A prophet is not without honor

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and his disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by his hands! Is this the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty works there; except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

- Mark 6:1-13

In yesterday's reading, Jairus, the synagogue ruler, came to Jesus and asked Him to heal His daughter. She was twelve years old, and near death. As Jesus moves through the crowds toward Jairus' house, He turned and said to His disciples, "Who touched My clothes?" There was a woman with a twelve years long blood flow, who had suffered many things and spent all her money on doctors, only to grow worse. She said to herself, that if she could only touch the hem of His garment, she might be healed. Jesus felt the power go out of Himself, and asked His disciples who touched His clothes. They said,"You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." Some servants came then and told Jairus not to bother, that his daughter was dead. But Jesus told Him, "Do not be afraid, only believe."Jesus took only Peter, James and John with Him, and went to Jairus' house. There, there was a huge commotion from those who were wailing and mourning the girl's death. Jesus said, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." They ridiculed Him. Jesus put everybody outside, took her father and mother with Him,, along with His inner circle of disciples, and went into her room. There, He took the girl by the hand and said, "Talitha, cumi," which means in Aramaic, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." She arose and walked, and they were all amazed. Jesus told them all strictly that no one should know it, but commanded they give the girl something to eat.

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and his disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. As is His custom during His ministry, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue. But this time, He is in His own country, His hometown of Nazareth.

And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by his hands! Is this the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. The familiarity of these people who know Him as the carpenter's son lead them to doubt that He could be anything but what they've always assumed Him to be. They are offended at Him. In light of the Gospels, we might also consider Nathanael's question in John's Gospel, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nazareth was a town in an area of mixed population, with many customs both "foreign" and Jewish. That might form as a backdrop for us to understand the workings of God, mysterious and unpredictable by human standards of judging -- like the wind, the Spirit blows where it will. Faith is not something that works by our logic! But there is a deeper truth here, one that has been a shared perspective in the tradition of the Church throughout its long history. My study bible says, "They are offended because they can do none of His works, and they are unwilling to accept a far greater role and dignity for Him." It also tells us, "In Scripture the words brothers and sisters can refer to stepbrothers and stepsisters, as well as other relatives." (For example, Abraham and Lot are called "brothers" when they are uncle and nephew.) At any rate, we are to understand that this is a town that is home to extended family, where Jesus' clan is well-known to all.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty works there; except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. This saying of Jesus is so essential to our understanding that it is reported in all four Gospels. Familiarity and competition work here to prevent them from truly seeing who Jesus is. My study bible says, "Jealousy affects faith. Every person could have been restored. But in the absence of faith, Jesus does not release the divine power which is always His."

Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. Jesus resumes His ministry, going about this area of Galilee.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. Perhaps His traveling about the circuit of the villages worked as a kind of training for the disciples who learn from Him. Here, they are sent out on their first mission. Two by two, they go out to represent the Kingdom. Note the first gift of Christ to His disciples: He gave them power over unclean spirits. Something new is coming to this place, a Kingdom is establishing itself in power against the adversary, the "strong man" of this world. This first mission, notes my study bible, is a preparation for taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" They are not to prepare: nothing here is ostentatious, but quite the opposite. And when they go to a house, they are to remain with the first family that welcomes them -- they are not to change lodgings presumably for a "better" or more impressive place to stay. And when they are not welcomed in a town, they are simply to depart and "shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them." This is the extent of the expression of the power of the judgment in which they have faith. In great contrast to the competition and jealousy of rank in the hometown of Jesus, among His neighbors and those who know Him, the disciples act in all humility. There is no pomp and power associated with their visit to these towns. Neither is there military might that accompanies them, nor great feats of destruction or anger where they are not welcome. They are to simply shake the dust from under their feet in testimony against them. My study bible calls it, "a symbolic gesture of judgment." Can we see the contrast in this Kingdom from the worldly one? God's power does not work in the ways of power of "worldly" persons.

So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Another note here is worth repeating: "Preaching is an earnest proclamation, and this present proclamation of the need for repentance is momentous. This is the first time the Twelve perform miracles. God gives His power, His energy, to human beings and through human beings -- to and through those who repent. he shares with us by grace what is His by nature. The disciples anointed with oil as part of the act of healing, for by the Incarnation of Christ creation is renewed: oil and water become instruments of healing and renewal for the human race." It's quite clear that here is a Kingdom coming into this world: the proclamation for "repentance" is a proclamation to open one's eyes, to "change one's mind" -- to turn and receive something new. And something new is clearly at hand, in the midst of them, and among these disciples who share in the power and grace of Christ and His Kingdom.

When we receive a gift of God via grace, there is no longer any sort of issue of competition. Human notions of hierarchy and rank, of jealousy and envy unfortunately also compete with our understanding of the gospel, of the good news of this Kingdom. According to St. Paul, all are a part of this Body of Christ, each has their own part to play in it. Paul will go even further as he continues his letter to the Corinthians, and teach that the greatest of all gifts is that of love; and there is even more, that without love, there is nothing. So today, another contemplation for Lent becomes important, and appropriate, and that is the worldly way that we see competition among one another (and in family) in contrast with Jesus' kingdom. There is a powerful reason why Jesus' statement is in all four Gospels! "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Oftentimes, I find that Christians do tremendous work in helping those who are outside of their own community, perhaps far away and around the world, but to the person in their own home, among their kin, or perhaps in the next pew, there might be very little understanding about the power of communication, and the subtle work of envy or jealousy or the spirit of competition. Indeed, it can creep into our own very good works. Let us take St. Paul's words to heart, and also the power of the gospel in these men in their first fledgling mission. What's your testimony? What's your gift of grace? Let us remain in relationship to the head, to Christ, as He has taught us, and take that grace into our lives, however it may be given. Let us remember His teachings of humility for these twelve on their first mission, and the power in that judgment, no matter what it looks like on worldly terms. Jesus teaches us a different way of relating, of being in the world. Let us endeavor to accept it.