Jesus Frowns On Unbelief

𝐀𝐔𝐆. 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐔𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐎𝐑𝐈, 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐋𝐞𝐯 𝟐𝟑:𝟏, 𝟒-𝟏𝟏, 𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟕, 𝟑𝟒-𝟑𝟕

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟖𝟏:𝟑-𝟔, 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟏 “𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝟏𝟑:𝟓𝟒-𝟓𝟖

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆:  “..𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅.” (𝒗.54)

         What was striking in the Gospel passage today was what Matthew wrote about at the end of this narrative: “𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒇.” (𝒗.58)        

        While the Gospel writer did not say if Jesus left when the people in his own town of Nazareth and his kinsfolks took to his teaching with unbelief and refused to believe even if they were astonished (𝐯.𝟓𝟒) this passage showed in very clear terms what awaits those who will refuse to listen to Him.

         It also means that taking the Words of Jesus to our hearts has its rewards – the eternal inheritance that awaits those who will believe in Jesus and obey his commands, and so too do unbelief and rejection has its corresponding pitfall. For if we are to translate what the last verse really meant, it simply says that Jesus will not come or reveal Himself to anyone who does not believe.

         What happened following his discourse at the synagogue at Nazareth was that the people already stood condemned for rejecting Jesus because only those “𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒊𝒎 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.” (𝑱𝒏 3:16) In the same way, those who will ignore and ascribe his works to Satan stand accused of the unpardonable sin.  

         What Jesus faced in Nazareth was part of the natural human process because no person could be more critical of us than our own kin and neighbors who have known us from our childhood days. In fact, if we only take stock of our present situation, we will realize that we too have at times been critical of the person beside us especially in the Church or the Community to which we belong.

         Jesus faced a severe test when he returned to his hometown and the people at the synagogue though astonished and marveled at his wisdom could not admit that the son of someone they knew as a carpenter could speak with such authority.

         And we see part of ourselves in those at the synagogue because this is also what is happening when we sneer and or reject the homily of the priest-celebrant at Mass because he was not a good speaker or simply because we refused to hear and listen to the homily of the priest.

         The same is true with someone who was invited to give the reflection before a Community and our listening ears are influenced by our bias against the invited speaker. This is why the Scriptures is such a beautiful book because what happened some 2,500 years ago is still happening today and the reality is that all the elements that are necessary for our salvation is clearly written in the Scriptures.

         In other words, the Scriptures should serve as a manual for daily living in the present time and the beauty of it all is that the Scriptures allows us to stay away from situations that will cause us to veer away from the path leading to the Kingdom of God. But if we do, then we are no different from the people of Nazareth who rejected Jesus and if we find the door to heaven is shut, we only have ourselves to blame.

         There is nothing wrong with poring over Christian books and other publications such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Rediscovering Catholicism, Theology, and Doctrinal Documents. All these are intended to strengthen the faith that has been infused among baptized Catholics.

         These documents are also a big help in providing the lay faithful with the necessary tools to know more of our Catholic Faith, the Church and more importantly the Liturgy, Eucharist and the Sacraments. But the Sacred Scriptures is where we get to know the person and character of Jesus which is what Jesus wants to replicate in our nature.

         Besides, no person can rightfully claim he is a preacher or a teacher if he cannot teach or preach from the Scriptures. Remember that the only thing that the Apostles had with them when they were starting to build the Church was the Scripture and the Traditions that Jesus had passed on to them.

         In this passage, Jesus presents us with the reality that many times we sidle up to him not for what he is saying but for what he can do for us. While relationships are a two-way process, we at times look at relationships in terms of what we can get out of it. The people of Nazareth have heard of the miracles Jesus had performed in other towns, and they also want the same.

         But instead of performing a miracle to feed their curiosity, Jesus startled them with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God can receive honor among his own people (𝐯.𝟓𝟕). The people of Nazareth took offense and retaliated by refusing to listen to him not knowing that their action will forever keep them out of the sheepfold.

         Isn’t this the same with us as we look down on the workingman, carpenters, farmers, fishermen and we dismiss whatever they say because they could not possibly be wiser than we are. We look at our lowly neighbors with contempt. This is the same thing in the Church where members who believe they know everything usually look down on others with indifference.

         But what we don’t know is that when we do this, we have effectively blocked the flow of Grace into our own lives because Jesus will not work in the hearts of those who are filled with unbelief and discrimination.

         This is what happens when people in a Church or a Community come together and talk negatively about another person because when they do this, they also effectively block any other view regardless of how positive these may be and believe only in themselves.

         The word "Gospel" means the "Good News" and the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟔𝟏:𝟏-𝟐). Jesus came to set us free from the worst tyranny of all -- the tyranny of slavery to sin and the fear of death, and to reject Him leads to the destruction of our bodies and souls.

         We must always keep in mind that man cannot save himself as it is God's power alone that can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from the fear of death and hopelessness. And we cannot preach the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth unless we too have heard the Good News and have taken it to heart.

         It is thru obedience to His Word that we can become the “Good News.” In other words, we preach what Jesus had done to our lives and we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake (𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟒:𝟓). (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘈𝘶𝘨. 1, 2025)