent’ (Sermon CLXIX, 13). And certainly not because he does not have the capacity to do so — God is omnipotent! — but because, being love, he respects our freedom fully. God proposes: he does not impose. Never.” (Angelus, Sunday, 15 October 2023). Yes, in Christ, divine grace continues to rain down abundantly on everyone, but if one does not come out of his or her closure, he or she will not receive even a drop of cleansing water.
3. “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2Cor 12:10). The Mystery of Christ’s Power For and In Mission
In the light of the analyzed Gospel episode, we can better understand the profound and moving words of Saint Paul in 2 Cor 12:7-10 (Second Reading) about the power of Christ, which is manifested in the weakness of the Apostle, in his life and in his mission of evangelization in the world. This weakness, the mysterious “thorn” in the flesh to which the Apostle refers in his letter, can be of a physical nature (an illness) or of a psycho-spiritual nature (a temptation or a state of mind that causes constant suffering). In this we can feel, in a general way, the weight of all the insurmountable limitations that the Apostle encountered and faced in his life and mission, including that of unbelief and even “iniquity” on the part of those who systematically reject and fight against the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.
It is, in a sense, the experience that Christ had in His ministry for the Kingdom. He went through such a situation of “weakness” in the mission, even encountering rejections, setbacks, failures, as happened in His native place. But all this did not make Him lose heart to continue the missionary journey.
In fact, we note that immediately after Nazareth, “[Jesus] went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.” Such an action, or rather reaction to rejection, shows all his tenacity and perseverance in proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, a sign of divine inner strength. It will also be the spiritual disposition that He will teach His disciples when He sends them on mission (cf. Mt 10:23), for indeed the vocation of every prophet sent by God will be similar to that of Ezekiel, to whom God said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites […]. And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a prophet has been among them” (Ez 2:2-5; Reading 1). But in all this, the Lord will always be with His envoys to make them strong in the mission entrusted to them.
In conclusion, let us remember the paternal teaching of Pope Francis, especially his moving words to the missionaries who are experiencing a moment of crisis, like Jesus in His homeland:
Today, as then, the Risen Lord remains close to his missionary disciples and walks beside them, particularly when they feel disoriented, discouraged, fearful of the mystery of iniquity that surrounds them and seeks to overwhelm them. So, “let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!” (Evangelii Gaudium, 86). The Lord is greater than all our problems, above all if we encounter them in our mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the world. For in the end, this mission is his and we are nothing more than his humble co-workers, “useless servants” (cf. Lk 17:10).
I desire to express my closeness in Christ to all the men and women missionaries in the world, especially to those enduring any kind of hardship. Dear friends, the Risen Lord is always with you. He sees your generosity and the sacrifices you are making for the mission of evangelization in distant lands. Not every day of our lives is serene and unclouded, but let us never forget the words of the Lord Jesus to his friends before his Passion: “In the world you will have tribulations, but be courageous: I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33).
(Message for World Mission [Sun]Day 2023)
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 8 July 2018
Today’s Gospel passage (cf. Mk 6:1-6) narrates the story of when Jesus returns to Nazareth and begins to teach in the synagogue on a Saturday. Ever since he had left it and begun preaching in the nearby hamlets and villages, he had never again set foot in his country. He has returned. Therefore, the whole town must have been there to listen to this son of theirs, whose fame as a wise master and powerful healer had by now spread throughout Galilee and beyond. But what could have stood out as a success, turned into a resounding rejection, to such an extent that Jesus could not perform any mighty work but only a few healings (cf. v. 5). The dynamics of that day are reconstructed in detail by Mark, the Evangelist: At first the people of Nazareth listen [to him] and are astonished; then perplexed, they ask themselves “Where did this man get all this?”, this wisdom? and in the end they take offence, recognizing him as the carpenter, Mary’s son whom they had seen grow up (cf v. 2-3). Thus Jesus sums it up with the expression which has become proverbial: “A prophet is not without honours, except in his own country” (v. 4).
We may ask ourselves: why do Jesus’ fellow townsmen go from astonishment to disbelief? They make a comparison between Jesus’ humble origins and his current abilities: he is a carpenter; he did not study and yet he preaches better than the scribes and he performs miracles. And instead of opening up to the reality, they take offence. According to the people of Nazareth, God is too great to humble himself to speak through such a simple man! It is the scandal of the Incarnation: the unsettling event of a God made flesh who thinks with the mind of a man, works and acts with the hands of a man, loves with a human heart, a God who struggles, eats and sleeps like one of us. The Son of God overturns every human framework: it is not the disciples who washed the feet of the Lord, but it is the Lord who washed the feet of the disciples (cf. Jn 13:1-20). This is a reason for scandal and incredulity, not only in that period, but in all ages, even today. […]
Benedict XVI, Angelus, Castel Gandolfo, Sunday, 8 July 2012
[…] It would therefore seem that Jesus—as is said—is making sense of the negative welcome he received in Nazareth. Instead, at the end of the account, we find a remark that says precisely the opposite. The Evangelist writes that Jesus “marvelled because of their unbelief” (Mk 6:6). The astonishment of Jesus’ fellow townspeople is matched by his own surprise. In a certain sense he too is shocked! Although he knows that no prophet is well accepted in his homeland, the closed heart of his people was nevertheless obscure and impenetrable to him: how could they fail to recognize the light of the Truth? Why did they not open themselves to the goodness of God who deigned to share in our humanity? Effectively Jesus of Nazareth the man is the transparency of God, in him God dwells fully. And while we are constantly seeking other signs, other miracles, we do not realize that he is the true Sign, God made flesh, he is the greatest miracle in the world: the whole of God’s love contained in a human heart, in a man’s face. […]
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 4 July 2021
[…] In the end, why didn’t Jesus’s fellow villagers recognise and believe in Him? But why? What is the reason? In a few words, we can say that they did not accept the scandal of the Incarnation. They did not know this mystery of the Incarnation, but they did not accept the mystery: they did not know it. They did not know the reason and they thought it was scandalous that the immensity of God should be revealed in the smallness of our flesh, that the Son of God should be the son of a carpenter, that the divine should be hidden in the human, that God should inhabit a face, the words, the gestures of a simple man. This is the scandal: the incarnation of God, his concreteness, his ‘daily life’. And God became concrete in a man, Jesus of Nazareth, he became a companion on the way, he made himself one of us. “You are one of us”, we can say to Jesus. What a beautiful prayer! It is because one of us understands us, accompanies us, forgives us, loves us so much. In reality, an abstract, distant god is more comfortable, one that doesn’t get himself involved in situations and who accepts a faith that is far from life, from problems, from society. Or we would even like to believe in a ‘special effects’ god who does only exceptional things and always provokes strong emotions. Instead, brothers and sisters, God incarnated Himself: God is humble, God is tender, God is hidden, he draws near to us, living the normality of our daily life.
And then, the same thing happens to us like Jesus’s fellow villagers, we risk that when he passes by, we will not recognize him. I repeat that beautiful phrase from Saint Augustine: “I am afraid of God, of the Lord, when he passes by”. But, Augustine, why are you afraid? “I am afraid of not recognizing him. I am afraid that when the Lord passes by. […]