March 24, 2014 Monday: 3rd Week of Lent A
In today's Gospel, Jesus is rejected by the people of his home town of Nazareth because he is too familiar to them, coming from a simple family. Crab mentality! He cannot be better than they? Who is he to teach them? They do not accept the new image of God Jesus presented to them in his interpretation of Isaiah where he conveyed that God's people are not only the Jews but also the non-Jews. Not only did they ridicule him, but they rose up against him in anger, and wanted to throw him over the hill of the town. But Jesus patiently moved through their midst, and went away.
Why did Jesus' town mates become angry and violent? They are envious because he came from a lowly family and yet here he is teaching them. They are jealous because he did not perform miracles in his hometown while in Capernaum he did. They are angry because they could not accept his new teaching that God's people includes the excluded, going beyond the limits of race.
But what was Jesus' response to all this? He remained calm. He could not change the mentality of the people, so he let them be for the time being.
Let us not be like the town mates of Jesus. We should not be too exclusive but be accepting of others even those who are outsiders of our group or our communities.
Why did Jesus' town mates become angry and violent? They are envious because he came from a lowly family and yet here he is teaching them. They are jealous because he did not perform miracles in his hometown while in Capernaum he did. They are angry because they could not accept his new teaching that God's people includes the excluded, going beyond the limits of race.
But what was Jesus' response to all this? He remained calm. He could not change the mentality of the people, so he let them be for the time being.
Let us not be like the town mates of Jesus. We should not be too exclusive but be accepting of others even those who are outsiders of our group or our communities.
