He walked away

 ‘…But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way..’ (Luke 4:30)

Luke 4:21-30 (Year C: Epiphany+4)

This passage picks up on a story from last Sunday. Jesus stirs things up in the local synagogue by announcing from the prophet Isaiah that freedom is on its way.  In this Sunday’s reading the situation rapidly deteriorates to a point where Jesus is faced with a premature near-death encounter as the local mob (his very own village neighbours and possibly his extended family too) try to throw him ‘headlong’ from the top of the local hill top which was by a cliff..

It would be easy to dismiss the highly aggressive and hostile response of the local community where Jesus grew up as indicative of a completely different culture, times and circumstances.  But, is the story of the violent reaction to Jesus’ teaching and behaviour that out of line with the lived reality in ordinary communities, workplaces and families today? (and even churches?). Violence and exclusion can take many forms.

The fickleness of people…

At the outset, the very positive reception of Jesus followed by complete rejection by the local community reminds us, perhaps, of those regular opinion polls and election swingometers: public opinion can shift very rapidly especially in ‘marginal’ constituencies.  The history of the 20^th century continues to demonstrate this. One moment Jesus is a popular sensation; the next moment people are trying to literally kill him.  What was it that triggered such anger and so quickly? Jesus seems to have touched on a very raw nerve. It looks as if what he said and how he said cut deeply into those listening. Somehow, Jesus response to the question ‘Is not this Joseph’s son’ got in under a deep insecurity in those listening.  They had built their lives, their families, their hopes, their little statuses, their self-identity and their righteousness on particular beliefs, assumptions, codes and perceptions. Jesus seems to threaten and undermine this in his throwing out a provocative series of statements imitating his audience (at least some of them): “Doctor, cure yourself!” and “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’ 

Popular acclaim turns to rage…

Jesus goes on to cite two stories from the Hebrew scriptures where two prophets, Elijah and Elisha, were sent to foreigners (respectively to a foreign widow in Sidon which lies in modern day Lebanon and, ironically for us in 2016, a foreigner from Syria who had leprosy). This was much too far for super confident leading persons in the village of Nazareth.  Enough was enough for them. This would be akin, in some modern day circles, to allowing lower breeds of Christian disciples to share in our table of the eucharist because they do not share our theological system or have not signed up to a list of very selective ethical behaviours we have set for outsiders and insiders

And to really rub it in Jesus says: ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.’ This hurt and suddenly the rabbinic prophet pop idol becomes public enemy number one. There follows a dramatic scene in which Luke pictures Jesus being forcibly taken to the top of the hill for the purposes of the administration of justice (no need here for Roman guards, trials and hearings – the Nazareth kangaroo court knows what it is doing). That his captors meant serious business is clear because, according to some translations of the Bible, the crowd’s plan was to ‘cast him down headlong’. In other words the plan was not for a soft landing with heads up.

And then like an episode from a James Bond film the hero – our hero – just ‘passed through the midst of them and went on his way’. Cool.

Why didn’t Jesus stay and fight? Why didn’t he argue it out with his captors? Where was Mary and all of Jesus’ brethren when all of this was happening? Couldn’t someone have done something?

The point is that Jesus was in Nazareth for a reason: to announce his mission and purpose and move on.  Clearly, he was breaking with his local community.  Apart from the call to travel further afield he had no business staying with a community that simply could not or would not accept Jesus as he really was and as he was becoming in terms of his public ministry which was starting. The die was cast and the hand had been laid to the plough (Luke 9:62) and there was no going back now. But, there is a particular point to the story of what happened in Nazareth. Jesus was indicating very clearly that he was not going to remain stuck in a relationship with his local community where there was no acceptance of the message he was relaying (rejection of a person is one thing; rejection of his/her message is another).

Time for Jesus to break free…

And, so, there are times when we have to move on from a particular relationship or situation. This in no way takes from the call to honour our commitments including our solemn ones. Neither is it being suggested that we flee from conflict or trouble or adversity. Rather, it means that there will be times, places, occasions and persons where for the sake of a greater good for all concerned that we walk away with our peace, our integrity and our dignity intact. This takes courage and trust. Luke does not tell us who went with Jesus when he ‘passed through the midst of them and went on his way’.  It is possible that he was not accompanied on this occasion in which case he walked alone as he walked away.  It is possible that he went away to the hills to be on his own and to pray (a very Lucan type of scenario). We don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus was not going to engage further with those folk. In any case, there was little choice because it was wholly destructive to the point of involving death.

There are times – hopefully very rare – when we have to walk away for God’s sake and everyone else’s sake.