[stephenkhoo]

Wednesday, 01 February, 2012, 4th Week, Ordinary Time
THE SOURCE OF JESUS’ POWER AND WISDOM IN HIS MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 SM 24:2, 9-17; MK 6:1-6

“Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him?” Yes, the people were astonished at the way Jesus preached, at His wisdom and His miraculous powers. These questions that they asked were indeed crucial questions because the answers would turn their world upside down. But what was their response? The truth was that they had no answers. They were the agnostics, skeptics and rationalists of their day. Instead of confronting the facts head-on, they evaded the whole issue by rejecting Jesus, simply because Jesus was a man who had lived among them.

But these questions are also our questions. And the way we answer these questions will affect our lives radically as well. So, how do you think Jesus, being a man, could preach so effectively, be so wise and perform such works of wonder? By extension, we must also ask where some of the great religious and world leaders of our time derive their powers from? Perhaps, we need not go very far. Haven’t we been astonished to find someone whom we thought to be insignificant, one day suddenly becoming an influential and successful person?

Again, our response can be like the townsfolk of Jesus. Deep in our hearts, we are at a loss for words. Some of us, like the agnostics, would be courageous enough to say, “We don’t know.” But others who are too egoistic would be envious of the success of their fellow peers, and try to belittle their works by rationalizing and discounting their activities. Indeed, it is difficult to believe that someone we know could be better than us, especially if that person is our peer. Don’t we feel envious sometimes when we hear of our neighour’s success, or an old classmate becoming someone of status, influence and authority in society? So we can imagine how difficult it was for Jesus’ peers and townsfolk to accept Jesus whom they knew so well. He was, after all, “the carpenter, surely the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?”

But Jesus knew the source of His energy, strength and wisdom. Jesus’ effective proclamation of the Word, both by His preaching and His deeds, were the result of His union with His Father who empowered Him with His Spirit. Indeed, all the gospels made it clear that it was Jesus’ intimacy with His Father and His empowerment by the Spirit that enabled Him to do all that He did. Jesus was simply acting in and through the Spirit of His Father, doing His will and His work. Jesus certainly was not surprised by His own wisdom and marvellous powers. It was only normal for Him to have such wisdom and powers since He was one with the Father and His Spirit. Likewise, Jesus also promised us in the same vein, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12)

In fact, as the gospel says, Jesus was equally astonished that others did not see life in this manner. He was astonished that they, and we, are astonished! Hence, there is a play on the words in today’s gospel text. The first line tells us that the townsfolk were astonished. And the last line tells us that Jesus was astonished at their lack of faith. For Jesus, it was only natural for Him to rely on God’s power and not simply His own human strength. Jesus expected all His power and strength to come from God. For Him, it was not really something unexpected. He was disappointed that His own countrymen could not accept Him. It must have been a great disappointment for Jesus because instead of finding encouragement from His own relatives and kinsmen, He was rejected. The evangelist noted, “And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house;’ and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them.” This saying of Jesus certainly came from His own personal experience.

And His experience is often ours too. Sometimes, we wonder why outside our organization, our community and our family, we are so highly regarded and sought after. People seek our counsel, desire our talents and services and appreciate our help. We are welcomed and loved and recognized. But for those who are familiar with us, whatever we say or do is often met with sarcasm, harsh criticism and our enthusiasm doused by wet blankets. Underlying such rejection is often a subtle play of politics, power, recognition and control. This is true both in the corporate world as well as in Church circles. The desire for power and to be in control is much ingrained in us. If we search deep enough within ourselves, we will find jealousy, envy and insecurity. We don’t trust in God sufficiently. Hence, we cannot see that God can raise humble and insignificant people to lead us in life.

This was certainly the case of King David. One might wonder what was so wrong of him to take the census of his people and why the punishment was so severe. In itself, the census was a good thing. However, the underlying motive of David was not so much for the good of his people, but he wanted to feel great about himself for having expanded the kingdom, its wealth and its people. He was relying on his external strength and power, obsessed with numbers, be they soldiers or wealth. He forgot that Yahweh was the only King and that his success was due to God alone who helped him fight all the battles. He failed to realize that he was only an administrator and a representative of God. How true it is for us today as it was during the time of Jesus! Many of us like to count our accomplishments and success in life, glory in them so that we feel we are greater than others, forgetting that we owe our success to God alone. Without His grace and goodness, we would have accomplished nothing. We cannot depend on our own strength but His alone.

If that were so, we must truly ask ourselves whether we are agnostics, rationalists or faith-believing people. We all might claim to be believers in Christ, but do we really believe that we cannot simply rely on our human strength in all that we do? The sad truth is that once again we might be like King David, paying only lip service to our faith in God. In reality, we do not really trust that God will empower us to do more than we can think or imagine. How many of us seriously pray, and pray with faith, that God will see us through before we embark on our work or undertake our projects? Isn’t it true that many of us will work very hard on our projects and abandon prayer when it comes to a choice between the two?

Yes, if we follow the way of the agnostics and rationalists, the price can be too high to pay. This was what happened to King David in the first reading. He too was a pure rationalist. He did not trust in God so he took a census of the people. He relied only on himself, his ingenuity and human strength. He did not trust that Yahweh will look after His chosen people. He had usurped the power of God. For his lack of faith in Yahweh, he and his people were punished. Many lives were lost on account of his lack of faith. The epidemic that inflicted and scourged the people of Israel must be seen not so much as a direct intervention of God to punish them. Rather, most likely, the pestilence which killed seventy thousand men was a natural disaster, but interpreted as a punishment of God, reminding David that power does not come from men but from God alone.

The misfortune that befell David will befall us if we are not careful. Not only will we destroy our own lives but the lives of others who are under our care. Even if nothing happens, we would have been like the townsfolk of Jesus who lost the opportunity of His services. We too have lost many who sincerely want to help the Church to grow, but because of our insecurity, jealousy and lack of faith in God, they are rejected by us. We have deprived ourselves of collaborators and impoverished the Church with inept leaders. In the final analysis, the real reason why we are so unproductive in our ministry is because we do not pray sufficiently, because we lack faith in God who empowers us in His Spirit in our union with Him. Let us pray for the same repentance of King David when he realised his mistake; and the faith that Jesus wants us all to have.