Trouble in Nazareth City
A Sermon by the Rev. Peter De Franco on the 2nd Sunday After Pentecost
As Christmas time approaches, all of us go to our basement, attic or garage and beautify our homes with treasured ornaments and decorations. Most of up unpack a Nativity set with at least the Holy Family and a few animals, perhaps a shepherd and three magi. In every set, that Joseph, Mary and Jesus come across as the ideal family. Joseph shows himself the solicitous guardian, Mary the loving mother and Jesus that precocious Baby who, having just been born, raises his hand in blessing on us faithful onlookers.
Have you ever wondered about that precocious child? If any of you have raised a child prodigy you know the challenge faced by Joseph and Mary. The Holy Family could have sung a song from The Music Man which captures their feeling: Ya Got Trouble.
Trouble, oh we got trouble
Right here in Nazareth City!
With a capital "T"
That rhymes with "C"
And that stands for Christ
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in Nazareth City
Right here!
It all began with that talented twelve year old Jesus slipping away from his parents to search out the teachers in the Jerusalem temple. He spent three days on his own while his parents pulled out their hair in a frantic search across Jerusalem. When they finally discover their little brat, Mary gives voice to her desperation and you can just imagine her tone as she says: “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” Perhaps her original words were more colorful.
Mary must have known she was headed for trouble with this son. All of us who are mothers, all of us who are inclined to worry about our children, which means all of us, can take comfort in knowing that Mary felt the same way about her son. When he starts his ministry, Mary along with Jesus’ other sisters and brothers, get wind of his preaching, exorcisms and healings. What happened at his baptism by John which so changed their Jesus? Or did they know all along that something was brewing in Jesus’ heart and soul and the Baptism just pushed him over the edge. Can’t you just hear Mary singing:
Trouble, oh we got trouble
Right here in Nazareth City!
The Gospel describes what we would call an intervention: When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” Little does the family know how bad the trouble is. Not only does Jesus’ family find his behavior unacceptable. The head honchos from Jerusalem get wind of his words and deeds and send a delegation to Galilee to see the trouble he is causing.
Pay careful attention to what is happening since we are seeing the battle lines drawn early on, battle lines which will describe the entire Gospel according to Mark. Jesus presents us with a baffling image, a disturbing image, a home invasion, to describe his ministry: no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. We hear of houses which are really prisons for persons being trafficked, for abducted children, for criminal enterprise. We imagine police breaking into these houses to rescue people. That is the home invasion Jesus is describing.
Jesus is talking about the house of the religious leaders of his day, leaders who compromised God’s reign of liberation for the people with compromise with the imperial Roman forces. Jesus is also talking about the house of family relationships which would compromise bold proclamation of the good news.
Our Gospel invites us to join Jesus in his battle against the strong man. He alerts us to the dangers imposed by religious leaders and family concerns.
We are celebrating Pride Month, a celebration some religious organizations would consider sinful since it disrupts the pattern of some religious teaching and some patterns of family life. Jesus has entered into that house and bound the strong man of religious bigotry and a narrow pattern of family life. Yes we have trouble, trouble in Nazareth City.
Wherever Jesus goes, he causes trouble. Trouble to those who would repress the marginalized, exclude some from full inclusion, sustain systems of oppression. Jesus brings trouble, the good trouble John Lewis talked about. It’s the good trouble which gave women an equal place in society. It’s the good trouble which shifted our understanding of family to include diverse orientations and gender identities. It’s the good trouble which upends racial divisions and inequalities and ushers in true equality and freedom.
Jesus, bringer of good trouble, trouble our lives when we find ourselves working against God’s reign of freedom and equality.
Jesus, bringer of good trouble, steady our hearts to await your promised reign of peace and justice.
Jesus, bringer of good trouble, strengthen our souls to join you in the struggle, for with you we can bind the strong man.