Belittling Jesus

The WORD in other words (2014) by Fr Randy Flores SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City

Friday 17th Week in Ordinary Time

A hero’s welcome. This is what we usually do when a successful person comes back to his or her hometown. When the child stars of the award-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire , returned from receiving their award in Los Angeles to their slum neighborhoods in Mumbai, big and frenzied crowds met them with a rousing heros’ welcome. One of the children’s mother (mother of child star, Rubina Ali) gave, however, the best hero’s welcome that she could ever think of — she prepared her daughter’s favorite chicken biryani dish.

Not even a simple snack was offered to Jesus when he returned home to his town, Nazareth, after a successful ministry around the Sea of Galilee. Instead he received what commentaries say as “belittling questions.” They were five, but can be grouped into two with the first enveloping the other:

• Belittling his person: (1) Where did this man get such wisdom?
• Belittling his relatives: (2) Is he not the carpenter’s son? (3) Is his mother named Mary? (4) Are not his sisters all with us?
• Belittling his person: (5) Where did this man get all this?

To the basic question on his wisdom, Jesus quoted a wisdom saying instead: “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” The saying is self-explanatory. Jesus did not intend to impose his will on his town mates. Receiving no honor, he honored and respected their freedom and perhaps gave them opportunity to grow in their faith even if slowly.

What are our reactions when other people belittle us? When they undermine our capacities? When they hit our families? We often hear this remark, often a threat — Okay lang kung ako ang saktan, wag lang ang aking pamilya (It’s alright if they attack me but they do that to my family, it will be a different story). Can Jesus be saying this if he was with us today.