I think that we often think of Jesus as the instant healer, irresistible teacher, incredible miracle maker, and infallible counselor, with a ministry that swept through the land without opposition…right? I mean, after all, he is God in flesh isn’t he? How could it be any other way?
“Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, ‘Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?’ Then theyscoffed, ‘He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.’ They were deeply offended and refused to believe him.”
They scoffed and were offended! For those who wonder if Jesus had any other family, here we have his brothers named and his sisters mentioned. But a packed house in the synagogue was offended at his wisdom and miracle power. His success in Israel was not duplicated in his hometown. Remember all the little mentions of Mary wondering about the nature of her son, saving memories and pondering them in her heart? She remembered and pondered, but that does not mean that she immediately believed in her son, the Messiah, God in flesh. The brothers of Jesus certainly didn’t…not until after the resurrection. And the people he grew up with “refused” to believe in him.
I am led to believe that as Jesus grew up, he was a normal little boy, then adolescent, then apprentice, and finally carpenter, with normal relationships in the village. It wasn’t until the late 2nd and then 3rd centuries that we find “infancy gospels” written to reveal Jesus’ early years. Those apocryphal “gospels” reveal a young Jesus who was full of miracles and preternatural sayings, often unfriendly and dangerous, even to taking the life of playmates. I’ve read translations of those writings and it is clear that they were written, not to reveal the truth about Jesus’ early life, but to advance and support a particular doctrine of that time. They are not true.
I think it was important for Jesus to be a “normal” person before his ministry. In the book of Hebrews it says, “Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” In order to fulfill his role, Jesus could not be raised as the perfect little Son of God, separate from all that it means to be normal. Nor could he be insulated from the insults, weariness, rejection, disrespect, and suffering of his adult life…the life we see recorded in the gospels. Every temptation and weakness had to be in his experience if he was to truly represent us before the throne of Grace.
His answer to the rejection of the synagogue in Nazareth has its own poignancy: “Jesus told them, ‘A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.’ And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” God will not force belief on anyone; it’s always our choice.
Prayer: “Merciful Father, I believe…and I am grateful to know that Jesus understands my desires and passions, and my temptations, so well that he is both able and willing to speak for me before your throne. You are great and holy, and I am weak and sinful. Bless your name! For you have acted to take away my weakness and sinfulness so that I might enter your holy heaven. You are mighty and merciful, wise and compassionate. I will live forever in your grace and forgiveness. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”