Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

 Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (C) [Lk 4:21-30]

30.01.2022

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

Readings: (1) Jer 1:4-5.17-19 (2) 1 Cor 12:31-13:13

1.  Theme in brief

Rejection of a prophet

2.  Focus Statement

Just as the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus in his own native place, we too quite often reject him by throwing his values out of our minds and designs; or when we exercise our baptismal call to be prophets like Jesus, our own people may reject us as they did to him.

3.  Explanation of the text

Today’s gospel text tells us about the twofold reaction to the mission-statement of Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth (which we heard on last Sunday): one of admiration and another of wonder, sarcasm, rejection, hostility and even of an attempt on his life. In the beginning, those who heard his inaugural address in the synagogue of his hometown, “spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came out of his mouth” (4:22). But very soon they would be filled with rage against him and make an attempt to kill him by pushing him down the cliff of the hill (4:28-29), because he told them a truth they did not want to hear. 

The text begins with the concluding part of Jesus’ sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth with the words: “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). In Luke’s Gospel the word “today” does not refer to a point in history but to the time of “fulfilment” of God’s promise. All the promises made by God from the time of Abraham including all the prophetic expectations reach their fulfillment in Jesus. With him, a new era of universal salvation had begun. After a brief positive admiration for him, the text mentions about the negative reaction of his own people towards him as they begin to judge him from his human origins. They wondered how such “gracious words” or words of salvation could come from the mouth of “Joseph’s son” (4:22). They might have thought, “Who does he think he is? He thinks too high of himself. After all, he is a carpenter’s son.” His own people doubted about his divine origin and refused to accept him as the fulfillment of God’s promises. They wondered whether anything great or worthy could come from the son of a carpenter. They were challenging him to match his gracious words with works of wonder for his or their own benefits. 

Jesus was aware of what was going on in the minds of many of his hearers. He imagined their objections and tackled them with two proverbs. The first one was: “Doctor, cure yourself” (4:23). In this, he alluded to the challenge thrown at him by his townspeople to better his or his own people’s condition first; then help other people. They might have thought, after all, “Charity begins at home.” They were challenging him to prove his divine powers by doing mighty works in his own hometown as he did other places; for instance in Capernaum (4:23). The second proverb was: “No prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown” (4:24). This was meant to explain why as a doctor, he could not cure himself and work miracles in his own place because his own people would not accept one of their own men doing the role of a prophet. Since his own people (who were the chosen ones) were rejecting him, his mission would go to the gentiles.

Jesus emphasized that God’s mercy was universal, and was equally available to Jews and non-Jews, to men and women. He illustrated this truth by referring to a miracle performed by Prophet Elijah for a gentile woman (a non-Israelite and a widow, 1 Kings 17:8-16), and another one performed by Prophet Elisha to a gentile leprosy patient from Syria named Namaan (2 Kings 5:8-14). Thus, Jesus compared himself to two prophets of Israel who ministered to non-Israelites because the chosen people were not open to their service. The people of Nazareth did not want to listen to this truth because they thought only they had the monopoly of salvation. Since it was too hard to accept his message they thought the best option for them was to get rid of the messenger. Though they attempted to kill him by hurling him down the cliff, they did not succeed, since he passed through the crowd without their notice (4:29-30). His ultimate rejection would take place not so soon, but on the cross, after which he would emerge victorious at the resurrection.

4.  Application to life

By our baptism, we too we are called and sent by God on a prophetic mission just as Jesus himself was. As prophets, we are called to stand up or speak for God and uphold his values even if people refuse to listen. Prophets in the OT were spokespersons of God who spoke on his behalf. Broadly speaking, they had two contrasting roles: (1) announcing God’s word, interpreting his will, predicting the future in terms of the present situation and instilling hope and consolation in people; and (2) denouncing or warning people of personal and social evil, social injustice and ungodly ways of the world. Though OT prophets proclaimed God’s promises for the future, Jesus spoke about God’s promises for “today.” As Jesus said, TODAY we are called to fulfil his action plan (mission) announced in his synagogue sermon to proclaim the good news to the poor, the captives and the oppressed only if we are faithful to our call to be prophets today. Therefore, we need to always ask: Today what good news can I give to this sort of people?

We exercise our prophetic call and mission at the personal level when we guide, correct and admonish people; at the level of the Church when we encourage other members, instil hope in them, purify the Church and warn her erring members; at the level of society when we stand for God’s values, oppose social evil, encourage, comfort, warn and admonish its rulers and leaders. Prophets among us are: parents to their children, teachers to their students, married persons to their spouses, leaders to those who are under their care, priests and religious to God’s people, etc. God continues to call his people (us) back to his path through these prophet-like persons. They often remind us to walk on God’s ways, correct us and even warn us. We do not want to listen to them and reject them along with their message. By rejecting them we have rejected Jesus himself and his gospel-values.

Just as the OT prophets and Jesus were rejected by their own people, so also today’s prophets are rejected because their message often disturbs people. They call people to do unpopular things, make changes in their life that they do not like to make. When we carry out our prophetic mission seriously, we are bound to meet with resistance, opposition, criticism and rejection, especially by those who refuse to change their ways. If Jesus’ teaching met with contempt from his own people, why should we expect something different? In spite of these hurdles, today’s gospel-message encourages us to be faithful to our prophetic mission, and learn to live with or deal with rejection, criticism, opposition and frustration.

Luke in this passage hints at three reasons why prophets are often rejected and hardly listened to:

(1)  Over-familiarity, envy and prejudices, which block our minds from accepting the truth from ordinary people who do not have an outstanding family background or spotless personal record: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” When we do God’s work, speak for him and act on his behalf, we are often rejected by our own family members, friends and relatives, and in our own native place. Those who know us and our background too well often fail to believe, respect and accept us. When people become fixated to this over-familiarity, they refuse to accept and believe in anything good coming from the best prophets, leaders and teachers among them. Sometimes we too do the same to our own parents, teachers and spiritual leaders. The question is whether we are willing to transcend these boundaries and accept the truth from whomever it comes, especially when they work for our own good.

(2) Demands for unrealistic expectations and too high moral standards from prophets: When the messengers of God (leaders, superiors, preachers, teachers and parents) speak on behalf of God and want to correct us or warn us about the dangers of following ungodly and immoral ways, instead of accepting the truth of their message, we reject it by highlighting (sometimes even exaggerating) their personal weakness or bad record of their past. Like the people of Nazareth, we refuse to believe in their message unless we see miraculous intervention of God through their prayer or services to solve all our problems. Just as Satan did it to Jesus at the time of temptation, people of our times will not cease to challenge the prophet to jump down from the pinnacle of the temple (Lk 4:9) and prove their powers by miraculously bettering their own condition. Just as Jesus’ human origin was a great obstacle for people to accept his divine message, when we see the scandals in the Church or among her leaders, and when her mighty institutions resemble any other institutions in the world today, we wonder whether she has anything of  the divine in her. By rejecting her message we reject Jesus himself.

(3) Pride and stubbornness of heart: This could become another cause for our refusal to change our ways, or our refusal to heed to the prophet’s call to accept the truth, even though it may sometimes hurt. Heart of hearts we do not want to change, and want to maintain the status quo. We find it difficult to sacrifice those self-interests, evil practices and worldly pleasures which are condemned by prophets. If anybody among us upholds the values taught by Christ and sticks to strict moral principles, or opposes worldly standards, we try to suppress his/her voice by all kinds of means. By doing so, we push Jesus out of our mind and out of our sight, or out of our homes and profession, just like the people of Nazareth who tried to push Jesus down the cliff of a hill.

It is not uncommon to notice some good and committed leaders, preachers and social reformers becoming unacceptable to their own people and unsuccessful among them; but getting acceptance from outsiders or strangers. It is not totally unusual to find our worst critics or opponents among our own family members, relatives and neighbours. In family, workplace, office, committees, staff, neighbourhood, and even in religious congregations and among the clergy of the same diocese, over-familiarity and better performance often generates jealousies towards those who perform better, or are better committed and talented. By putting down better performers their opponents think they can continue their non-performance or wrongdoing without any prophet to challenge, admonish and correct them. Once the prophet’s voice is suppressed, or he/she is silenced, they think they will have a free hand to do what they want. It is like God, out of his boundless compassion, sending prophets to a rebellious people, and their outright rejection of them in the OT.

There is a tendency in us to give up our prophetic mission of counselling, guiding and giving fraternal correction altogether due to discouragement caused by the rejection of our message by those to whom it is addressed. Whether people listen or not, we have to proclaim God’s truth. Sometimes when we consider our own weakness or frailty, we think we are unworthy to correct others.  Some parents think: Who am I to tell children not to do a thing when I myself am doing it. Thus they fail in their God-given mission to proclaim his values to them. In that case, children get license to do the wrong things that parents do not have the guts to forbid. Should not this sort of dilemma become a strong motivating factor for parents to change themselves first and give better example for their children?

The people of Nazareth did not want to hear that God was as favourable to the gentiles as them and wanted to save them also. They thought only they had the monopoly of God’s favour and salvation. They thought, “Charity begins at home.” The people of Nazareth expected Jesus to restrict his charity to his own place or his own people. But according to Jesus, charity begins whenever and wherever we meet anybody who is in need or suffering.

5.  Response to God's Word

Do we remain faithful to our prophetic call and mission against all odds such as opposition, criticism, discouragement? Due to frustration and rejection do we give up this mission? Do we listen to prophets among us? Are there symptoms of narrow-mindedness, prejudice and jealousy in us that lead us to reject the good in our own leaders? Are we too often critical towards those who are close to us and reject the truth that comes from them? Do we realize, by doing so, we reject Jesus himself and throw him out of our minds and designs, as people of Nazareth tried to do?

6.  A prayer

Jesus, you are the most amazing Prophet for all times. Continue to guide, encourage, comfort, warn and instil hope in us. Grant that we may be faithful to our baptismal call to be prophets who announce your word of comfort and denounce evil. Give us the strength to face criticism and rejection of a prophet. Amen.