A PROPHET IN HIS OWN TOWN

Luke 4:24-30

It was customary for Jesus to go to the synagogue to worship and on occasion to read the scriptures and comment on them to the people. This Gospel is the second part of the scene in the synagogue in Nazareth, his hometown where Jesus officially announces his mission as Messiah. The first reaction was one of amazement that Jesus, their townsman, could speak with such power. “Where did he get this power?” The second reaction was rejection. Their familiarity with him blinded them to see his true identity. For them Jesus was just “the carpenter’s boy”.

Jesus says he is not surprised by this reception. “No prophet is ever accepted in his own country.” He then goes on and gives two examples taken from the lives of two well-known Old Testament prophets. He cites the example of Elijah, who worked a miracle to feed a widow of Zarephath in the pagan territory when there was a famine throughout Israel; and Elisha who cleansed Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy though there were lepers in Israel.

This infuriated them because, as he was in his native place, the people of Nazareth assume that since they are his countrymen, they have the rights to his miraculous powers more than anybody else. They assume that since He is their town mate he is obliged to perform miracles for them. But Jesus shows them that God cares for all of His people and that, when it comes to help He has no favorites. You can imagine how frustrating it might have been for Jesus who preached the good news of salvation only to be refused by the very people who are expected to support him and his mission. Worse still, because of their anger, they drive him out of town with the intention of hurling Him down the cliff.

Few things we learn from this passage. One, It teaches us that the salvation that God offers goes beyond the boundaries of Jewish faith and culture. Indeed, it includes all peoples; it accepts even the excluded. Second, God oftentimes chooses just these to let us know what to do; he chooses people we know to bring us his message, people like mothers, fathers, siblings, teachers, friends or even the little ones, the less talented then we are. We, too, can very easily fail to recognize the voice of God in certain people who in fact – whether they are aware of it or not – are bringing a message from God. Like the people of Nazareth, we might think we know them too well to have to listen to them.  We say he is just a commoner, I know him or her in and out. What can he tell me? We feel it is inappropriate that God could speak to us through such people. This probably happens to us.

This gospel serves as a reminder too to all those who want to give advice. More than words, what is needed is a life lived according to Jesus’ command such that others might follow. The story about Gandhi is very relevant. One day a somewhat desperate mother approached Gandhi and asked him to help convince her son to stop smoking. Gandhi first listened to her then, asked her to come back the following week. When the appointed time arrived, Gandhi told the woman’s son to stop- smoking. The mother, very perplexed, asked Gandhi why he had not told her son to stop smoking the week before. Gandhi’s response was simple: “Last week I could not tell your son to stop smoking because then I was still smoking myself.” Becoming a prophet acceptable in one’s own place will mean changing one’s own place will mean changing one’s own life first.