July 7, Ordinary 14B (Mark 6:1–13)
The disciples want to know who Jesus is. The people from his hometown do not.
For decades I have revisited a little book by Jesuit priest Robert Ochs called God Is More Present Than You Think. The claim turns out to be true in surprising ways.
Mark’s story of Jesus returning to his hometown is an unsettling reminder of what may happen when we begin to recognize—or practice—the presence of God. From one point of view, we can read it as a teaching tale: you can’t go home again. You can’t fit back into the role you once had in a family system. You can’t climb back into the cocoon. And if you’ve stayed in the cocoon, you’ll have to leave it. Growing in faith means outgrowing.
Jesus’ visit to his hometown is a reality check for his family and friends. They thought they knew him—good boy, good man, but only a local laborer. As it turns out, he is more than that, and God is more present than they thought. Jesus is in touch with a scary, mysterious source of power. To acknowledge who he is they would have to give things up: the comfort of familiarity, tribal loyalties, the claims they’ve had on him as childhood companions or family friends.
