“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” (Mark 6:3)
One can understand quite a lot from the context of these short passages, and as we should each day, looking at the life of Christ should be one of our main priorities.
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being; (Acts 17:28a)
Of course, the Scriptures must speak for themselves, and caution must always be taken not to infer from them what is not revealed to us. Many false religions have started by doing just that.
I am not exactly sure how long it had been since the Lord returned to the town He was raised in, but I know it was less than three years and so of course He would be recognized. “Raised in” might not be the appropriate way to say that though, for I firmly believe that the Lord knew who He was from birth, He received no revelation from the Father that He was the Son of God, He always knew. “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)
At the age of twelve He did not become aware of who He was, He was sent with a specific purpose, and He always knew that purpose, that young child was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Those who heard Him speak that day in His “home town” were both astounded and confused in a way by His words, which might indicate that He had not spoken thusly to them in the past, that these were words and Spiritual concepts that He had not expounded to them before He left to begin His three plus years ministry. “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Matt. 15:38)
Again, their unbelief could only come from the fact that He had not done any miracles there before He left, or that the ones He did do were unknown to all but the one to whom He healed or otherwise helped. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” (Psalm 91:11)
I do not believe the carpenter ever hit his thumb with a hammer, I do not believe He ever made a mistake in Joseph’s woodworking shop, everything He built came out perfectly, the chair never broke, the table never wobbled, and I believe the family of Joseph and many along with His half-siblings prospered in all that they did.
Did the six-year-old Jesus go out and play with the other children, or was He ostracized because He was different? He never disobeyed His parents, He kept the Law perfectly, He was obedient continuously. How did the fair maidens react when He refused their enticements, what was said behind the back of the one who did not marry, or even date? Was He sought out for wisdom, or was He the “quiet one?”
They saw Him as nothing more than the carpenter’s son who had finally left the town and struck out on His own. “Why would the eldest not stay and take care of the family?” Despised and rejected of men.
No, they did not know who He was, and He did not tell them until He returned, and then they would not believe Him.
Would you like to know what its like to be like Christ? Start speaking about Him in your hometown, see the reception you get.
A quiet young man who mostly kept to Himself, one that for some reason to those around Him always seemed a little homesick, a little forlorn. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
Despised, rejected, sorrowful, full of grief. Still want to be Christlike?
Forgive me if my conjectures have perhaps gone a little too far, but I can think of nothing more profitable than thoughts of our Savior.