Last week I had an intriguing conversation with a friend, who asked me how left-handed people play the violin. Admittedly, having answered this question from beginning violin students numerous times, initially I rolled my eyes, but then proceeded to explain that there isn’t a “different” way to play the violin. Both the left and the right hand are just as important. But this friend just wouldn’t stop pursuing it; leading his wife to start Googling if it was possible to play the violin on your right shoulder rather than your left. And indeed, Gooogle said it was possible (and we believe everything Google says, don’t we?!) But just not buying it, I retorted back, leading to getting my instrument out and trying it for myself. Evidently, the faces I made while I tried holding my violin a dfferent way were quite entertaining. But over and over I kept saying, “This is just so wrong!”
It was a silly conversation. But it made me realize just how quickly I became defensive. And it made me realize just how easy it was for me to become entrenched in my own thinking and habits rather than exploring anything else.
This past Sunday, we heard in our Gospel story that the people in Jesus’ hometown rejected him. It might seem strange to think that people rejected Jesus, but what Jesus was teaching and doing was completely different than what they were used to…and what they were expecting. So rather than accept Jesus, they were offended by him. And because of their offense, they couldn’t receieve Jesus’ deeds of power that he was doin’ everywhere else.
So where does that leave us? Well, I wonder if there are things that Jesus says that also offend us. It might not be our gut response. But, when we’re pushed to consider habits that we’ve held onto for years, it might be easier to be offended by Jesus’ commands rather than change. Or, when we’re challenged to consider how we live together as community – as church – and when we recognize that it might be different than we expected, it might be easier to be offended rather than accept something new. And, when Jesus commands us to look upon others with compassion, love, and dignity, it might sound great on the surface, but when we realize that that also means having compassion for the migrant, the foriegner, the people who look different than us, the people who’ve hurt us, it might be easier to become offended rather than take Jesus at his word.
So why listen to Jesus at all, then? Because through Jesus, we are promised that we will receieve more than we could ever ask for or imagine. Indeed, we are promised that we will be given life, healing, and forgiveness.
So, are we willing to receive what Jesus has to offer us, even if it takes us back a bit? And, are we willing to receive the words of Jesus? The gift will always be there, but the choice to receive…is all up to us.