I think I have shared with you before that one of my favorite television shows growing up was Superman starring George Reeves who played both characters, Superman and newspaper reporter Clark Kent.
As a child, I could not figure out how people did not realize that Clark Kent was Superman. After all, every time Superman was around Clark was nowhere to be found. When Superman was needed, Clark Kent conveniently disappeared. He missed out on all of the excitement.
Secondly, did the hat and eyeglasses Clark wore really change his appearance that much? Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane (two of Clark’s co-workers) had many up close and personal experiences with Superman that they had to notice, wouldn’t they? The voices of the two men (Clark and Superman) were identical, too.
But no…nobody even noticed. And why is that? Because everybody had put Clark Kent into his own special box. He was not dashing, he looked like some sort of geek, and he was a newspaper nerd. There was no way that Clark Kent could be Superman because everybody had this preconceived notion of who Clark was and how he should act. There was no way that Clark could fit the Superman mold.
How often do preconceived notions or ideas interfere with our ability to make judgments? How many times do we look at someone and make a judgment about him or her just because of the way they look, the way they act, or the way they talk? It is very easy to arrive at snap judgments about people, put them in their own box; we all do it.
This is the situation Jesus finds himself in when we read this morning in the Gospel of Mark 6:1-13. We have just followed Jesus as he cured the bleeding woman and raised from the dead the daughter of the temple official in Capernaum, Jairus (Mark 5:21-43). So far in Mark, Jesus has healed many and lots and lots of people heard his teachings. It is fairly certain that Jesus’ reputation preceded him upon his return to Nazareth, his birth city.
Jesus did what any good and reputable teacher would have done when the Sabbath arrived – he went to the synagogue and began to teach. Many of the people who heard him teaching were amazed by what he had to say. “Could this possibly be the person we have known our whole lives?” they began to ask. Suddenly, things changed.
Their response is no longer awe but outrage. The people of Nazareth put Jesus back into his box, the box they had had him in for his entire life and now refused to let him out. The cultural and social status that he was assigned a long time ago remained the same. He would not be allowed to escape it.
He was the son of a carpenter for crying out loud. The son of a carpenter would not be expected to aspire to a different social position within the culture or society. In other words, once a carpenter, always a carpenter. Because of who he was in his hometown he would not be readily accepted in places of honor (such as a teacher in the synagogue). You are who you are; you can’t change.
The societal role of Jesus makes it impossible that he could be anyone other than the neighbor’s son, despite the fact of his wisdom and power. The people of Nazareth could not wrap their minds around this. Even though they recognized his wisdom and miraculous powers, they were unable to believe it because of their preconceptions. They knew the family; therefore it was impossible that he could be what he appears to be.
Jesus struggles with their unbelief. It is because of their lack of faith that he is unable to work any miracles there. To be able to do miracles requires faith and he could not find any faith in Nazareth. We have seen a progression in the treatment of faith as we read in Mark the story of the bleeding woman, the family of Jairus, and now the people in Nazareth. We see that Jesus’ powerful presence doesn’t guarantee success.
Because of the negative attitude in Nazareth Jesus decides to send his disciples out on their first mission trip. The disciples transition to becoming apostles, which means, “to be sent.” What do we do when we go on a trip? What I really mean is how do we go about planning a trip? First of all we have to decide what we need to take. How many of you take exactly what you need? How many of you take more than you need?
What is it that we take on a trip? Usually a change of clothes, at least on change for each day, sometimes more depending on what we are doing and where we are going. We must take snacks for the trip, especially if we are driving. Reading material is usually a must. We also have to take a map so we know how to get where we are going. Or if you are more technologically advanced, you will program your GPS. In other words, we really plan things out and take a whole lot of stuff.
What does Jesus tell his disciples to take when he sends them out? A little less than we would take on a trip: a staff, the clothes on their back, and sandals. Sounds like a pretty light load, don’t you think? Mary and I picked up my brother, his wife, and son at the airport last night. They were gone for a week and each had one huge suitcase, one good-sized carry-on piece of luggage and there were two laptops to boot. But that is par for most of us, I think. We have so much stuff that we need to take it with us when we travel.
Could we have answered the call of Jesus and his instructions on what to take with us on our mission trip? You might be surprised; I think you could do it. When I went to Mexico for ten days, everything I took, including my sleeping bag, in a backpack. I didn’t think I could do it but I did. Take only what is absolutely necessary. Jesus was telling his apostles to travel light and trust God that they would get everything they needed. Stay in the first home that is opened to you. Don’t change homes because people might think you’re trying to upgrade your living accommodations. Accept what is offered you.
But be prepared that not everyone you meet will be open to the message you are carrying. There will be many like those in Nazareth. When you encounter them don’t be afraid to move on; shake the dust off your sandals. But let’s not interpret this as a “heck with you” attitude or one that seems to be giving up on them. Jesus never gives up.
Have you ever been in a discussion (or argument) with another person? The discussion is going nowhere and each person is clinging to his or her opinion. Finally you say enough; the discussion ends and you walk away. In essence, you’ve knocked the dust off your sandals. But in reality the discussion has not ended because it will continue even if it is only in your own head; maybe not immediately but somewhere down the road it will come back up.
When it does two things will happen: nothing will have happened to change your mind or you might just discover that the other person’s point of view was better than yours. When we are away from the heat of the battle we become more open to other viewpoints and ideas.
That is the way it is with Christ. We might not get it the first time. We might even argue vehemently against what is being proposed and walk away. But what Christ is saying to us will stay with us whether we know it or not. When we are finally ready, when we are finally open to God’s word our hearts will be changed.
When Christ knocks the dust from his sandals he is acknowledging that now might not be the time. I’ve planted the seeds so no sense spinning my wheels here. When the time is right his message will be received. But many people go a lifetime ignoring or refusing to accept what Christ has offered to each and every one of us.
Each of us is called by Christ to go out into the world and live the gospel, share the good news. There will be many dusty trails that we will walk but let us not become discouraged. Jesus was ignored in his hometown. We must continue to plant the seeds of faith. When people don’t believe in miracles they will never happen. If a person has no hope, they will have no faith.
We are called by Christ to share the good news and give people hope. Don’t worry. When the dust settles Christ is still there.
