|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Ezekiel
2:1-5 |
48:
1, 4-10 |
2
Corinthians 12:2-10 |
Mark
6:1-13 |
The
ministry of Jesus seemed to be going well. We can picture Jesus
and the disciples traveling around small hamlets along the shore,
under a blue sky with puffy cumulus clouds, with a steady breeze
off the lake. The crops were growing well; fishing was less dangerous,
and in the evening the people welcomed listening to Jesus on a hillside
above the water.
We don't know if the disciples were fully
conscious of it, but it took some courage for Jesus to bring his
disciples back to his native village of Nazareth. Earlier, members
of his family had tried to intervene and bring him home because
they thought he might be deranged. Initially, things seemed to
go well. His own townspeople seemed interested and attentive,
then doubt began to set in. Discussion of Jesus' teaching turned
into rumors and gossip about his character. Suspicion, jealousy,
and petty aspersions began to circulate. Jesus continued to heal
a few people, but clearly the atmosphere turned toxic and he was
rejected in Nazareth.
I don't think that this lesson is suggesting
that God will ultimately be thwarted or cannot work among unbelief
and hostility. Rather it may be suggesting that a community filled
with suspicion and scorn will find it difficult to perceive and
interpret God's grace and presence within it. God's mighty works,
while readily available to all, quite simply will not be seen
as mighty works by those filled with hostility. There are times
in the lives of all of us, of course, when the Holy Spirit wants
to come close, but we are insistent in turning away and pushing
the kiss of the spirit aside. This incident served as a warning
to the churches for which Mark's Gospel was originally written,
as well as to generations since.
This lesson also serves as an appropriate
reflection upon our national life. More and more, we seem to be
a nation divided into special interest groups that eye one another
with suspicion and are in competition for a wider public forum.
Yet, if we think of the adjectives that might describe a healthy
society, attributes like creativity, growth, enthusiasm, hope,
joy, celebration and innovation, we come to realize that such
attributes don't flourish well in an atmosphere of jealousy, cynicism
and disdain for one another. When we excessively dwell on feeling
sorry for ourselves because we believe that we have been more
hurt or slighted by someone else or by holding on to a false confidence
of security because we have more worldly goods and firecrackers
than someone else, we often become unaware of the fear, distrust
and resentment we let into the air and neglect to ask exactly
what does contribute to strong communities that are open to the
future. Hence it becomes so easy to run down the gifts and resources
that are close at hand.
One of the strengths of this early nation
was its separation by an ocean from the wounds of past history.
At its best moments, colonial society realized that they needed
each other to survive, from tin smith to farmer to merchant. (Indeed
one of their failings was not being inclusive enough.) Those considered
the founders of the new nation, while holding varying views, continued
to correspond with each other, long after their years of public
service ended. They understood and respected each other, and much
wisdom came out of that atmosphere of understanding. They didn't
merely write personal memoirs justifying their past positions
as much as forged new ideas built on their experience and interactions
with others.
We would like to think of Ithaca as a
good place to live. Certainly our community of faith has a stake
in promoting the greater health for all who live here. Hence the
Ithaca Festival may be more important to the well-being of our
community life than a protest march, or the interaction at the
farmer's market a more productive enterprise than a community
forum to air one's concerns against the city or county board.
Both the festival and crowds at the market stress the bounty and
variety of our common life as citizens rather than an adversarial
relationship for certain resources or attention.
Despite the rebuke, Jesus went on to other
towns. He had confidence to send the disciples out on missions,
too. To their credit, the experience at Nazareth did not seem
to discourage them. They kept on doing what they had been invited
to do from the first day they had joined Jesus' entourage. I suspect
they did not see themselves as heroes or especially brave. As
a group this newly formed band of disciples certainly weren't
as educated as many of the rabbis and senior members of the synagogues
in the places they visited. Yet, they went undeterred. Jesus placed
God's agenda in an atmosphere of good will and hope. Even when
the disciples failed and became discouraged, they were able to
begin again with confidence and courage.
And
I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen
