Aneel Aranha's video: February 3 2021 - Home Bitter Home - A Reflection on Mark 6:1-6

Do not feel dejected because you are rejected by your own. Keep moving ahead and let others receive Christ through you. https://youtu.be/bKBQIvmtGO4 Scripture Reading: Mark 6:1-6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.” Reflection A person surely cannot deny of having judged a book by its cover at least once in a life time. Most of us would have thought that a book with many pictures would make for interesting reading than the one with only words in it. Then there are people who characterise other people in certain ways. For example, to those fascinated with zodiac signs, getting to know a person does not really matter. Just a few behaviour patterns are enough and they’ll make an opinion about that person. Well guess what, nobody wants to be judged by anybody, and yet those who are the closest to us, many a times keep judging us quite intensely. Again, many people choose to swim along in the current of stereotypes. “Since this is how you are, you won’t be able to do that. Because you are from there, that’s why you behave like that. Oh the way you speak, you must be from that community, right?” So on and so forth. Surely this might sound familiar to you. It sure does to me from personal experiences. In the process of making stereotypes of people, we build certain invisible walls around us and walls so strong that even we ourselves are unable to take help to break them when we desperately need to. Thus, failing to experience something good, someone valuable, somewhere memorable. Our Blessed Lord was no stranger to the stereotypes of his time, culture, place and people. Which is why many couldn’t see beyond his family ties and his Dad’s profession. The result was that the savior of the world could not give much to his own, in His hometown, as He did in several other places for the salvation of men. Therefore, His own people could not experience the power and glory of the living presence of God reaching out to them all, several times. And so, He counted Himself among those messengers of God, who are not welcomed by their own, in their own land. As as result of their unwelcoming attitude, the people in Lord’s hometown, experienced only a tiny measure of the work of salvation from the God who gives freely in abundance. My dear friends, there were people who amazed Jesus with their faith then and amaze Him even now. Then there are those whose unbelief amazed Jesus then and amazes Him even now. When we realise in which of these two categories we fall into, we would have come close to making the choice of either judging Jesus and helplessly see Him pass by towards others or having entrusted ourselves to Him, receive the abundant merits of His work of salvation, now and forever. God bless you!