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Belief is not something we always come by easily. James is proof of that today.
James of Jerusalem, listed in our Gospel lesson as the brother of Jesus, was not a Disciple. In 1 Corinthians, Paul lists Jesus’ appearances after the Resurrection, and James is not listed among the Twelve, but instead the Lord appeared to James separately. He came to believe, but not until after Jesus’ death.
As people, we are geared to believe that if we just see something, we’ll know it to be true. But that’s not what we see with James. That’s not what we see with Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, as we hear in our Gospel this evening. They did not believe in Jesus, even though they heard His great wisdom and His deeds of power, as the townspeople themselves admit. Why would they? How could Jesus be special to them? He was just a boy they remembered growing up in their town.
That James came to believe gives us hope, as does the current town of Nazareth’s embrace of their status as Jesus’ hometown. It took time for both, but they did come to believe.
For us to believe, like them, we have to keep our eyes and ears open for when God is working among us. We have to be ready to experience God in those places that we would not have thought possible. Only then can we hear and accept the Word fo God as it comes to us in the moment instead of, God-willing, years and years after.