Chiselling off the not-David

What happens in today’s gospel (Lk 4:24-30) is like a preview of what’s going to happen a few days leading up to our Lord’s crucifixion.

Both his own townspeople and his own religious leaders wanted to get rid of him. His townspeople got so furious that they wanted to hurl Jesus off the brow of the hill. The chief priest tore his robe and ruled that Jesus blasphemed and so deserved to die.

Why? Jesus simply spoke the truth. He simply confronted them with the truth.

What truth? The truth that they don’t listen, that they don’t accept God’s word brought to them by the prophets.

Before his townspeople, Jesus says: No prophet is accepted in his own native place. When asked by the high priest if he was the son of God, Jesus testified: I am. And they could not stand it. Him? How dare he insinuate that we don’t listen to our prophets! How dare he claim that he is the messiah!

Lately our table conversations in our Jesuit community have become like having a recollection. Someone said that Jesus, his cross, will always inspire two reactions - reactions depicted by the two thieves who are crucified with Jesus. One says: If you are the son of God, save yourself and us. And the other says: Lord, remember me when you enter your kingdom. So, two reactions, either rejecting or accepting the crucified Christ.

The crucified Christ? His own people rejected him! We, too, will have to deal with our own rejection of Christ, our refusal of His cross. Does the God whom Jesus reveals threaten our self-image and our image of God?

Again from our table conversations, someone tells the story of Michelangelo. The story goes that when he was asked how he came up with David (David is one of the famous statues he made), he answered: I had this one block of marble and a clear idea of David. Then I sculpted David by chiselling off the not-David.

God is like a great sculptor who has a clear idea of us and He chisels off that which in us are really not us. And this chiselling off can be so threatening. But, we should not fear for we are in the merciful hands of the Greatest Artist!