Mark 6:3 “Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (NAB) “He’s only the carpenter….” (Phillips)
“….and they took offense at him.” (NIV)
“….they tripped over what little they knew of him and fell sprawling. And they never got any further”. (MSG)
Heavenly Father,
“He’s only the carpenter…” “They tripped over what little they knew of him…and they never got any further.” A sad comment on all of us. We have pre-conceived notions about almost everything and everybody.
Jesus’ relatives and hometown people saw a one-dimensional person…”the carpenter”….in Jesus. They had him labeled and pegged…”Mary’s son”, one of those kids from that family. What he was on the surface was all they could understand. Jesus came to preach repentance…change. Change goes beyond whatever one-dimension we are locked into or seeing. Change allows “the carpenter” to become “the Savior”.
How do we see Jesus? Is he just our Savior or is he also Lord of our life? Is he a man who died on a cross in great pain and agony or is he a Son who conquered death and arose from the grave victorious? Is he just a miracle worker we can ask things of or is he a teacher who changes our life? Is he the fulfillment of your plan for mankind or just a name we attach to our churches and our “religion”?
Jesus is the carpenter, but he came to rebuild our relationship with You. He came as the Cornerstone of the Church that would spread this Good News. He came as the Foundation we build our reborn, resurrected lives on. Even in the Church we often “trip” over the little we know of him and “never get any further”. We have to drop our pre-conceived notions taught by others and seek for ourselves to find out who this “carpenter” is. We must get to know him on a personal basis. Invite him home. Spend time with him. Talk to him. Listen to him. Be astounded by his wisdom and his signs and wonders. We must constantly seek to know who he is in our life.
Peter learned this. His knowledge of Jesus changed as his one-on-one relationship with Jesus changed. There were steps forward and steps back, but in the end he knew who Jesus was. We too must learn this. He isn’t just “the carpenter” who fixed our lives on the cross (Easter). Nor is he just “Mary’s son” (Christmas). He is our opportunity to know You, our Father. He is Son of Man/Son of God….all the times in between Christmas and Easter, he is there waiting to be recognized as your love for us. Thank you! Amen.
