Picture this....
Well, Christmas day is over, the presents are open and we are now just enjoying what is left of our holiday break!
As we all get caught up in flurry of Christmas, it makes it easy to forget who Jesus started out as, so let's picture this:
Mary and Joseph (Jesus's mom and dad) find themselves pregnant and unmarried and are therefore outcasts in society. They don't fit in! When Mary is finally in labour, they can't find anywhere that will take them in. They end up settling for what ever they can get - bunking in with farm animals in a barn with their scratchy hay and manure. By today, Jesus would have only been a few days old and Mary and Joseph would still be adjusting to life with a newborn baby - organizing feedings, enduring sleepless nights, and worrying about where they would go next and how they would do it with a new baby. All the while, attempting to manage the constant stream of visitors who made their way to see their child (shepherds, kings etc). And yet, this is the Son of God.
As Jesus grew up, his family was probably poor and worked hard to have enough. Maybe the kids from his village laughed at him for his ratty, dirty clothes or his family that were thought to be the "weirdos" of the town. Maybe Jesus had a chore list from his parents, or a list of rules that he was expected to follow...just like the rest of us, maybe Mary had frustrated moments of thinking "This can't possibly be the Son of God!!!".
Learning carpentry from his Dad, Jesus took up the trade in young adulthood. It was not a high class job, thats for sure, but he probably got along fine. The manual labor was exhausting, but he worked hard. Then he began to draw followers, as he told stories that seemed totally unbelievable. To most people, they seemed backwards, and totally contradictory to the society of the day. He was mocked and laughed at, and right up until he was killed, some people thought he was just some crazy person claiming to be the Son of God.
Today, it is easy to categorize people and their potential contributions to society based on their social standing...whether they were part of the "in crowd". Throughout Jesus' life, he was seen as an outcast, challenging us to see beyond people's clothes or job or the neighborhood they live in. As we continue to celebrate the humble birth of Christ, we must also now look to the ordinary lives we go back to. During this Christmas season, we sometimes see Jesus as the almighty King but we also must consider the realities of his existence - an outsider with a humble message. And as we head back to our ordinaries, lets challenge ourselves to take notice of those who we consider outsiders in our society today.
(And here's a quote, because I like quotes!!!)
"It's good to remember that Jesus grew up as a poor Jew in a poor town. His life was not about having great material possessions, but about living for God in this humble and modest way." - Stephen Chapman, associate professor of the Old Testament at Duke Divinity School
Posting by:
- Erin McIntyre, Koino Bible Instructor 2009
As we all get caught up in flurry of Christmas, it makes it easy to forget who Jesus started out as, so let's picture this:
Mary and Joseph (Jesus's mom and dad) find themselves pregnant and unmarried and are therefore outcasts in society. They don't fit in! When Mary is finally in labour, they can't find anywhere that will take them in. They end up settling for what ever they can get - bunking in with farm animals in a barn with their scratchy hay and manure. By today, Jesus would have only been a few days old and Mary and Joseph would still be adjusting to life with a newborn baby - organizing feedings, enduring sleepless nights, and worrying about where they would go next and how they would do it with a new baby. All the while, attempting to manage the constant stream of visitors who made their way to see their child (shepherds, kings etc). And yet, this is the Son of God.
As Jesus grew up, his family was probably poor and worked hard to have enough. Maybe the kids from his village laughed at him for his ratty, dirty clothes or his family that were thought to be the "weirdos" of the town. Maybe Jesus had a chore list from his parents, or a list of rules that he was expected to follow...just like the rest of us, maybe Mary had frustrated moments of thinking "This can't possibly be the Son of God!!!".
Learning carpentry from his Dad, Jesus took up the trade in young adulthood. It was not a high class job, thats for sure, but he probably got along fine. The manual labor was exhausting, but he worked hard. Then he began to draw followers, as he told stories that seemed totally unbelievable. To most people, they seemed backwards, and totally contradictory to the society of the day. He was mocked and laughed at, and right up until he was killed, some people thought he was just some crazy person claiming to be the Son of God.
Today, it is easy to categorize people and their potential contributions to society based on their social standing...whether they were part of the "in crowd". Throughout Jesus' life, he was seen as an outcast, challenging us to see beyond people's clothes or job or the neighborhood they live in. As we continue to celebrate the humble birth of Christ, we must also now look to the ordinary lives we go back to. During this Christmas season, we sometimes see Jesus as the almighty King but we also must consider the realities of his existence - an outsider with a humble message. And as we head back to our ordinaries, lets challenge ourselves to take notice of those who we consider outsiders in our society today.
(And here's a quote, because I like quotes!!!)
"It's good to remember that Jesus grew up as a poor Jew in a poor town. His life was not about having great material possessions, but about living for God in this humble and modest way." - Stephen Chapman, associate professor of the Old Testament at Duke Divinity School
Posting by:
- Erin McIntyre, Koino Bible Instructor 2009
posted by CwM Summer! at
9:52 AM
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