RBWords

     It is not unusual to hear someone say about a person who has become a "celebrity" of some kind, "Look at him/her!  Why I knew him/her way back when they were just........"  It's another form of the old adage, "Familiarity breeds contempt!"  Jesus comes back to his hometown synagogue and is rejected by the people because they think he is getting "above himself."  They've known him and his relatives "forever"  We know from the Gospel of Mark that Jesus' own family tried to "seize him because they thought he was out of his mind." (Mark 3:21)  The rejection by family and hometown close acquaintances contrasts with the previous passage where the disciples show "understanding" of Jesus' teachings.

 

     There are a couple of challenges here!  On one side, we can identify with Jesus in being rejected for some reason by those whom we could most expect to receive acceptance.  That is a tough situation to be in.  Ask anyone who has married someone their parents or family disapproved of!  Or ask someone who has become a Catholic after being in a tradition that considered such a conversion utterly unacceptable!  Or ask someone who has gone from obscurity to celebrity how that has impacted their closest relationships.

 

     On the other side, we might ask ourselves if we have ever been on the "rejecting" side because of our envy or disapproval of celebrity status?  Do we ever think, "Who does he/she think they are?"  Or do we try to take advantage of the celebrity like some folks did with Jesus, and claim a special status of kinship or hometown acquaintance instead of simply understanding and living his teaching?

 

     It only takes a bit of imagination to suddenly realize how easily the people in the synagogue become you and me!  If we don't know our prejudices and expectations, we may be blocking or rejecting (consciously or unconsciously) the very thing we should treasure most:  an "understanding" of Jesus' and his message!  AMEN