A Prophet to the Hometown

July 7, 2024.


Mark 6:1-13 Ezekiel 2:1-5

Old Testament Lesson Ezekiel 2:1-5
Ezekiel 2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.　　

Gospel Lesson Mark 6:1-13
Mark 6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4 Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Many of us have moved away from our hometown, the place where we were born and raised. Many of us have experienced living away from our hometown, perhaps in a different city or even in a different country. Traveling changes a person. But does our hometown change? Is your hometown the same when you move back there or visit there on a vacation?

What would it be like to go home and not be welcomed there? He went to his hometown but they did not accept him. In Mark 6:4 Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” A prophet, even a pastor or priest, is usually respected by everyone, except by his own people and family. And yet, Jesus had to preach the Gospel to his family and friends at home. That was his mission: to tell everyone the Good News. The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel had the same mission. The Lord God told him to proclaim the Word of God to his own people of Israel.

At that time, Ezekiel and the people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. They were there as punishment for their sin against the Lord God. The Lord warned Ezekiel that they were rebellion, obstinate and stubborn. God warned him that the people probably would not listen to him. But still, Ezekiel had the obligation to tell them the Word of God whether they listened or not.

Whether Ezekiel, Jesus, a modern-day preacher, or any of us, what should a prophet, speak? Which Word of God should be spoken? The first public words of Ezekiel were similar to those of Jesus, and they should be our first words too. Jesus’ first public words were, Mark 1:15 “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Ezekiel was sent to his fellow Israelites in Babylonian Exile. Jesus was sent to the Israelites who had returned from Exile back to the Promised Land. We are sent to our fellow countrymen, to our own families, or perhaps to others in this global family of the world. But our message should be the same. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” In other words, we should first proclaim the existence of God, the love of God, that God is near us to help us, and that God wants to guide our lives. God wants us to be good citizens in his Kingdom with all ethical, moral and spiritual goodness. Repentance means to recognize your failures and to want to change. And believing the Good News is the power of forgiveness and sanctification; it is the power for a new life.

Last week, on the Fourth of July, Americans talked a lot about patriotism and the love of their country. Modern Japanese do not seem to talk so much about these ideals, but wherever you go in Japan there is pride of being a Japanese and the pride of one’s own prefecture or community. Okinawans love their Island. It is necessary to love your country. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.” This includes loving and serving your neighbors in your country and your community. You do not need to be a prophet to know that your country and community need to repent. Our beloved countries are not perfect. Do we need to make a list of the sins? For example, there is violence, greed, theft, murder, sexual harassment and abuse, drunken driving, self-centeredness, all sorts of prejudices, etc. The people of our countries and communities need to repent and change. So, we need to be the voice of God to them. We need to be the voice that calls for moral, ethical, and spiritual standards. We need to stand for honesty, for justice, for freedom, and for integrity.

The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that he sent his only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. John 3:16. Jesus spoke words of judgment against the sins of his fellow countrymen. But he spoke also words of God’s love to those who would hear. And in what happened to Jesus we see the result of that sin. He was killed on the cross. Then Jesus showed the result of repentance and faith, he arose from the dead on the third day.

The Bible tells us that Jesus loved the world so much that he sent the disciples out into all the world. They were to proclaim the same simple message that Jesus proclaimed. Mark 6:12-13 says, “They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” The Kingdom of God has come to the kingdoms of this world—to the kingdoms and the democracies and dictatorships, too.

We have heard the word that we too must repent and believe the Gospel. We know that our sins are forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Kingdom of God has come into our hearts. This is why we love and pray for the kingdoms and countries of the world. Let us pray: We pray for world peace. We pray for love and mutual understanding. We pray for justice. We pray for economic and political and social stability. And we pray that the people of the world would know the true source of peace in their lives: that they would know the love of Jesus. When we pray like this, we become more than social reformers and become prophets. This is real love for our neighbors.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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マイケル・ニアフッド、牧師
沖縄ルーテル教会


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