"Jesus left there and went to his home town, accompanied by his disciples.....He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were surprised......They took offence at him. And he was amazed at their lack of faith." (Mark 6:1-6)
Adjacent to the Epworth Hospital in Richmond, Melbourne, is an eye clinic run by Dr Medownick. Dr Medownick treats eyes in a special way, and most of his patients experience a great improvement in their sight. In the foyer of his clinic is an elephant made from basket-weave. There is an opening in its back. Satisfied patients are invited to place the glasses they no longer have use for in the elephant, for distribution in needy areas. The elephant fills quickly.
Recently while reading the Gospel story about Jesus' reception in his home town, I found myself thinking about Dr Medownick. It occured to me that Jesus' relatives and neighbours could have done with some help from the good doctor! Obviously, their sight wasn't very good. When Jesus came among them, they saw him in a sense, but they didn't really see the person who was before the, talking, teaching and healing.
The people of Jesus' town thought they knew him. After all, he had lived among them since he was a child. They had seen him every day for years. It seems as though Jesus didn't do anything particularly outstanding during his childhood. At the age of 30 he left home, and started on his mission. After some time, he returned home, doing there what he had done in other places. However, because his family members and neighbours had been so used to seeing Jesus, they were blinded. They were somehow not able to see how special he was.
" 'Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. Aren't his sisters here with us?' And they took offence at him."
The old saying, "familiarity breeds contempt", proved to be true. The people thought they knew Jesus through-and-through. They thought they could see him as he was. They were not favourably impressed by his teaching and healing, for, in their prejudiced eyes, he was putting on a show.
I wonder if there is a special message for us in this Gospel story? I wonder if thinking about the "defective, prejudiced sight" of the people in Jesus' town could trigger a personal reflection for us, a reflection about how we see Jesus?
Like those people 2000 years ago in Palestine, most of us, who are active Church members, have seen a lot of Jesus, too. For years, he has lived among us. Given this, could it be that we have a prejudiced view of him? Could it be that we think we really know everything there is to know about him? Do we think we really see him as he is, with open, clear, functioning eyes? Is it possible, though, that Jesus wants to come to us in new ways, that he wants us to see him differently?
Possibly Jesus is saying to us, "Come to me, let me 'do a Dr Medownick with your eyes of faith', so that you can see me with true 20-20 vision. Throw away those old 'prejudiced glasses'. Put them in the elephant basket!"
An indication that we might need to have our eyes of faith attended to is if our religious practice has become very comfortable. Jesus did offer words of comfort to his followers, but they are not the main focus of his teaching. The challenging words of the Sermon on the Mount are more central.
In primary school, we might have looked at Jesus, imagining him as "gentle Jesus, meek and mild". But for an adult follower of Jesus, the picture of him is different, and it can constantly change for the person who takes up the challenge of trying to see him, in the changing world of today.
Jesus was surprised by the response of his family and neighbours to himself and his ministry. Our response to reading this story could be to surprise Jesus, too, but in a positive way! We could surprise him by opening our eyes, trying to envision new ways of living the Gospel. We are called to look at our world with its needs, and we are called to look at Jesus and to learn from him.
Fr Bill Burt SVD is an Australian member of the Indonesia-Ende Province of the Society of the Divine Word and is currently assigned in mission as part of the community at the Seminary at Ledalero on the island of Flores. Fr Bill mentors young priests who are preparing for overseas placements.