Parable 20 - Reception

Perhaps she was an unlikely comic. Naomi had a gift for science. She was known in high school, and later in college, as a brainiac. She was one of those people who, when they found something interesting, would do a deep dive into it. When Naomi started going to comedy clubs in graduate school, it fascinated her. She started to investigate the ingredients of a truly funny joke.

After reading several books about comedy, listening to podcasts, and studying HBO comedy specials, she decided to take a class in stand-up comedy. She bombed on her first tries at being funny. Naomi surprised herself with how nervous she was. She told herself that it was just for fun. The stakes were low. Relax. But her pride was invested in the success of her humor, and she remained nervous.

One of her coaches suggested that she use that nervous energy to create an on-stage persona of the nervous scientist experimenting with the volatile chemicals of comedy. That worked, and she became Madame Curiosity, the comical investigator. She didn’t quit her day job as a lab researcher, but she progressed from open-mic nights to little paid performances to being the headliner in comedy clubs.

She was asked to do a 10-minute set at her 10th high school reunion. Naomi accepted. She was nervous to perform for her high school classmates. When the time came, she used her tried-and-true material, but people mostly just stared at her. It was the longest five minutes she had ever experienced when the MC saved her and finished her set early.

Naomi was upset and embarrassed. None of her jokes had worked. Her friends gave her lots of sympathy, but nothing they said helped. One of her old boyfriends commented, “There she is—the scientist who never discovered the secret to laughter.” Everybody laughed at that comment, except Naomi.

Meditation

In our lives, expectations matter. When we don’t think something is possible, even when it happens, we may not believe it. If we are unwilling to receive a message, it is unlikely that we will hear it. We need to be at least somewhat open to receiving that which is coming to us.

Naomi’s former classmates remembered her for who she had been. They weren’t willing to experience a new version of her—a funny, accomplished comedian. Sometimes people think that performers are to be evaluated simply on their talent. Many performers will tell you that the audience has as much to do with the success of the performance as the performer. An encouraging, receptive audience gets the most out of a skilled performer. Comedians can do the same act night after night, yet some places have audiences screaming with laughter and other places where people barely crack a smile. The audience makes a difference.

Now, let’s translate this to faith. When Jesus is in his hometown of Nazareth, the people have an expectation of who he is. Even though Jesus is now proclaiming the Word of God and doing the powerful works of God, the people refuse to let go of who they think he is. And Jesus can do almost no miracles for the hometown crowd. They even threaten to kill him.

It’s not just the people of Nazareth. It’s you and me. God does things for us that we dismiss. The world is charged with the grandeur of God, yet we think life is ordinary, that God is distant, that we aren’t special. But each day the spotlight shines, and we see the ingredients of our lives being reworked.

Let’s turn things around and open ourselves to the insights, encouragement, and love God is offering us on this day. Let’s be receptive. Let’s be the audience Jesus never got in Nazareth.

Water the seed and ask yourself...

Am I receptive to God’s message coming to me today?