s1S#198 Rejected Prophet
14th Sunday (B)
Ez 2:2-5
Just like the vocation stories of other prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah (cf, (Is 6:9f; Jer 1:17f), Ezekiel’s calling has common basic elements. The call is from God, and the prophet received the Spirit of God that empowers him to grasp and convey God’s message (8:3; 9:24). The prophet is essentially a mouthpiece of the Lord (2:1-4; 3:27). He will be met with acceptance or rejection, which is a sign of salvation or condemnation. Ezekiel is forewarned about a very difficult audience in Israel. The Lord’s support of the prophet is to be a sign that they have not been abandoned (v5). In addition to the call for conversion, the prophetic role also indicates God’s constancy and fidelity.
2 Cor 12:7-10
Paul was given a strong affliction, a ‘thorn in the flesh’ (v7), to avoid any sense of pride from the special revelation he received. It may refer to his personal weakness or any opposition, whether individual or collective, regarding his person and his ministry. His request for relief was met with the assurance of continued and sufficient support. It is in the ground of human weakness that the seed of God’s strength takes root (v9;6:4-7).
Mk 6:1-6
Jesus meets repeated rejection early in his ministry, coming from the Jewish leaders (3:6), his relatives (3:21), and now from his townspeople in Nazareth. The citizens marvel at his exceptional deeds and teaching at first but fail to see the hand of God (v2) and move toward discounting Jesus based on his simple origins (v3). Because of the hostility of the crowd and their incredulous attitude, Jesus is rendered powerless in Nazareth (v5f).
Ezekiel and Jesus were both sent to proclaim God’s words and were rejected by their people. However, God assures whom he calls of continued and sufficient support: “My grace is sufficient for you”. We are all called to be prophets by virtue of our baptism. Let us embrace and lean into our weaknesses and rely on God’s strength so that we can reveal his power more and more clearly.
Amen!
