by Fr. Tommy Lane
“Familiarity breeds contempt” is the proverb and that certainly applies to the people of Nazareth in today’s Gospel (Mark 6:1-6). Jesus had performed many miracles elsewhere in Galilee but when he came to Nazareth, their lack of openness closed their hearts to Jesus. When Jesus was growing up, it was a small town covering about 60 acres with a population of under 500 (Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary 4:1050) and probably everybody knew everybody else’s business. At least they thought they did in the case of Jesus. They knew Jesus was a carpenter. A city called Sepphoris, four miles northwest of Nazareth, had numerous construction projects at the time Jesus was growing up and the people of Nazareth may have seen Joseph, and Jesus before he began his public ministry, setting out to go to work there some mornings and returning again in the evening, or have seen Joseph supply materials for it. They knew Jesus’ mother Mary and knew Jesus’ cousins mentioned in the Gospel today, James and Joses and Jude and Simon, who in the culture at that time in that part of the world were called your “brothers and sisters.” Mary was “ever-Virgin” as we say in our prayers. Jesus had performed many miracles elsewhere in Galilee but when he came to Nazareth their lack of openness closed their hearts to Jesus. What Jesus experienced at Nazareth he continues to experience today. Jesus does not force his way into anyone’s heart because he respects our freedom. But just as the people of Nazareth lost out, if we ever close our hearts to Jesus, we too lose out. It is our loss whenever we close our heart to Jesus and what a loss that is.
There were four people at least in Nazareth who did not close their hearts to Jesus but had hearts fully open to Jesus and believed in him. Above all we can think of his mother Mary, the first to believe in him, the first Christian, and the second is Joseph. Another Nazareth inhabitant who opened her heart to Jesus was another Mary, whom Matthew and Mark tell us was the mother of two of the four cousins mentioned in our Gospel today, James and Joses, and that she was near Jesus’ cross on Calvary with the other women (Mark 15:40; Matt 27:56). John tells us that she was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, so she was Jesus’ aunt (19:25). One of her sons, James, is believed to be the James who became one of Jesus’ apostles (assuming James the Less is the same person as James the son of Alpheus) and he became bishop of Jerusalem after Peter went to Rome. So, although Jesus’ suffered enormous rejection in Nazareth, he experienced four hearts very open to him: his mother Mary, Joseph, his aunt also called Mary, and her son, his cousin James.
That is how it is today also. While many do not seem to have time for Jesus, there are many who have opened their hearts to Jesus, you included. You are the Mary and Joseph, and Mary, and James of today. Just as Nazareth needed their witness to Jesus, the world today needs your witness to Jesus. The world of today needs the light of Jesus more than ever. You are the Mary and Joseph and Mary and James of Nazareth, and the world needs you to shine the light of Jesus. Parents sometimes say they are worried about their children who seem to be like the people of Nazareth with hearts closed to Jesus. It is understandable that parents may feel hurt if a child wanders from the faith, but they should not blame themselves. You gave your children the seed of faith. Keep hoping that one day the seed will produce a harvest as in the Parable of the Sower. In the meantime, your prayers will continue to help, as well as your witness to Jesus and your love. Think of St. Monica. She was praying for years for St. Augustine to be baptized. Finally, her prayers were answered when at the age of 31 he allowed himself to be baptized by Bishop Ambrose of Milan. About five years later he was ordained a priest, and a bishop after another five years. So, keep hoping and keep praying. Like the two Marys from Nazareth, stay near Jesus’ cross in prayer. Like James from Nazareth, stay with Jesus.
The people of Nazareth thought they knew all about Jesus. They thought they had him all summed up. But they only knew him superficially. They did not know that Jesus is God and they rejected him. There are three opinions about people: your opinion of yourself, others’ opinion of you, and God’s opinion of you. In Nazareth, the people’s opinion of Jesus was faulty. The opinion that matters is what was the Father spoke when Jesus was baptized, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22) Again and again in the Gospel of John we hear Jesus making statements about he and the Father being one (for example, John 10:30, 38; 14:24; 16:32). In this culture here at this time, people can have a negative view of you because you go to Mass. It would be a pity to allow their negative opinion to influence your view of yourself. The opinion that really matters is God’s view of you. The people of Nazareth got it wrong about Jesus. People today may get it wrong about you when you practice your faith. What matters is not the erroneous judgment of others, but that you know, like Mary and Joseph and Mary and James of Nazareth, that Jesus is God, that you love him and that you want to devote yourself to him and worship him on Sunday.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Fourteenth Sunday of Year B
Accepting Jesus into our House and Heart 2018
Jesus could work no miracle because they rejected him
Jesus continues his Ministry through the Church 2009
Related Homilies: Second Reading Carrying Our Cross after Jesus
Gospel: Commentary The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus