"I get no respect!"

If you remember the stand up comic Rodney Dangerfield you may well sympathize with Jesus in today's Gospel (Lk 4: 24-30). Dangerfield with his gravely voice, big bug eyes, jerky movements was strange and hilarious to watch. But among all the tag lines that he is remembered for most was his proclamation after a joke, somewhat self effacing, when he would say, "Hey,I get no respect!"

If ever there was an understatement by Our Lord it is that same comment he makes today to his own townsfolk in Nazareth: "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place . . ." Jesus "got no respect" at Nazareth so off he went down to the region of Galilee. St. Luke tells us he simply, ". . . passed through the midst of them and went away." This after they run him out of the town like the gun slingers of the old west. "We reckon you're not wanted in these parts any more, pardner!" They attempted to "hurl" him over the brow of the hill on which the town was buit. I remember a trip to Israel and Nazareth and noticed that hill on which Nazareth, now a predominantly Arab Christian city, is built. No one would survive that fall. So, with friends like that who needs enemies! Shake the dust off your feet Jesus and move on.

What's the cause of such a ruckus? It seems that Jesus offered a kind of backhanded insult to his own people in the synagogue for their lack of faith and their ultimate rejection of the call to repent. He makes reference to Naaman the syrian (a gentile)and his cure from leprosy which we hear about in the first reading. (2 Kgs 5: 1-15). The point of this is their stubbornness of heart and mind; their ingratitude for God's work in their midst. That's quite a pile to deal with but in the short term Jesus brings a message of salvation and what does he get? No respect -"Off with his head!" the crowd yells. On a human level it must have been personally very hurtful to Jesus to be so summarily rejected by his own townspeople.

The story of Naaman the army commander who was afflicted with leprosy or at least some significant skin abnormality is the basis of Jesus' passionate speech at Nazareth. Naaman was upset with the prophet Elisha because the prophet told him to, "Go wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean." So, what's wrong? Naaman must have felt that a man of his status would have no intention of going to wash in that muddy river in the south but he is looking for the big flashy show instead. In reference to Elisha he states: "I thought he would surely come out and stand there and invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy." Well now, that would certainly bring a ton of respect to Naaman in the eyes of his countrymen and win esteem for him. In fact he suggests two alternative rivers, the Abana or the Pharpar, as the better choice. Naaman is ready for the really big show as Ed Sullivan used to say.

But, as always, God had another way and Elisha the prophet revealed the intention of God to Naaman who hoped that he would follow his words. Just go and do as I say - wash in the Jordan seven times and the leprosy will be gone. Finally, Naaman did so, he was cured and he was at least willing to eat a little humble pie. He arrives with his entire entourage and admits to Elisha that, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel." It's a great story and holds some important lessons for us.

First, respect what God desires. If God asks me to eat bleu cheese I had better eat bleu cheese. The problem with me is I love bleu cheese so God had better ask me to eat okra because that would indeed be my act of humility. All Naaman had to do was follow the order of Elisha, wash in the Jordan, and get over himself! God will never ask us to do what is harmful or dangerous any more than a loving parent would never seek deliberate harm for their child. The call to faith demands that we put aside our ego, get over ourselves, and trust in the word of the Lord. This is not about our least favorite thing on the menu but about trust, humility, and abandonding our personal agenda in the face of God's plan. A basic lesson that may take a lifetime to perfect.

Secondly, in this Lenten journey, the waters of the Jordan and the skin disease of Naaman prefigure the waters of baptism and the disfigurement of sin. Scripture scholars spend a lifetime as they comb through the sacred scriptures line by line and compare and contrast both Old and New Testaments. We see here a shadow from the Old Testament of baptism in the New Testament; its power to wash clean and give new life. Naaman's skin became like, ". . .the flesh of a little child . . ." Smooth, soft, supple.

Finally, pride is the foundation of all sin. C.S. Lewis writes in his work, Mere Christianity, "But pride always means enmity - it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God." The original sin of our first parents was that of pride. They didn't want to follow God's will but rather felt it was beneath them to do so. "What's the big deal with this one tree?"

Our God is good so as we mark the mid-point of Lent it might be helpful to reflect on our level of humility before God. Whether its blue cheese, okra (blah!)or whatever else we may find that resists the will of God in our lives let's be assured that we daily offer Our Lord the respect he deserves.