A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house

 

 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 not 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 work 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 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat back to His ministry's "home" territory of Capernaum, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "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."  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her 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.  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 not 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.  Christ's own country is the town of Nazareth in Galilee.  My study Bible remarks that this double response of being both astonished and offended is a frequent occurrence with those who encounter Christ (Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Jesus' rejection in His own country is a foreshadowing of His rejection by His whole nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Christ's brothers and sisters are either extended family or children from a previous marriage by Joseph, Christ's earthly guardian, who was already elderly when Mary the Theotokos was betrothed to him.  "Brother" is frequently found in tradition and throughout the Bible to refer to many different relations, such as cousins, nephews, uncles, etc.

 

 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 work 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.  My study Bible tells us that Jesus could do no mighty work there, not because He lacked power, but because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.  It comments that while grace is always offered to all, only those who receive it in faith obtain its benefits.  Christ's statement, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house," appears in all four Gospels.

 

 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.   The twelve disciples now become apostles, those who are sent out on a mission; in the Greek of the Gospels the word for disciple means "learner" and apostle means "one sent out" (as on a mission).  Note that Jesus gave them power; this is His power which He used in His own healing, signs, and exorcisms.  St. Mark here reports that they were sent out two by two.  In the Gospel of St. Matthew, the names are given in pairs (Matthew 10:1-4).  Perhaps these pairs are those who traveled together on this first mission.  Let us note the humble way in which they are to go from place to place:  without bag, nor bread, nor copper money.  Even their clothing is to be simple and minimal.  There is nothing grandiose in their manner or appearance to impress people with anything but the power He's given them, so that only those who truly desire to receive them or their message will do so.  In this way also, they cannot be accused of greed, and they will learn dependence upon God.

 

 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  My study Bible has a commentary regarding anointing the sick with oil.  It says that this has not only medicinal value but sacramental value as well.  It notes that God's healing power is bestowed through creation (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15, 19:11-12).  In the same way, oil is a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).

 

 As we noted above, Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house" appears in some form in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).  Therefore it's in some sense a very important statement, one we must take note of.  It seems appropriate to notice that in the same reading where we are told He is rejected in His hometown by the people among whom He grew up, we're also told of Jesus sending out His apostles on their first mission to go preach, to practice exorcisms, and to heal the sick.  Notably, we can compare His experiences in Nazareth with the missions of the apostles.  In Nazareth, we're told that He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And even Jesus is surprised by His reception in His hometown, where they are astonished, but also offended because of the marvelous words He displays, His wisdom, and even His works.  He's not the same person they thought they knew.  Even Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.   What does that tell us about this phenomenon?  Yet, it is supremely human.  It would seem that our impulse to resentment at those who in some ways surpass our own expectations might be universal; however, in this case, the offense comes because of the actions and gifts of God, and the rejection has the effect of tamping down even Christ's capacity for using divine power among people.  For as we have already observed many times, it is faith that makes the difference in receiving the work of God among us.  Then on the other hand, we read of the apostles being sent out on their first mission.  It would seem that as Christ is rejected in one place so as for Him to marvel, the apostles are sent out -- with His power -- to preach and cast out demons and heal, and so His work is spread out among the people as is His word, carried among the apostles.  One old door is shut to Him, and He sends them out, and new doors are opened in the places where they are welcomed.  Since Jesus has already likened the growth the kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed that grows such that even the birds of the air can take rest in the shade, we can understand this growth (see this reading from last week).  We should perhaps consider this a kind of a pattern that reflects the work of God in the world.  When it is suppressed or rejected in one place, it will go to another where it can bloom and shoot out new branches, creating surprising growth that may indeed astonish.  At any rate, this is our Lord's response to His rejection in His hometown, to send out the apostles on this first mission, to send out His power even through "new vessels" and a new mission.  Today's reading also teaches us that we must be prepared for rejection, for if even the Lord is rejected at home and among His own, so none of us can say we won't be treated any differently.  As He has said Himself, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!" (Matthew 10:24-25).  Perhaps this pattern of rejection and expansion is also seen in the Cross.  Christ's death and Resurrection -- and Ascension into heaven -- fits the same.  Death in any form cannot stop the power of God in our world, but it may go elsewhere and turn to new forms.  Let us always be ready to receive it.