Jesus’ reverse culture shock

Sermon on Luke 4:21-30

Remember? When you went to college. When you moved away for work. When you started your own family. And when you came home for the first time again. All excited to see your parents or siblings or friends. Remember that feeling? That sense of “Will they notice that I have changed? Will they see me as who I am now? Or will they just treat me as the one they think they know?”

Do you remember walking through the door, greeting the first person? Searching in their eyes what they might be looking for in you. You might have told them by letter or over the phone about some of the exciting new things that have changed your views on life or your style. You might have tried to prepare them for your new you. Yet, you had no idea whether they actually got it. Whether they actually listened to what you were trying to tell them. That you had been changed by your new life. That you still loved them. And that priorities had shifted. That you had tried new foods and made new friends and heard new music. That you, maybe, even had fallen in love with a new football team. Well, that you might actually have waited to reveal later. That shock would be hard to take.

And then, the day was there. You stood in the door, you got hugs and questions about your travels. Maybe some questions about your new home, your new friends. Maybe a comment on your new haircut or the new shirt or dress. Maybe you had been tanned from the Californian sun or you had gained or lost some weight. But other than that, you still seemed to be the same. You could sense some relief in your parents’ and friends’ comments and looks. “Whew, we still know you. You are still the same.” And during the remaining hours or days, you would be struggling to reveal to them that you weren’t actually. Which might have brought up some tensions eventually. A remark like “That’s not how I used to know you. You are suddenly so different. Was it all that bad before?” And so, maybe, you decided to keep quiet and just give them the show, to just pretend to be the old you they knew. And you wished they would just listen to you. Just truly listen. That they would throw away their presumptions and assumptions. 

Does this sound at all familiar?

There is a term for this. When you return home after a longer absence that has really changed you. It’s called “reverse culture shock”. When the home you missed all the time isn’t what you remembered it to be. Because you changed. 

Well, in today’s Gospel Jesus surely experiences that kind of a reverse culture shock. And the people of his hometown aren’t amused either. Jesus returns home. After months, maybe years of traveling, he comes back to his hometown Nazareth. The people there have heard of his reputation and they are most excited to welcome this famous son of their town. To hear about his adventures, to get a glimpse of his fame and to see for themselves, the wonders they have heard about. They are entitled to his presence and his miracles, after all, they are the ones who brought him up. In a broader sense. 

Everyone gathers to greet Jesus and his friends that day. They come to the synagogue to hear him speak. And he does. He reads from the scripture. And he says remarkable things like “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Surely, now, he will heal some people or feed the masses or at least turn some water into wine. Who doesn’t like a glass of good wine! They are all amazed by his presence, how much he has grown up, how handsome he has become, how wise. Whispering they share stories about the times when they knew him as a little boy, always running around town, always looking for someone to help, for something to do. Saying things beyond his age even back then. Ah, those fond memories. 

But wait, what happened? What did Jesus just say? “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.” How very rude of him. Here they are giving him the warmest welcome and he has nothing better to do but to insult them. And then, he keeps on preaching. About how Elijah didn’t help anyone during the great famine but one widow in Sidon.  How Elisha didn’t heal most of the lepers but one Syrian named Naaman. 

All they hear is Jesus telling them that they are not worthy of his attention. That he won’t deal with their longing for healing in their community. They only hear that he rejects them. And they become super angry at Jesus. So angry that they actually try throwing him down a cliff. They had such high expectations. They thought they knew this son of Joseph. And so, they didn’t really listen to what he had to say. They heard what he was talking about, sure. But they were so busy trying to make sense of this new Jesus, comparing him to the one they knew, judging him, wanting to understand whose fault this unlucky turn of the story was. That they didn’t actually listen to what he was saying. Which, in turn, just confirmed their suspicions. This young man wasn’t a miracle worker and wonderful rabbi. He was just another one of those ranting preachers running around condemning people. God knows they didn’t need more of his kind. The son of Joseph, well, what a disappointment. 

And Jesus? Jesus also didn’t listen to his people. He returned with the attitude of one who has seen it all, learned it all. Who knows exactly what his people at home are like. That they will never change. And why he left them, maybe even despises them. He doesn’t ask them what they expect of him. How life has treated them lately. What they might need most. Maybe they just needed Jesus to listen to them. To acknowledge how hard things are. And how proud they are of him. How much hope the stories about his ministries give them. 

But Jesus didn’t ask. Other than usual, he didn’t ask them “What do you want me to do?” He just judged them, told them what he felt he knew about them. And, he could surely claim to be right at the end. Because, hey, they almost killed him. Hadn’t he known how bad their intentions were? Hadn’t he known that his wisdom would be lost at home? That those people would never learn and never change and never understand him? 

The reverse cultural shock in this story is real. And it’s experienced by both parties. An estranged feeling. An almost self-fulfilling prophecy. Because no one cared to ask the right questions. Or any questions for that matter. 

When you think back to those days when you visited your parents or friends back home, and you really didn’t feel like you belonged anymore. How did you react in that situation? Did you ask questions? Did you try to see the change, try to understand the struggles? Or did you act like Jesus and pretended to know it all? I certainly know that that has been my attitude way too often in situations like that. 

So, where is the Good News in this story?

Well, Jesus went on. He didn’t get killed over this incident. Everyone messed up, but God kept working for the people’s sake. For our sake. Sometimes, that’s the best news. That life goes on. That we let each other live. That we keep the chance open to rebuild our relationships. One day. When we are ready. Because God keeps walking with us. Thanks be to God. Amen.