Tag Archives: Mark 6

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A Hometown Reaction?

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“A Hometown Reaction?”

Mark 6:1-7 (6:5) – July 7, 2024

            I have not rubbed shoulders with many VIPs – Very Important People – in my life. All of those VIPs grew up somewhere. All of those high-profile people started out as kids, and teenagers, and some grew up in small towns before they hit it big. When they went back to the old neighborhood where they grew up, how were they received? Were the older people from the neighborhood filled with awe or pride? Or, did these VIPs get disrespected?

            From what our reading tells us, the people from the old neighborhood in Nazareth did not think very much of the newly-minted Rabbi Jesus. Starting at verse 2, “On the Sabbath Jesus began to teach in the synagogue. Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed. “Where did he get all this?” they asked. “What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles? 3 Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him.”

            The folks from the old neighborhood – from where Jesus grew up – would not see Jesus as He had become. They insisted on seeing Him as the young boy who had grown up down the block, where His extended family still lived. Nothing more. Talk about disrespect! “There is an undertone of ‘who does he think he is’ in this passage. Not the warm welcome you might expect your home crowd to give you. And yet is it not often the case that when people know you, really know you, that they can be quick to believe the gossipmongers?” [1]

            When our Lord Jesus went home, things did not go well for Him, as we see here. How many of us wish to “go home,” wherever “home” is for you?

            Of course, a great deal depends on our family of origin and the situation of our growing up, the neighborhood where we were born, even how long we lived there. Did our family move from place to place several times during the time we were children? What about the place were we were born – was it in a large town, or a little village, or on the wrong side of the tracks?

            And, what about where you were in the birth order in your family? Some families have definite birth orders, while other family structures are more lackadaisical and some even haphazard. How many of us do not get respect from brothers or sisters or family elders simply because of place in our family “pecking order?” Certainly, Jesus got this kind of attitude when he went home and preached in Nazareth. [2]

Mark’s Gospel clearly says that a number of townsfolk took offense at Jesus. Some commentaries particularly mention this word. In Greek, it is “skandalon,” from which we get the word “scandal.” Can you imagine being scandalized by a young man from your hometown or neighborhood actually preaching, teaching, and even doing miracles? I cannot imagine it. It’s a little beyond me, but Mark says it’s so, right here in chapter 6.           

            Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.” 5 He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 Jesus was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith.

            Jesus realizes that His teaching, preaching and miracles would not always be well-received. But, this is still the beginning of His ministry. Jesus is still building His team and training them for the work He knows they will have to do. Jesus knows that it will not be easy and the teaching and preaching of the disciples will not always be well-received or even welcome – although even Jesus is amazed at how hostile the crowd in Nazareth are. [3]

But, what if we took the sad situation in Nazareth – or wherever our small town or old neighborhood is – and flipped it upside down? What kinds of things might happen? Instead of some hometown boy or girl coming back and being disrespected, what might happen?

            What if you and I are more alert and more attuned to what God can do in our world than Jesus’s neighbors in Nazareth were? Can we watch for God at work in our world? How about on our block or down the street? Does God work here, today, and not just in Bible times? A pastor friend of mine (another Pastor Joe) calls these “God sightings.”

What about an older brother or sister leaving friends to take care of a younger sibling? What about some young people working on and repairing an elderly church member’s house? What about a son or daughter (or grandson or granddaughter) getting a first job at a local mission agency or food pantry, like A Great Harvest hear the Howard Street El station? I used to take the baked goods from Maier’s Bakery there for a number of months. What about a church member bringing a dinner or some take-out to a shut-in or someone recently returned from the hospital? Aren’t these all “God sightings?”  God working through ordinary people – like us?

            We can see from our Gospel reading today that the Rabbi Jesus came home, but He wasn’t “at home.” How were His friends and disciples His new “found family,” or “family of choice?” Are you – am I more comfortable with a “family of choice?” And, does God support us when we find family in unexpected places? Each of us – all of us can find family and can find “God sightings” each and every day!

            I encourage all of us to open our eyes and look for these everyday ways that God works in our lives, our homes, and our neighborhoods each day. We all have the opportunity to support “God sightings!” Plus, we all have regular opportunities to find places where you and I can get active and perform one of these “God sightings” ourselves!

Today, this week, whenever we can.

            Don’t be like the people in Nazareth, hostile and scandalized at Jesus and His ways of doing God’s work. Instead, celebrate – support – and get involved in any of the places where God is at work in our neighborhoods, today! Alleluia, amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly-worship/monthly/2024-july/sunday-7-july-2024-seventh-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b

[2] http://www.word-sunday.com/Files/b/14-b/A-14-b.html

“Going Home,” Ordinary 14B, Larry Broding’s Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday’s Gospel

[3] https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly-worship/monthly/2024-july/sunday-7-july-2024-seventh-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b

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Courage, Not Fear

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“Courage, Not Fear”

Mark 6-50 jesuswalkingonthewater

Mark 6:46-52 (6:50) – August 12, 2018 – from Dave Ivaska’s book Be Not Afraid

“O God, thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small.” So says the Breton’s fisherman’s prayer on a small brass-inscribed plaque. The plaque was given to John F. Kennedy by Admiral Rickover, and President Kennedy kept this plaque on his desk in the Oval Office.

When I started to think about this Scripture passage from Mark, the narrative where Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee by night, this plaque came to mind. I suspect the disciples did feel afraid on that small boat as they faced the choppy waves, strong currents, gusty winds, and other weather conditions. Similar to that Breton fisherman.

I have never been to Israel, but I have read that the weather around the Sea of Galilee is particularly changeable. There are hills and even small mountains surrounding a portion of the inland sea. Sometimes, the weather patterns can cause rough weather to flare up with next to no warning. According to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, the weather that night on the Sea of Galilee was windswept and the water was churning and choppy. The disciples were out on the water after dark. Some of them were fishermen, but not all. So, some of them were used to being out in an open boat in the middle of open water. Others of the disciples were not fisherman at all, and were probably extremely uncomfortable.

What was the general morale of the disciples? Jesus was notably absent—not with them in the boat. I suspect some of the disciples were fearful and anxious. Maybe even complaining about their sorry situation, out in the middle of the lake and with no Jesus. Just think about their desperate situation, and compare it to your own. From time to time, I am sure all of us have felt like we are adrift in choppy water, all alone, someplace like the Sea of Galilee. Heavy weather is on the horizon. Who can help us deal with our fear and uncertainty?

We need Jesus, that’s who. Just as much as the disciples did.

This scary situation on the Sea of Galilee did not just happen all by itself. This nighttime situation followed after a very busy day for Jesus. This was the day that Jesus miraculously fed several thousand people with a few loaves and fishes. When this all happened, they all were in a lonely place far away from any village or town, near the Sea of Galilee.

I want to be sure all of us understand. This feeding was not just a little miracle. Instead, Jesus did a huge miracle! Feeding well over five thousand people with just a boy’s sack lunch of a few little loaves and fishes? How astounding is that? The disciples were right there with Jesus, serving and distributing all the loaves and fish to all the crowds who attended Jesus’s after-lecture luncheon. Except, Jesus provided all of the food! Miraculously.

Listen again to the beginning of today’s Scripture reading from Mark, which follows the paragraph on the feeding miracle: “ 45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.”

At the end of a really busy day with a lot of public ministry, I can see why Jesus wanted to be all by Himself, not only to pray and rest and recoup, but also to spend some down time rejuvenating with His loving, caring Heavenly Parent. Wouldn’t you, if you were in a similar position? Resting and recouping after a long, challenging day of ministry, just about anyone would want to be reassured by the loving embrace of their Heavenly Parent. I know I would!

After Jesus withdraws to be with His Heavenly Father for some hours, it’s time for Him to rejoin the disciples. Let’s continue with the reading from Mark: “ 47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake.”  I would have loved to be with the disciples in that boat!

Just imagine all the exciting information we would hear about leadership and discipleship, serving and helping others, and getting closer to God!

Or, even more, I would love to have a film camera and crew on their boat that night! What a bunch of reaction shots! Shots showing fear, anger, uncertainty, anxiety—the whole range of emotions and reactions to the unexpected and miraculous appearance of Jesus, supernaturally walking on the Sea. Considering what huge miracle had just happened only a few hours ago, “what confidence did the disciples would have had to believe that Jesus would now help them in this terrifying situation?“ [1]

We’ve talked about this before, how the disciples sometimes had a problem believing what Jesus plainly said. Or, a problem seeing what Jesus had just clearly shown them. Or, a problem understanding an illustration or object lesson Jesus had just brought to them. This was one of those situations.

The disciples were a bit thick-headed. They just did not get the full ramifications of the huge miracle of the loaves and fishes. They just did not understand how Jesus—who was God’s son, fully God, and creator of the heavens and the earth—could possibly walk on water.

Jonah had this problem, too. He was a prophet of God, he heard the word of God regularly, but he just didn’t get the message clearly. It took getting swallowed by a fish in the middle of the ocean to get the cotton out of Jonah’s ears.

Listen to a part of Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the huge fish, from the 2nd chapter of Jonah: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and God answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 6  But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”

It took a miracle of a huge fish to get Jonah to see clearly. It takes a miracle of Jesus walking on the water, on top of the feeding-and-provision-of-food miracle, to get the disciples to see clearly. Yet, God is with them all, even through the darkness and the storm, even through being swallowed by the big fish or being buffeted by choppy seas.

“What does this story reveal about Christ’s involvement in our own trials? He is both aware of and concerned about our struggles and acts on our behalf. In addition to helping us in our plight, His deliverance reveals to us His supernatural power.” [2] another way of says it is that Jesus is God’s son. Fully God, and fully man. Of course, Jesus can walk on water! And, of course, Jesus can be with us, in and through and beyond our trials and problems. Having God incarnate as my—as our personal Friend and Savior is very reassuring, believe me.

Sometimes we do go through the storm, and even repeated storms. Sometimes we do have serious illness happen to us or to a loved one. Sometimes we travel through the valley of the shadow, and we need that reassurance that God is with us. Jesus can say to us just as much as He said to the disciples, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

These are the words of Jesus. We can take them to heart. These reassuring words are for the disciples, and for us, too. Alleluia, amen.

[1] Ivaska, David, Be Not Afraid (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 101.

[2] https://intervarsity.org/bible-studies/mark-6c

Mark 6:45-56: Confounded by Christ | InterVarsity

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2018: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)