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.
Mark 6:1-6
I remember coming across a post on social media many years ago from a man who was trying to get a coffee shop off the ground in his hometown. He was upset, and he claimed that the people who should be supporting him the most: his friends, family, community, and church, were all letting him down because he wasn’t getting the support he expected he would get.
I think of that man often when I see people upset about not having the support of their closest people when they are trying something new in life. Often, it’s said, that the people who don’t know you will support you far more than the people in your inner circle.
I have found that to be true at times in my life, but I’ve also encountered a lot more support than I ever expected at other times. It varies, honestly.
Jesus had this problem, but on a larger scale. Can you imagine walking around performing miracles, healing people, spreading a message of love and acceptance as people claimed you were God, and yet those in your social circles and community didn’t believe it?
That is what today’s gospel reading brings us. Jesus is back home, hanging out with his friends and family and he starts doing his usual teaching.
(Side note: Notice when the Bible uses the word disciple and when it uses apostle. Did you know there’s a difference in those two things? I thought they were the same thing, honestly. However, they are different. See, disciple means “student”. So, by that definition, we are ALL disciples of Christ. Where as apostle was specifically the twelve. Rabbi, which Jesus is often called, means teacher. So, teacher to the students: rabbi-disciple. Anyhoo, I had to throw that in here.)
So, back to JC. He’s teaching in his own little neighborhood, and the people who he was raised with are all like, “Who does this guy think he is? Isn’t this Mary and Joe’s son? Isn’t this the guy we’ve always known and hung out with?” They seem appalled that he’s spitting all of this new wisdom at them, and they aren’t having it. They are actually offended by what he is saying and doing, rather than being proud of him and honoring and accepting him.
I’m sure it was hurtful to Jesus to not have those people believe in him. Maybe the thing we can take from this specific reading is this: support those around you, even when what they are doing isn’t exactly popular or in alignment with what you expect of them. A gentle pat on the back to someone trying something new can be extremely encouraging. A little like or love on social media, a swing by a local coffee shop or store, an encouraging word to someone trying out a new ministry at church, telling that new lector they are doing a good job, or even giving a frazzled parent who has chased their child around the church during Mass a smile and telling them you are glad to see them AND their kids can make a world of difference.
Little acts of kindness can change the world. We can’t expect a magical blanket of world peace to fall upon us if we aren’t able to recognize the divinity in our neighbors and extend even the smallest bits of love their way.
Don’t just accept Jesus, accept your neighbor, and love them both. (& their coffee shops. lol)
THAT can bring peace to our world, and to our souls.
Nicheless Wonder 