However, Jesus quickly goes from being hero to being zero in the eyes of the people. Soon they will be ready to throw him off the side of a cliff in anger. What causes the change? Jesus makes it clear from his examples from Scripture that he is not going to be a hometown hero. His mission is a universal mission of salvation and will extend to even those who are perceived as being enemies of Israel. Like Jonah when God informed him that he was going to offer salvation to the Assyrians, the people become indignant at the idea that God’s gifts will extend to others beyond their borders. God’s justice is not the justice of a “homer” who only takes care of his own. God’s love is real and extends to all of his creation and God is truly just and will pour his blessings out upon all those who call upon him in faith. He comes to the earth to right the wrongs of sin and not just to stack the deck for his friends. If the hometown people of Nazareth want to experience the power of God’s mighty work of salvation they are going to have to follow the same path of conversion and faith that leads to God’s kingdom. No special privileges are going to be given.
Recently there was a survey of movie fans to find out who was the greatest hero in movie history. The results were surprising for given Superman, Iron Man, Indiana Jones and other strong characters who use their strength to help save their friends, the person chosen as the greatest hero was Atticus Finch, played by Gregory Peck in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” To his hometown people, Atticus was anything but a hero because he defended Tom Robinson, a negro, against the accusations of a white woman. Atticus stood up in the face of injustice, prejudice, hatred and bigotry to simply do what was right and seek true justice. Atticus was real and a person of principles and honor. Even in the face of opposition, Atticus did not back down but put his life on the line. That was true courage, that was true love, and that is what makes a true hero.
Jesus is a true hero. He doesn’t just do marvelous feats to impress others, and to please his neighbors. Rather, he lays down his life as a witness to the love of God the Father. Even in the face of opposition, Jesus doesn’t just seek to do what is popular and accepted by his own but chooses instead to be a true hero and sign of God’s universal love for all people, a love that as St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians, “does not seek its own interests” (1Cor 13,5) but rather serves the interests of all in obedience to the Father. To many in our world today, Jesus is more zero than hero. He is rejected because he doesn’t serve their special interests or agendas. They have no use for him in their self-centered lives. Our world today has pretty much thrown Jesus off a cliff or perhaps we would say today, “under the bus”. He is still passing through our midst today. Will we allow him to simply go away or will we follow him in love even if it means opposition, persecution and rejection by others in the world?