Readings: 1Cor2:1-5, Ps. 119, Luke 4:16-30
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
DON’T RIDICULE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEIR HUMBLE BACKGROUND
Oftentimes we treat and respect people based on our knowledge of their background and status, so we fail to look at the image of God found in them or what God is doing through them. This is because our judgment is the product of human wisdom and when our faith is based on this kind of wisdom we are bound to neglect and treat others with contempt.
This is the situation in our Gospel passage today. For when Jesus came to Nazareth, his own town, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He taught the people about his mission as prophesied by prophet Isaiah and at the end he said to them, this text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. But in contempt they said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely? As they ridiculed him, Jesus said ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. For this reason they tried to kill him.
Here, we see Jesus who preached about inclusion, found himself excluded. His listeners were frightened at his message and because of familiarity, he was rejected by his own people who glory in their wisdom which is based on their knowledge of his humble background. This is because they lack true faith as they depend on their human knowledge and philosophy.
This kind of ugly attitude is what St. Paul is addressing in our first reading today when he said: During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, for I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.
Dear friends, our relationship with Jesus should not be based on this kind of philosophy, rather it should based on our personal experience of the power and love of God in our lives. For it is this personal experience that will help us to embrace his words convincingly and never look down on anyone, but see in all the light of God’s presence. Therefore, we are called today to be accommodating and never try to treat anyone with contempt, because anyone can be a potential vessel of God blessings to us.
LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of pride and ignorance, we have often treated people with contempt because of their humbled background, help us today to realize that everyone is a potential instrument of your blessings and so learn to accommodate people, we ask this this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week ahead.
