納匝肋人的失望 The Disappointment of the Nazarenes

【失望/希望系列（一）】
納匝肋人的失望（路4:24-30）

倘若沒有讀過上文，我們是不會明白為甚麼耶穌的同鄉，會有如此強烈的反應和不理性的行動。
事緣耶穌受魔鬼試探後，開始在加里肋亞一帶宣講福音，並且行了不少治病和驅魔的神蹟，聲名大噪。於是祂返回自己成長的小鎮納匝肋，打算向自己的鄉親傳播天國的喜訊，在安息日到會堂裡宣讀《依61》，並告訴大家這些「默西亞預言」應驗了（路4:21）！起初，會堂中的人都稱讚祂，驚訝祂所說的話（4:22a）。後來，有人開始質疑祂的言論，說「這不是若瑟的兒子嗎？」（4:22b）言下之意，我們看著他成長，他祇不過是一個木匠，有甚麼了不起？耶穌當然知道他們在想甚麼，於是說：「你們必定要對我說這句俗語：醫生，醫治你自己吧！我們聽說你在葛法翁所行的一切，也在你的家鄉這裡行吧」（4:23）。

所謂「一人得道，雞犬升仙」。耶穌以「默西亞」的姿態出現在自己的家鄉，大家對祂有一定程度的期望。即使是人人熟悉的木匠，總算是「近水樓台」，必定可以得到若干利益，這是很自然的反應。但耶穌卻用了不是一個，而是兩個家傳戶曉的先知事蹟，斷然否定了他們的期望，完全沒有轉彎的餘地，因為是兩個，而不是一個事蹟。結果激起公憤，會堂裡的人，打算濫用私刑，把耶穌推落山崖（4:28-29）！

天主向人類示愛，滿以為「令貧窮的人富足、釋放奴隸、讓愚昧的人看見真理、使人不受惡勢力壓迫、把過去的罪債，一筆勾銷等等」（依61:1-2），是人類所渴望的。殊不知大部份人花費畢生精力所追逐的，是其他的事物…但天主不會放棄我們，祂對我們仍然滿懷希望，信任我們有回頭悔改的一天。

親愛的朋友，既然天主對我們滿懷希望，我們又怎能令祂失望呢？讓我們在四旬期加倍努力，修煉自己，做一個希望的朝聖者，把希望傳遞給其他人。亞孟。
天主保祐！

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生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝： ideogram.ai

Disappointment & Hope Series (I)
The Disappointment of the Nazarenes (Luke 4:24-30)

Let us recount what had happened earlier before. Otherwise, we will not understand why Jesus’ fellow countrymen would react so strongly and violently.
After Jesus had undergone Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, He began preaching the gospel in Galilee and became famous after working many healing miracles and exorcisms. Then He returned to Nazareth, a small town in which He had grown up since childhood, intending to spread the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven among His kinsmen. On the Sabbath, He read Isaiah 61 in the synagogue and told the audience that the Messianic prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing (Luke 4:21). At first, people in the synagogue were amazed by His words and praised Him for His eloquence (4:22a). Then some people started questioning His claims, saying “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” (4:22), meaning we have seen you grow up among us. You are no more than a carpenter. What’s so big deal? Of course Jesus was able to read their mind. Then He replied, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum” (4:23).

As the aphorism goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats”. When Jesus told His kinsmen that the Messianic prophecy was fulfilled in Him, everybody would expect something from Him! Even if He had only been a carpenter, His neighbour would expect certain benefits from the Messiah because of proximity. This is a natural reaction. But Jesus negated their expectations without ambiguity, not with one, but two well-down incidents. This action sent the crowd into a fury and people in the synagogue intended to throw Jesus down headlong from the brow of the hill where Nazareth was built (4:28-29)!

The merciful God extends His love to humanity, thinking that “Making the poor sufficient, releasing slaves, allowing the ignorant to see the truth, releasing people from the abuses of the powerful and writing off debts etc.” are what humanity desire. However, most people spend their whole lives pursuing something else … But God will not abandon us. He is full of hope in us, trusting that one day we will repent and return to Him.

My beloved friends! Since God puts His hope on us, how can we disappoint Him? Let us work out diligently in this Lenten Season to be a Pilgrim of Hope, enkindling hope in other people. Amen. God bless!