Rejection is Inevitable
Year B: Proper 9
It is also possible to overdo ritual by the excessive multiplication of rites. Too many tassels or too few hinder the transmission of the healing power inherent in the discreet use of ritual. The sacred rites, like the garments of Jesus, do not have power of themselves. They merely clothe the reality concealed in them. To touch Jesus, we must not avoid the rituals or try to circumvent them, but go through them to the reality of his Presence. Ritual as a discipline is meant to sensitize our faculties to the sacredness of all reality.1 —Thomas Keating
Year B, Proper 9, July 7, 2024
First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm: Psalm 48
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Gospel: Mark 6:1-13
Sermon - Rejection is Inevitable
This week’s gospel reading contains two stories. The first is Mark’s version of the rejection of Jesus by his hometown, which is also found in Luke 4. The second is what is sometimes called the “limited commission,” which can also be read in Matthew 10. Both of these stories have a common theme: when we boldly preach the good news of Jesus, it is inevitable that the message will be rejected.
In Mark 6:1-6, Jesus traveled to his hometown with his disciples. As he taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath, many heard him and were astounded. After all, Jesus is just the son of Joseph and Mary. Who does he think he is? In response to this, Jesus said the famous line, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown and among their own kin and in their own house” (Mark 6:4).
The next part of this passage is kind of strange.
“And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cure them.”
Why could Jesus do no deed of power there? If you’ll remember from last week’s reading, it was the faith of the woman with the flow of blood and the faith of Jairus that led to the miracles (Mark 5:34, 36). While Jesus had miraculous power, the healing stories are often contingent upon the faith, even the little faith, of the one who is to be healed or who requests the miracle. For instance, in Mark 2, Jesus healed a paralytic who was let down through the roof by his friends. The text says, “When Jesus saw their faith…”
As Jesus left Nazareth, the Bible says that he was amazed at their unbelief.
The second passages focuses on the mission of the twelve. As he sent them out two by two, he gave them the authority to cast out demons, and he instructed them to depend upon the hospitality of the people within the villages. They were to take a minimalist approach to their travels.
However, Jesus’s instructions came with a warning: “If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you…”
Like in the first half of the reading, we learn that teaching the good news carries a risk, and that risk is that we might be rejected.
In the popular book Go for No!, Richard Fenton encourages salespeople to set a goal for the number of “no’s” they’ll get in a week. Often, salespeople will hit their minimum and stop, but his theory is that if one sets a number of no’s, they’ll learn to accept rejection, but they’ll also surpass what they think they can do.
This isn’t a bad strategy, and I think it might even be helpful to employ it as Christians to some extent. That is, we must understand that not everyone will accept the gospel; rejection is inevitable, but we shouldn’t let the possibility of rejection keep us from engaging in healthy disciple-making.
We might be rejected by our families like Jesus, and we might be rejected by total strangers like the apostles, but the few yes’s we get will be worth it all.
Second Reading: Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
In Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he had to reestablish his authority among the churches. Some of his opponents were casting doubts on Paul’s ministry, so he had to write to remind them of his character and what signs were done through him by God. Towards the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul explains that if he wanted to boast, nobody could do it better than himself, but instead, he would boast in his weakness.
According to Paul, he suffered a “thorn in the flesh” which he considered to be a messenger of Satan sent to torment him. On three occasions, Paul prayed to Jesus concerning the matter, and each time, Christ said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
There is much debate about what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. Could it have been his poor eyesight? Perhaps it was the rejection of the gospel by many of the Israelites whom he loved? Could it have been the persecution which came, in part, due to this rejection?
Regardless, Paul did not use this thorn in the flesh as an excuse to get out of doing his duty; instead, he used it as motivation. He felt that it was an honor to suffer for the sake of Christ, and he saw that this weakness, whatever it was, led to a demonstration of the power of God.
“So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
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Keating, Thomas. The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience. New York: Continuum, 2008. Print.