Reading I: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
GOSPEL: Luke 4:21-30
Hometown Boy
I went to the City Council meeting one evening, to hear what the local politicians had to say. I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of our local boys, who was becoming a bit of a celebrity elsewhere in the state, was there to talk to us. He had some great things to say – incredible plans for everything from economic growth to public school reform – and those in attendance were buzzing with excitement. But it wasn’t long before people started questioning the source of his “wisdom,” noting that he was still just a hometown fellow with some big ideas. That’s when he looked us up and down and said something that stopped us cold.
Without skipping a beat, this guy went from sharing his vision of a better world to telling us, in no uncertain terms, that our community would not be a part of it. Because this was his hometown, he explained, the great things he had planned would not include us. He pointed to all the other instances where candidates received great support overall, yet did not carry their home district. The crowd erupted and, within a matter of minutes, this neighbor of ours was being driven from City Hall by a very angry mob.
Okay… so maybe that didn’t really happen. But does it sound that far-fetched? The gospel reading today shows that Jesus ran up against this very same problem. That’s right… our Messiah had to deal with the same aspect of human nature that frustrates managers and politicians and virtually anyone else who rises through the ranks.
We’ve Got It Easy
If a person works in a department for several years, learning the various job functions and gaining more and more experience along the way, it would not be surprising to see that person promoted into a leadership position if they had performed well. There may be someone who resents the fact that such a promotion is given, but many times the person’s fellow workers are pleased to have someone who has “been there” joining the management ranks.
Proving one’s worth to fellow employees is one thing. Telling your neighbors that you are the Word made flesh… that’s something altogether different. “Hey, isn’t that Joe’s kid? I don’t remember him workin’ miracles while he was growing up!”
Yet as with most things, God has dealt with it before. Instead of arguing with his neighbors or trying to prove his divinity, Jesus says, “Just as I suspected. The same thing happened to Elija as well as Elisha, so it’s not surprising. No one listens to the hometown folks.”
So Much for the Hometown Hero
It shouldn’t surprise us to see that Jesus was rejected in his hometown. Throwing him from a cliff is a bit over the top, but the general disbelief of those who watched him grow-up doesn’t seem unreasonable. And looking at it from our historical perspective, we know that Jesus will ultimately be rejected by many, many more before it is over.
Seeing how easy it was for these people who knew Jesus to reject him, we should try to be more aware of those times when we who have never seen him are tempted to reject him. How easy is it for us to stray from the path? Let us love him as our Lord and Savior, but let’s not treat him as a hometown boy!
Life Applications:
What makes someone an “expert?” What experts do you know?
What do you think you would do if confronted by a neighbor who claimed to be God?
What are some ways you reject Jesus?
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C):
Original article by Brandon Jubar, 2004-2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.