Jesus said, "No prophet gains acceptance in his native place. Indeed, let me remind you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens remained closed for three and a half years and a great famine spread over the land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but to a widow of Zarephath near Sidon. Recall, too, the many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one was cured except Naaman the Syrian. At these words the whole audience in the synagogue was filled with indignation. They rose up and expelled him from the town, leading him to the brow of the hill on which it was built and intending to hurl him over the edge. But he went straight through their midst and walked away.

A person who is convinced that Jesus Christ came into our world to teach us something very important cannot help but think of him as they watch the movie "Powder." Jeremy Reed or "Powder" as he was called, is a perfect Christ-figure. As Jeremy's life in the public begins, just as Jesus' ministerial life began, people who do not understand him, reject him.

Jesus spoke the truth to his neighbors in Nazareth of Galilee. They had seen this person grow to manhood. They probably had come to the conclusion that even though he was different, he would fit into the pattern that they wanted him to follow. Suddenly however, he began to speak about things they could never understand. And, once it became clear to them that he would not fit their mold, "they were filled with fury." They rejected him.

Likewise, Jeremy Reed in the movie "Powder" is rejected by most of those he meets. Because he was different, they labeled him retarded and stupid. The fact is that they simply did not understand him.

There are many different people in our world--people who do not look right, people who are handicapped in some way, people who do not have the intelligence we think they should have, people who act or dress or talk differently from what we do. Confronted with these different people, we quickly see that we do not understand them. And, not understanding them, we often ignore them or make fun of them or talk them down to our friends. As we study the first session of the movie "Powder," we should not only recognize why Jeremy Reed is rejected; we should recognize what we do to people we do not understand.                 

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, too often we have made fun of others because they are different from what we expect them to be. Help us learn the value of everyone and to respect them the way you want us to. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America