Mistrust shown to Jesus is a warning

July 9, 2006 -- 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

In a few weeks a missionary will visit our parish for the annual mission appeal. It always helps if he hails from some exotic corner of the world, bringing interesting tales from the mission field. I could say the exact same things, but since the congregation is already familiar with me, I would not command nearly the same attention. "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house."

In Sunday's gospel reading, Jesus draws upon this proverb to explain the cold reception he encounters in his home town. At first the crowd reacts favorably. "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given to him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands?"

But when the crowd realizes who Jesus is, that he is one of them, they refuse to accept him. They want an out-of-town expert, not someone who is familiar.

When the inhabitants of Nazareth reject their native son, they let him down. They do not show him the trust that our fellow human beings deserve, especially those who are close to us. It is a failure of relationship.

But since Jesus is not merely a native son, but also the Son of God, their lack of faith matters even more. Their mistrust in Jesus as a person means that they fail to place their faith in him as the Incarnate Son of God. The doctrine of the Incarnation depends upon an acceptance of our fellow human beings. A rejection of them prevents an encounter with the God who lives in them.

And what results from the townspeople's lack of faith? "So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there."

This daring statement by Mark is not repeated by Matthew or Luke in their subsequent versions of this incident. Matthew tones down the comment to read, "And he did not work many mighty deeds there, because of their lack of faith." (Mt 13:58). Matthew implies that Jesus decided not to work the miracles, because the crowd did not deserve them. Since Matthew emphasizes Jesus' divine nature, Jesus still has the power to work miracles.

In contrast, Mark clearly specifies that Jesus is not able to work miracles in this faithless environment. In his understanding of the Incarnation, Mark places a greater emphasis upon Jesus' human nature than Matthew. Although he is the Son of God, Jesus has accepted the limitations of his human nature. He declines to assert the prerogatives of his divine nature, and work the miracles. According to Mark, the miracles depend more upon the individual's faith than upon Christ's presence.

That sounds very strong. No wonder that the later gospels backed away from that position. They wanted to put the focus upon the figure of Jesus Christ, so badly misunderstood by his compatriots. The townspeople of Nazareth marveled at Jesus' words and deeds, yet thought that they had him pegged. Their response to Jesus serves as a warning for us. He remains a mystery which we can only approach through faith.

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)