Monday of the Third Week of Lent
Most of us have probably experienced a time in our lives when someone said something or did something to us that caused us to feel rejected. The pain is even more intense when the people that we love and care about are the very people that cannot accept us. How do we deal with these challenging circumstances?
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus experiences rejection from the people of Nazareth. These were the people who knew him as a young boy. These were the ones that shared meals with him and watched him grow up. I am sure that Jesus was hurt because those He knew so well were unable to love Him and accept Him for who He was. How does He deal with this rejection? Jesus knows who He is- the Son of His Father who loves Him abundantly. Jesus realizes that who He is and what He has been called to do is rooted in the deep love that He and the Father share. Jesus invites us to follow Him when faced with rejection. He calls us to recognize that even though we may feel rejected we should not be defeated, since each of us is a child of God who is loved beyond our understanding. Our worth and purpose should rest completely on this truth alone, and when we truly believe in God’s love for us then we can show Him our love by doing His will.
In the gospel reading today, Jesus has returned to Nazareth, His home town. He has come back to share with His friends, family and neighbors the Good News. He reads the scripture from Isaiah pronouncing that He is the one who the prophet Isaiah promised would heal the blind, set captives free because the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. The people listening in the synagogue couldn’t believe what He was saying could be true, since they only knew Him as Jesus- “Joseph’s son.” I can only imagine how Jesus must have felt. He has come to the place where people know Him well, hoping for their love and approval, and He receives total rejection. Although I am sure Jesus felt great sadness, He did not allow this to deter Him. He turns to scripture and recalls that “no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” (Luke 4: 24) He recalls the prophets of the past, Elijah and Elisha and uses these stories to illustrate to His listeners that even in the face of unbelief He must continue to go forward with His mission. He now knows that He will need to take His ministry beyond the town of His childhood and share it with those who will be able to see Him for who He is. The people of Nazareth are outraged by Jesus’ comments because they recognize He is highlighting their lack of faith as the reason that He could not perform “miracles” as He had in other places. Although in their anger they try to kill Him, Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went away.” (Luke 4:30) When reflecting on this encounter, Jesus displays an inner peace and courage that is remarkable. I believe that this can only come from His connection with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus was truly human, so He certainly experienced rejection, but because of the Father’s love and the grace of the Spirit, He was able to move forward. Jesus calls us to do the same.
What does this mean for those of us who are disciples of Jesus? I know that there have been many times when someone said something (or didn’t say anything) or acted a certain way to me that hurt me. In many cases, my first instinct is to run and hide and become completely crushed by this encounter. This becomes not just a one time event, but in many cases it spirals into full blown feelings of worthlessness and self-pity. This is where I think Jesus wants us to take note. If we are able to understand that we have been created by God and are loved so much by Him that He sent Jesus for our salvation, then we should recognize our worth does not rest in the words and actions of others around us. Like Jesus we must turn to the Father in prayer, ask for His Spirit and seek Him through scripture, so we will also be able to find peace and courage in the midst of rejection. There will be times in our lives as Christians that others will not be able to accept who we are and what we are being called to do. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and His ways will allow us to move forward and continue do what God has called us to do despite the difficulties we encounter. Jesus calls us to move beyond rejection and not be defeated, since our worth should be based on God’s love for us, and His love is eternal and without measure.
"Heavenly Father, You love us so much that You gave your Son, Jesus to bring us salvation. He shows us how to follow Him and He teaches us to find our purpose and meaning in your loving embrace. Send down Your Spirit so we may know Your love so well that we can find peace and courage even in adversity and carry on with the mission that you have given to us. May we live our lives doing your will as a sign of our love for you, and may all that we do and say give you glory. We pray this through Christ our LORD. AMEN"
- Marylynn Herchline