Gospel MK 6:1-6

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul, Minnesota 

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

As far as we can determine, Jesus was not formally trained in any rabbinic school, nor was he educated to be a temple priest or scribe. He was not a follower of any of the Pharisees, or Sadducees or the Essenes. He was in a way, a layman, an everyday Jew. Because of his commonness, his arrival on the public scene with the powerful messages and great acts of signs and wonders baffled and dumbfounded friends and foes. The Gospel of Mark 6:1-6 said he visited his native place with his disciples after the healing of the man with demonic spirit in Gerasene, the restoration of the health of the woman with hemorrhages and the raising of the daughter of Jairus from death (Mk. 5). On the sabbath day, he was in the synagogue teaching; and people who heard him were greatly astonished. In their amazement they asked, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of knowledge has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!” Now, rather than be drawn to him, they rejected him. Why? Because they knew him. He was a common carpenter, the son of a common carpenter, and the son of a common woman, Mary. Trapped in their wonderland as for where Jesus got his wisdom, power and authority since it was not known that he received any formal training or followed any of the rabbis, they turned against him. Their rejection and lack of faith made Jesus say, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”  

But what Jesus’ hometown folks did not understand is that the Nazarene Carpenter with no formal religious education is the Messiah. He does not need to be trained to know. He knows! He does not need to read and study to possess knowledge. He is the Fountain of knowledge. He does not need anyone or any experience to confer wisdom on him. He is wisdom. And throughout his ministry, Jesus speaks and acts like God. He is Yahweh in human flesh. Whenever he speaks and acts, he does so with an unprecedented authority. That’s why at the Sermon on the Mount, he boldly said when speaking about anger, adultery, divorce, oat-taking, retaliation, and love of enemies, “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors…”  “You have heard that it was said…” (Matt. 5:21-48), “but I say to you…” By those words, Jesus was referring to the Torah, the teaching of Moses, the court of final appeal to every faithful rabbi, and he was claiming for himself an authority greater than that of Moses, who was Israel’s most significant teacher and law-giver. He was making a bold claim that says, ‘even though Moses said that, now, I say this.” 

One of the greatest mistakes many make today is to say that Jesus was an interesting person, a good man and probably a prophet or a religious figure like all other religious figures. Jesus is not one among the many. He is not one of the religious figures. For first century Jews the Torah is the highest authority in the land because it was seen as the word of God. The person who can claim authority over the Torah is the person who himself is the author of the Torah. The early disciples of Jesus were convinced that Jesus was who he said he was— Yahweh in human flesh, the incarnation of God. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit was so persuaded that when he preached in Jerusalem, he affirmed, “…all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead… He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is therefore no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:10-12). Paul, who was a later convert was also persuaded about Jesus that he said, “…God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue must confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). St. Paul was a highly educated man. He knew the Old Testament through and through, and what is so fundamental in the Old Testament is Adonai, which means, Lord, a term used exclusively for God. So, when Paul who knew the tradition in and out said that Jesus is Lord, he knew exactly what he was saying and he knew how strange and radical it was. 

Jesus is Lord. He is God. He is Yahweh who is moving among his people. He is not one like Muhammad, or Buddha or Confucius or one of the religious figures. He is not one among the many. Mohammad never claimed to be God. He only said he was a messenger, that he received a message from God. Moses never claimed to be divine. He said he received the law from God and wants to give it to the people. The Buddha never claimed to be divine. He only said he found a way and wants people to follow it. As for Jesus, he never said he found a way, he said, “I am the way.” He never said there is a new mode of life that I found and I want to share it with you. He says, “I am the life.” He never said that there is this knowledge that I unraveled and I want you to know it for it is the truth. He said, “I am the truth.” 

It is because of who Jesus was and is that makes him to compel a choice in a way that no other founder does. It is either you are with him or you are against him. Jesus is God. He is the highest Good. If you believe in him, make him known in every street, village, town and city.