Today’s gospel passage provides us with Mark’s version of Jesus’ return to his hometown of Nazareth..
“Going from that district he went to his hometown accompanied by his disciples.”

Like Jesus, many of us are drawn back to that place we call “home”. Whether “home” means our native land or the district in which we were born or simply the neighbourhood where we grew up, we return there sometimes with the hope that we can make a difference in the lives of people there.

Jesus returned to his hometown, and “with the coming of the Sabbath, he began teaching in the synagogue.” Jesus skillfully chose a time and a place where he would encounter all those who knew him personally.

These are the people who would know his name, his background, as well as his family history. In fact Jesus was certain that his own relatives would be among the crowd. A synagogue was definitely the ideal place to begin teaching.

Returning home is always quite significant to those of us who became “foreign” for a while. We seek out those familiar not forgotten places. We search for those favourite “liming” spots where we are known or could be recognised and it is in these favourite spots that we open up to others.

The people who gathered at the synagogue were taken by surprise.  Truly they were astonished and amazed at “this man”. How did he gain all this wisdom?  When did he acquire that ability to perform miracles?
Wasn’t he just a carpenter, Mary’s son, brother of James and Joset?

Their personal knowledge of Jesus was beginning to colour their attitudes. Familiarity was now bordering on contempt.  Amazement had become disbelief. The sense of wonder was transformed into non-acceptance.

There is a crucial message here. We cannot force others to believe in us even when our intentions or motives are beyond reproach. This is and will always be the most humbling experience we can have. 

Even Jesus was deeply affected by this new experience.  The gospel reveals that he could work no miracles there. The story reveals that Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.

One of the many truths we discover in this passage is that God never manipulates the human heart and the human will. In every sense of the word we are truly free.

When as prophets we are despised, it is because we chose to let go, not of the truth or of proclaiming it, but refusing to use the truth   to manipulate others.

Jesus, the true prophet, humbly recognized that he could not control the faith of others even those whom he knew so well.

There are and there will be the self-proclaimed prophets who will shout out loudly that they are never honoured in their own land, but these “prophets” are not like Jesus.

In spite of the rejection he received Jesus continued to reach out and heal those who were sick Jesus did not seek honour from his relatives or friends or neighbours instead he sought the hearts that opened to him and the minds of those who were willing to accept his message
Jesus is indeed a true prophet for us today – a prophet we must welcome into our hearts, into our households and certainly into our churches.

Let us pray

Lord, we thank you for the gift of your word which we receive in this gospel passage today. As we gather around the altars in our parishes and worshipping communities we pray that this will never be lost but find a home in our hearts. May the teaching of Jesus not only amaze us but lead us to an acceptance of his truth.

Lord, forgive us for those moments in our lives when we refused to accept your wisdom as a means of transformation, not for our own sake but even for the sake of those we cherish. Help us to surmount those barriers that prevent us from embracing the truth because we have come to despise the bearer of this truth.

Help us to overcome the cynicism we experience when those we know so well try to teach us.

Give us hope and increase our faith in the one true prophet who is always humble. Amen.

Gospel Meditations for July are by Dianne Diaz, a primary school teacher.