1 Kgs. 19:4-8; Ephes. 4:30-5:2; Jn. 6:41-51
This tendency to undervalue the familiar is a human condition that spans the biblical narrative too. The story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis is a powerful example of how familiarity can lead to a failure to appreciate God's work in someone's life. Joseph's brothers were envious of the special attention he received from their father, Jacob, and were further aggravated by Joseph's dreams, which
foretold his future greatness. Rather than seeing these dreams as a sign of God's favor, they saw them as arrogance. Their familiarity with Joseph as their younger brother made it impossible for them to imagine that God could have a special plan for him. In their jealousy, they sold him into slavery, blind to the fact that they were actually setting the stage for God's plan to unfold. It wasn't until years later, when Joseph rose to power in Egypt and saved them from famine, that they recognized the divine purpose behind Joseph's life.This story teaches us that familiarity can lead to envy, resentment, and a failure to recognize the gifts and callings that God has placed in those closest to us. We must learn to see beyond our own expectations and acknowledge the ways God is working in the lives of those we know well.
In the New Testament, we see this theme vividly in the account of Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth. In Matthew 13:54-58, Jesus teaches in the synagogue, and the people are astonished by His wisdom and miraculous powers. Yet, instead of embracing Him, they dismiss Him, saying, "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't His mother's name Mary, and aren't His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren't all His sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" Their familiarity with Jesus' background led them to reject His message. They could not reconcile the extraordinary wisdom and power they witnessed with the ordinary person they thought they knew. As a result, Jesus could do few miracles there because of their unbelief.
This rejection in His hometown highlights the tragedy of missed opportunities due to the blindness of familiarity. The people of Nazareth missed the chance to experience the full extent of Jesus' ministry because they couldn't see beyond their preconceived notions of who He was. This passage challenges us to examine our own hearts and ask whether we are missing out on God's blessings because we are too familiar with the messenger.
History provides us with many examples of individuals whose groundbreaking contributions were initially rejected by those familiar with them. One such example is Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer, and physicist whose discoveries laid the foundation for modern science. Galileo's advocacy for the heliocentric model of the solar system, which posited that the Earth revolved around the sun, was met with fierce opposition from the authorities of his time. The Catholic Church, in particular, condemned his teachings as heretical because they contradicted the widely accepted geocentric model. Despite the evidence Galileo presented, his ideas were rejected, and he was forced to recant under threat of punishment.
Those who knew Galileo as a scholar and teacher could not appreciate the revolutionary nature of his discoveries because they were too familiar with the existing worldview. This historical example reminds us that familiarity with the status quo can lead to the rejection of new and transformative ideas. We must be willing to challenge our assumptions and remain open to the possibility that God may be revealing new truths through those around us.
In our contemporary world, the tendency to overlook the gifts of those closest to us continues to be a challenge.
Leymah Gbowee was an ordinary Liberian woman who, like many others, suffered greatly during the civil war that ravaged her country from 1999 to 2003. As the war dragged on, the brutality and violence tore apart the social fabric of Liberia, leaving countless people displaced, traumatized, and hopeless. Gbowee, who had experienced the horrors of the conflict firsthand, felt a deep call to action. However, being a young mother of six with no formal political power or resources, she seemed an unlikely candidate to lead a movement for peace.
Despite these challenges, Gbowee was determined to make a difference. In 2002, she mobilized a group of Christian and Muslim women to form the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. These women, who were ordinary market vendors, mothers, and housewives, came together in a nonviolent movement to demand an end to the war. Dressed in white, they organized daily sit-ins, prayers, and protests, and even staged a sex strike to pressure their husbands, many of whom were fighters, to stop the violence.
Their movement, initially dismissed by many as insignificant, gradually gained momentum. Gbowee and her group persisted in their peaceful protests, eventually capturing the attention of the international community and the warring factions. In 2003, their efforts culminated in the historic peace talks in Accra, Ghana, where Gbowee led a delegation of women who pressured the warlords to negotiate seriously. At one point, when the talks seemed to be stalling, Gbowee and her group staged a sit-in at the venue, refusing to let the delegates leave until a resolution was reached.
Their extraordinary persistence paid off, leading to the signing of the Accra Peace Agreement, which ended the war and paved the way for democratic elections in Liberia. Gbowee’s leadership, rooted in her deep faith and her conviction that ordinary people could bring about change, played a crucial role in this success. Yet, despite her incredible achievements, Leymah Gbowee remained relatively unknown outside of Liberia for many years, overshadowed by more prominent figures like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who went on to become the first female president of Liberia.
Gbowee's story is a testament to the power of ordinary people, particularly women, who are often overlooked because of their familiar and unassuming roles in society. Her courage and leadership challenge us to recognize the potential in those who might seem ordinary or familiar, and to support them in their efforts to create positive change. Gbowee’s work reminds us that God often uses the most unexpected people to bring about His purposes, and that we must be vigilant in seeing and appreciating the divine in those around us, no matter how familiar they may seem.
In 2011, Leymah Gbowee’s contributions were finally recognized on the global stage when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, sharing it with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peacebuilding work.
So how do we overcome the blindness of familiarity and learn to recognize the divine in the ordinary? The first step is to cultivate a spirit of humility and openness. We must acknowledge that our own perceptions are limited and that God often works in ways that are beyond our understanding. This means being willing to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to recognize that those closest to us may be carrying out God's work in ways that we have overlooked.
Secondly, we must actively seek out opportunities to honor and appreciate the gifts of others. This can be as simple as expressing gratitude for the contributions of those around us or taking the time to listen and learn from their experiences. By doing so, we create a culture of recognition and appreciation, where the gifts of all are valued and celebrated.
Finally, we must be willing to challenge our own assumptions and remain open to new possibilities. This means being open to the idea that God may be calling us to something new, even if it doesn't align with our current understanding. It also means being willing to support and encourage others in their own callings, even when they take unexpected paths.
In conclusion, the story of Jesus in John 6:41-42 serves as a powerful reminder that familiarity can prevent us from seeing the divine in the ordinary. Whether it's the story of Joseph and his brothers, Jesus in His hometown, Galileo, or the unsung heroes of our own lives, the message is clear: we must learn to see beyond the familiar and recognize the ways in which God is working in the world around us.
In the passage from John 6:41-51, Jesus proclaims, "I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die." With these words, Jesus draws a profound distinction between the temporary sustenance that fed the Israelites in the wilderness and the eternal sustenance He offers to us. The manna, though miraculous, was a provision that met a physical need but could not save the Israelites from death. In contrast, the "living bread" that Jesus offers is Himself—His flesh, given for the life of the world, offering eternal life to those who partake of it.
As we reflect on this passage, we are reminded of the earlier theme of familiarity. The Israelites in the wilderness experienced a daily miracle in the form of manna, yet many failed to see beyond the physical provision to the deeper spiritual truth it pointed to. Similarly, in Jesus' time, many who heard His words could not grasp the full significance of His claim because they were too familiar with His earthly origins.
The challenge for us today is to recognize the "living bread" in our midst—to see the divine presence in the ordinary and familiar. Jesus offers Himself to us continually, not just in the Eucharist, where we partake of His body and blood, but in every moment of our lives, inviting us into a deeper relationship with Him. Yet, how often do we overlook this invitation because we are too focused on the mundane or too accustomed to the rituals of our faith?
As we conclude, let us commit to approaching the familiar with fresh eyes and open hearts. Let us see Christ, the "bread of life," in the people, situations, and sacraments that we encounter daily. And let us remember that in receiving this living bread, we are invited into a life that transcends the temporary and leads us to eternal communion with God. In doing so, we embrace the fullness of the life that Jesus came to offer, and we learn to appreciate the divine in every aspect of our lives, no matter how familiar it may seem.
Satish