By the Way: Jesus could face those who took offence. These days, we hear it from the online void
By Chaplain Kristy Reimers-Loader on July 6, 2024.
The gospel appointed for Sunday, the 14th of July, is Mark 6:1-13. In this passage, we’re told the story of Jesus coming to his own hometown and teaching in the synagogue. The people with whom he’d grown up, those who knew him and his family were surprised at his teaching. They were exclaiming at the wisdom of his words, and the deeds of power he’d been performing. Then, almost in the same breath, the author of Mark’s gospel tells of how the townspeople “took offence at him.” This statement never fails to stop me in my tracks. I realize this story took place in the context of a particular time and place – in the 1st century Mediterranean culture – but two thousand years later, not much has changed. We’re still taking offence, and very often at people who speak, based on their education and life experience, with wisdom and intelligence on the issues facing our communities and our nation. For the purveyors of much of this vitriol and criticism, social media platforms are the venue of choice. It’s so easy to be vicious to others online, where everyone is reduced to a tiny thumbnail image and a username, and anonymity is virtually guaranteed among the billions of other people posting and commenting. At the same time, our bloodlust is satisfied by scrolling through posts, observing other users eviscerate their victims and detractors with a few choice keystrokes. In his day, Jesus could look into the eyes of those who took offence at him as readily as he could engage with his disciples. Today, it is a sad irony that, for a medium with such power and potential for community-building and the pursuit of peace, social media has left so many its users feeling lonely, isolated and starved for meaningful connection. Chaplain Kristy Reimers-Loader 10-9
