He 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. (Mk 6,1-2)
Native place, in the case of Jesus, seems to raise a question. Native place is where one has grown from his childhood days. The people of the place know the individual thoroughly. They know his origin, his parents, his talents, his strengths and weaknesses.
They have a slot and one has to fit into that fully. The way one dresses, speaks and moves about can be easily
detected (and predicted) if one knows the place of the origin of the individual. One is cultured in his own village.
When one behaves differently in his own native place then people wonder as if something has happened to him.
People expected him to be another synagogue preacher. They expected him to tell people how to obey the law of God. They thought that he would explain the prophets.
But he was speaking on his own authority: and from where he was, the kingdom was etc. This is the odd thing. But they have heard what he has done in other places and what he has preached and how people followed him in crowds.
Lack of faith, it seems, seriously hinders Jesus’ power. This is an important message.
When Jesus is seen with human eyes, social eyes etc, then he is a Jew and all that he has that belong to the
town of Nazareth.
When he is seen with an eye of faith, then he is the Son of God, Messiah, preacher of the kingdom of God and
miracle worker.
Will we find faith in the native place, in our relatives and friends. Caution: this should not be an excuse for our inactivity.
Faith yes, even in the native place!!!
