Parochial
| Jesus left there and went to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples. 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! 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. Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark6:1-6) |
- "Relating to a Church parish and its local area."
- Having a limited or narrow outlook or scope.
In the case of today's reading, people had a parochial view of Jesus. They had a narrow-minded or provincial perspective on Him. They'd seen Him grow up and they knew His family and so they measured Him by their experiences and standards.
Their Jesus-picture was domesticated and past-tense.
Their view of Him was parochial.
Ironically, those of us who have been in the church a while run the same risks. We tend to keep Jesus in the dusty streets of Israel and the stories of the Bible. We forget what John said at the end of his gospel: "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:25)
Jesus is able to work in our lives too.
Let us not only talk about what Jesus DID,
but about what He is DOING!
Which means we can't limit Him.
We can't put Him in a box.
We can't be parochial.
