Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 6:1-6
IF YOU READ THE FOUR GOSPELS CAREFULLY, YOU WOULD BE RIGHT IN THINKING THAT EACH PORTRAYS A DIFFERENT PERSONALITY FOR JESUS.  OF COURSE JESUS DIDN'T HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES; THE GOSPELS EACH TAKE THE BASIC STORY AND WRITE IT IN A WAY THAT REFLECTS THE THEOLOGY OF THE WRITER.  SO YOU WON'T FIND ANYTHING IN THE OTHER GOSPELS ABOUT JESUS NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK MIRACLES.   IN FACT, IN MATTHEW'S VERSION OF TODAY'S READING, HE ALMOST QUOTES MARK WORD FOR WORD, BUT INSTEAD OF SAYING JESUS COULDN'T WORK ANY MIRACLES EXCEPT FOR A FEW HEALINGS, MATTHEW SAYS, “HE DID NOT WORK MANY MIRACLES BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK OF FAITH.”  WE KNOW MATTHEW HAD MARK'S GOSPEL IN FRONT OF HIM WHEN HE WROTE HIS, SO TO FIT IN WITH HIS IDEA OF JESUS, HE CHANGED THE WORDS SLIGHTLY.
SO THERE ARE THREE QUESTIONS:  WHY WERE THE PEOPLE OF HIS HOME TOWN SO HOSTILE?  AND WHY COULD JESUS NOT WORK MIRACLES?  AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU AND I, HOW SHOULD WE APPLY THIS IN OUR LIVES?
IN THE PASSAGE WE JUST READ, JESUS STANDS UP IN THE SYNAGOGUE AND BEGINS TO TEACH.  IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYBODY STARTED OUT PRETTY IMPRESSED, BUT THEN RAPIDLY TURNED ON JESUS.  BUT I THINK YOU CAN HEAR SARCASM AND HOSTILITY RIGHT FROM THE START.  THE CITIZENS OF NAZARETH, WHICH WASN'T A VERY LARGE TOWN, HAD KNOWN JESUS ALL HIS LIFE.  WE THINK OF JESUS AS A CARPENTER, BUT HIS TRADE WAS MORE LIKE THAT OF A HANDYMAN.  HE COULD FIX THINGS, REPAIR THINGS, AND MAKE A FEW SIMPLE THINGS LIKE A TABLE OR CHAIR OR PLOW.  HE WASN'T SPECIALIZED.  BUT BEING A TEKTON, WHICH IS THE GREEK WORD FOR JESUS' TRADE, WAS PRETTY LOW ON THE SOCIAL LADDER.  TEKTONS AND TANNERS AND FARMERS AND DAY LABORERS WERE JUST A NOTCH OR TWO ABOVE SHEPHERDS AND TAX COLLECTORS.  NOW IN THE SYNAGOGUES IT WAS CUSTOMARY TO ASK A VISITOR TO READ FROM THE TORAH, BUT THEY DIDN'T USUALLY PREACH AFTERWARD.  THAT WAS THE JOB OF THE RABBI, OR THE SCRIBE.  SO WHEN JESUS BEGAN TO PREACH, THE PEOPLE ALMOST STOPPED UP THEIR EARS.  THE PEOPLE HAD HEARD THAT JESUS WENT ABOUT WORKING MIRACLES, BUT THAT WAS NOT ANYTHING THEY BELIEVED – AFTER ALL, THEY KNEW HIM.  AND SO WHEN THEY CALL HIM A CARPENTER, IT'S KIND OF AN INSULT.  AND WHEN THEY CALL HIM “SON OF MARY”, THAT HAS IMPLICATIONS BECAUSE THE PROPER ADDRESS WOULD HAVE BEEN “SON OF JOSEPH”.  TO CALL HIM “SON OF MARY” WAS PROBABLY A DIG AT THE FACT THAT EVERYONE KNEW THAT JESUS WAS BORN JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER MARY AND JOSEPH GOT MARRIED.  SO BASICALLY, THE PEOPLE ARE HOSTILE BECAUSE TO THEM, JESUS IS PUTTING ON AIRS.  THEY KNOW THE REAL JESUS, THEY THINK, AND IT'S NOT THIS GUY.
NOW WHY COULDN'T JESUS WORK MIRACLES?  IF YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER HEALING MIRACLES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK, THEY ALWAYS BEGIN WITH THE SICK PERSON OR A FRIEND OR RELATIVE OF THE SICK PERSON COMING TO JESUS AND ASKING FOR HIM TO HEAL SOMEONE.  IN OTHER WORDS, THEY HAVE FAITH – BUT IT ISN'T JUST THAT THEY BELIEVE JESUS CAN HEAL.  THEY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.   LAST WEEK WE HEARD ABOUT THE WOMAN WHO PUSHED THROUGH THE CROWD TO TOUCH JESUS' GARMENT.  WE HEARD ABOUT THE PARALYZED MAN WHO WAS LOWERED THROUGH THE ROOF BY HIS FRIENDS.  WE KNOW ABOUT THE BLIND MAN WHO YELLED OUT TO JESUS, EVEN THOUGH THE CROWDS WERE TELLING HIM TO BE QUIET.  FAITH ISN'T FAITH UNTIL THERE IS ACTION.  THE PEOPLE OF NAZARETH WHO THOUGHT THEY KNEW JESUS HAD NO FAITH, AND THEREFORE NO ACTION.  JESUS COULDN'T WORK HIS MIRACLES BECAUSE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE BELIEVED ENOUGH TO PRESENT THEMSELVES TO HIM FOR HEALING.
THE PEOPLE OF NAZARETH THOUGHT THEY KNEW JESUS.  WHEN THE APOSTLES WITNESSED JESUS TELLING THE WIND AND THE WAVES TO QUIET DOWN, THEIR RESPONSE WAS “WHO IS THIS THAT EVEN THE WIND AND WAVES OBEY HIM?”  THEY RECOGNIZED THEN AND AT OTHER TIMES THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW JESUS, THAT THEY WERE OPEN TO KNOWING MORE ABOUT HIM.  ALL THROUGH MARK'S GOSPEL THE APOSTLES KEEP MAKING MISTAKES, BUT AS THEY DO SO, AND AS JESUS CORRECTS THEM, THEY COME TO KNOW HIM BETTER.  I THINK A LOT OF CATHOLICS TODAY THINK THEY KNOW JESUS.  FOR SOME OF US, HE IS SOMEONE TO BE A LITTLE AFRAID OF, AFTER ALL, HE'S WATCHING US.  FOR SOME OF US, HE'S THERE TO TURN TO WHEN THINGS GET ROUGH, BUT OTHERWISE HE STAYS IN HIS BOX.  FOR SOME OF US HE IS THE GUY WHO IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE FATHER KEEPING HIM FROM ZAPPING US.  BUT YOU CAN'T REALLY KNOW SOMEONE UNTIL YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.  A RELATIONSHIP MEANS COMMUNICATION, AMONG OTHER THINGS.  IT'S NOT HARD TO TALK TO JESUS – WE BELIEVE HE HEARS US WHEN WE SPEAK TO HIM.  BUT IT SEEMS TO BE MUCH HARDER TO LISTEN TO HIM AND NOT MANY MAKE THE EFFORT.  SO WE GO WHERE WE KNOW HE SPEAKS – THE SCRIPTURES, THE SACRAMENTS, THE CHURCH – AND WE LISTEN.  WE PUT ASIDE SOME TIME EVERY DAY TO LISTEN, NOT JUST TALK.  AND SOONER OR LATER, WE WILL BE REWARDED WHEN WE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE HIS PRESENCE AND THE PEACE BEYOND ALL UNDERSTANDING THAT HE IS WILLING TO GIVE US.  SO DO WE THINK WE KNOW JESUS, ARE ARE WE ACTIVELY TRYING TO KNOW HIM BY FORMING A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?
AND THE OTHER POINT OF THIS STORY – DO WE HAVE THE FAITH THAT JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE SO THAT HE CAN DO MIGHTY WORKS IN OUR OWN LIVES?  FAITH IS NOT JUST BELIEF, IT IS BELIEF ACCOMPANIED BY ACTION.  IF I BELIEVE JESUS CAN DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL IN MY LIFE, HIS HELP ISN'T GOING TO KICK IN UNTIL I BEGIN.  IF YOU BELIEVE THAT OUR CHURCH SHOULD BE A MORE WELCOMING COMMUNITY, HOW ARE YOU ACTING OUT THAT BELIEF?  IF YOU BELIEVE THAT OUR CHURCH SHOULD REACH OUT TO THOSE PARISHIONERS WHO ARE NO LONGER COMING TO CHURCH, WHERE IS YOUR FAITH IN ACTION?  IF YOU BELIEVE OUR PARISH SHOULD BE MORE INVOLVED IN HELPING THE POOR OR MINISTERING TO THE HOME BOUND, YOU ARE THE CHURCH, AFTER ALL, AND JESUS TOLD US TRUE FAITH CAN DO ANYTHING.  HE STILL WORKS MIRACLES FOR THOSE WHO HAVE REAL FAITH.