Ezekiel lives the experience of being sent by God "to the children of Israel, a rebellious people who have rebelled against me... The children also are stiff-necked and stubborn in heart; to them I send you to say, 'This says the Lord. Whether they heed you or not, for they are a rebellious people, they will acknowledge that there was a prophet in their midst.". The prospect for the prophet has no guarantee of success, on the contrary; the important thing is that he goes and that people realize that there is a prophet.
Paul's experience is not very different. Many have wondered about the nature of that sting that God has allowed so that he does not get angry. Possibly we find the answer in his words: "Therefore I will all the more gladly glory in my infirmities, that the strength of Christ may dwell in me. Wherefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions and distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.".
The sting in the flesh may consist precisely in weaknesses, outrages, difficulties, distresses, or in problems of the Corinthian Church mentioned below: "Disputes, envy, anger, rivalry, slander, murmuring, conceit, sedition.".
Therefore, Jesus in Nazareth can quote the general law: "A prophet is not despised except in his own land, among his kinsmen and in his own house." and experience their bitterness. Mark speaks of astonishment, which reflects that of the Nazarenes, who cannot believe that the Messiah is one of them, a "neighbor" whose genealogy and close relatives they know. He is the village craftsman.
In the earliest Gospel, that of Mark, we see that he is called "the son of Mary". Some authors point out that it was not usual to mention the mother, but the father. It could be a trace of a defamatory rumor according to which Jesus was an illegitimate son. This is referred to by both Celsus and Tertullian, and has found its way into medieval Hebrew writings. The hostility of the Nazarenes is surprising, and perhaps confirms these rumors, which by their nature made the news of Jesus as the Messiah even more difficult for the villagers to accept. That is why Jesus actually suffered scorn, "in his land, among his relatives and in his house".And how do you react? "And he could not perform any miracles there, he only healed a few sick people by laying his hands on them.". The sentence is remarkable: first it says "no miracle"and then instead it is said that it cured "a few sick people". As if to signify a stopping of Jesus, which was later overcome. Jesus continues his way of healing, even if it is with few people. And he continues teaching. He is not stopped by the hostility of the Nazarenes.
The homily on the readings of Sunday XIV
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.
