Are people capable of changing? Is it possible to understand the inner workings of another's thoughts and motivations? Do we really know other people like we think we do? Do we even know ourselves?
There's an idea in Ireland (and probably other places around the world as well) that you shouldn't put yourself too far out in front of the pack. You should be satisfied with your place in life and not aspire to greatness. Self-confidence is only one step removed from hubris. The tallest poppy is the first to get cut down.
If you combine the ideas from these two paragraphs together (that we sometimes don't even fully understand ourselves, let alone others, that we as well as others are capable of change, and that there is a human tendency to want to pull others back to the pack when they venture too far out in front), then we might have a pretty good idea of what was going on in the minds of Jesus' neighbors from his hometown of Nazareth in Mark 6:1-6a (NRSV).
"He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, 'Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?' And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.' And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief."
I didn't grow up around anyone who has "hit the big time!" No one from my hometown or the schools I attended has become famous. I can imagine that though there would be great pride held by others on behalf of a local guy or gal done well, there might also be some level of envy directed towards them. I played basketball my senior year in High School with a teammate who excelled in baseball and who pitched in college, the minors, in the Chinese league, had a brief stint in the majors. Successful, yes, but a household name, no. I should also mention that he's one of the most likeable and humble people I've ever met. So, I don't personally know what it would be like to have grown up around someone who became renowned or acclaimed, but it must illicit mixed feelings on behalf of those who knew, or at least thought they knew them well.
Humans sometimes struggle with envy, but we also tend to put others in boxes. We categorize people. Someone is either introverted or extroverted. They are either logical or creative. They are a jock or a nerd. Rather than acknowledging that most people reside somewhere on a spectrum in all of these categories (and that it is possible that these categories can be blended together), it's tidier to keep others safely behind the lock and key of our own, often imagined cages of categorization. It might be hard to believe that the shy kid in the far corner, might have people skills just waiting to be unlocked at the right time and in the right situation. It's easier to assume that the star football player, probably can't play an instrument, would never be an avid reader, or isn't possibly a gifted actor. It's also easy to assume that what we see now, is what we'll get forever. We often forget that people can and do change. We are all capable of evolving and becoming more tomorrow, than what we are today.
So, for the people of Nazareth, it was hard to believe that Jesus, the local carpenter, had not only become a famous rabbi, but that his powerful teaching and his powerful acts of healing were legitimate. They had seen this young man when he was but a toddler. They had witnessed him, and his younger siblings attend synagogue and other local events with their parents through the years. He might have been an awkward adolescent, as many precocious young people are. Like every human being who has ever lived, it would have taken time for Jesus to develop and to slowly figure out this complex world and his place within it. As the people of Nazareth attested, Jesus' upbringing was not extraordinary - probably no more extraordinary than most of ours. Like all of us, Jesus could and did change. He wasn't exactly the same person at the age of 30, as he had been at the age of 12, much less at those younger ages. He was not one who fit easily into a box.
This story reminds us that it's probably unwise to try to fit anyone neatly into a box. People are complex. People are diverse. People have the ability to change. And people are also capable of achieving great things, even unexpected things if given the opportunity. Who knows what might be possible if a person is in the right place at the right time under the right circumstances!!?
This story also alerts us to the danger of envy and incredulity. In Jesus' case, these two reactions went hand in hand. The fact that the local carpenter's son was capable of far more than his friends, neighbors, and even family members were willing to give him credit for, reminds us that seeing isn't always believing. They heard with their own ears his eloquent and wise teaching. Some of them saw with their own eyes his ability to lay hands on people and cure them of their illnesses. But their jealousy prevented them from even considering that God might actually be at work in the ministry of this young local upstart. Rather than being amazed at what God was doing through Jesus, Jesus was amazed at their almost supernatural ability not to believe.
So, if you have put your faith in this humble, regular guy from Nazareth. If you have imagined that it might be possible for the creator of everything, in the person of his Son, to incarnate himself and live a most ordinary, and yet extraordinary life. If you believe that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God, then you owe your brother and your sister, your friend and your neighbor an open mind. Not only should you not chain them to a real or imagined past, but you should also allow them the freedom to become more than you or even they might imagine they can be. God is at work in our world, and he usually does his most important work through people. Many times, it's those we least expect through whom God does his greatest work. As we interact with those whom God places in our path, may we be open enough to avoid placing people in a box, may we be humble enough to celebrate his work through the unexpected, and may we be hopeful enough to embrace our own possibilities for the future. - Shay
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