And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. --Ezekiel 36:26
How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus? I remember when I was ten or so, and my dad called me aside and said, "Son, you can't let on that you don't believe in Santa, because your sister still believes." My sister was three and a half years younger than me. Then he stopped; I guess he saw the look on my face. "Wait," he said. "You don't still believe in Santa Claus, do you?" I replied, "Well, I thought I did!"
I wasn't stupid; it's just that I had never considered it before. The evidence was all around: how could Santa be at the mall and at the Salvation Army kettle and at the parade on television all at the same time? How could he fly through the air magically with enough toys in one sleigh to give every child on earth what they wanted, all in one night, never mind how did he know what they wanted? Logically, it didn't make sense. Fortunately, children don't think logically.
Before the legend of St. Nicholas even existed, there was a tradition carried out by the Jews every Passover. You remember that Passover was a celebration of when God sent the Angel of Death to those in Egypt who had enslaved the Jews, and took every firstborn son. It was only the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the doorposts and lentil that made the Angel pass over that house, so that the firstborn was saved. It is celebrated every year with a big meal that is specially prepared. The tradition is that the adults will pour a glass of wine for Elijah, and the children will open the door for him, sometimes looking up and down the street to see if he has arrived yet. The reason is transformative, according to Yaakov Paley of the Jewish Learning Institute,
The Exodus launched a millennia-long journey that will culminate in the Messianic era. Until injustice, violence, and greed disappear, we remain enslaved. Until G-d makes His home on Earth, we have not truly left Egypt. Each Passover empowers us to complete what was begun so long ago. The last of the biblical prophets declared that Elijah will herald the ultimate redemption (Malachi 4:5-6). His cup at our Seder encourages our march from every form of internal and external slavery and re-inspires our faith in the coming of Moshiach (Messiah). --https://www.myjli.com/why/index.php/2016/11/21/why-is-elijah-the-prophet-invited-to-the-seder/
What happens, though, when the Jewish children realize that Elijah never comes? Does their hope mature, or do their doubts overwhelm them? Like some Christians who outgrow the Santa legend, some may become jaded, and reject the entire message. I think this may be what happened in Mark 6:1-6 when Jesus went to Nazareth where He had grown up as a child.
He went away from there and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him. And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters with us" And they took offense at Him. And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." And He could do no mighty works there, except that He laid His hand on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. --Mark 6:1-6a
Shocked and appalled
We don't understand the visceral and violent response to heresy that the ancient Jews had, because today our society is so eclectic and tolerant. If someone voices an idea or opinion that we don't believe, we dismiss it as "just one opinion" or "everyone has the right to be wrong." If someone spoke up in our church with a view that many think is heretical, we may question their theology, maybe calling them aside for a discussion later, or even decide to go to a different church.
In this passage, however, the word translated "astonished" is the root word for "to drive away; to cast out with a blow; to expel with panic or shock." In fact, the parallel passage in Luke says that they physically took hold of Him and carried Him outside with the intention of throwing Him off a cliff. (See Luke 4:16-30). Clearly their hearts were hardened within them, and they saw Him as a threat because His teaching opposed their orthodoxy.
Scandalized
Why did they take offense (Gr. skandalizo)? Well, they had seen Him grow up. They thought they knew Him. They denied His divinity, because they knew Him only as a human--the son of Mary, brother to James, Joses, Judas, Simon, and their sisters. They denied His authority, because He had been trained and apprenticed as a carpenter, not as a rabbi or theologian. He claimed to be the Son of God, but they remembered Joseph, the man who had raised Him. Had Jesus forgotten where He came from?
Logic often suffocates faith. What they had seen with their eyes contradicted what they heard with their ears. When He spoke, they did not hear His message. Instead, they heard Him deny His paternity and turn His back on family. In their hearts, this was blasphemy, and had no part in Jewish culture, much less in the synagogue.
Sidelined
Jesus' purpose in going to Nazareth was the same as His purpose in Galilee, Jerusalem and other places--He wanted to preach good news to the people there, and to heal them of their diseases. However, because of their unbelief, they did not subject themselves to Him. It's not that He could not heal them, but that they would not be healed by Him. He was able to lay His hands on some and heal them, but only those who were not intent on casting Him out and killing Him. It has been the same throughout human history: God has always had the power to save, but people's refusal to submit to Him, to allow Him to come near to them, condemn them to an eternity away from His presence.
People try to use logic in this case: if God is all powerful, and if He loves all mankind, then why does He send them to hell? Their logic is flawed, in that it does not account for people who reject God, who will not allow Him to come near enough to heal them spiritually. Hell is not filled with people whom God rejected, but with those who never wanted to be near Him at all.
We speak of those who harden their hearts as people who are jaded. Jade is a hard stone, most often green in color. Green is associated with envy and jealousy. We are jealous of our own autonomy, unwilling to submit to another even if that other is given for our good. We are envious of God's power and grace manifest in others' lives, yet we are unwilling to soften our hearts. Ezekiel 11:19 speaks of those who benefit from God's transformative grace in their lives: "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh."
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