Parentage
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph. Luke 3:23
We live in the time after the story played out. We know who Jesus is. We know his parentage but the people who lived in his time did not. “He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.” Hm…. Jesus knew who his real father was (Luke 2:49) but the people around him saw him as Mary and Joseph’s son.
I grew up in an environment where a lot of things are kept secret. It’s all for someone’s good of course, but it results in lies and those types of things often end badly. More than once I heard stories of a child being told that his/her grandparents were the parents because an older sister had given birth at too young an age. No joke, this was not a one-time story in my life. Did you ever have that moment when you wished someone would tell you that you were adopted? I have. Of course for me it was a pie in the sky wish. My two oldest sisters are women who followed the rules. So I wasn’t getting that disclosure. I am number five to a mother who only wanted two children. Clearly she didn’t look for a child to adopt. Therefore, I am the product of the two people who raised me, for sure. So let’s look at Jesus’ story.
Over here is Jesus, going out to do his job, the job his Abba sent him to do. Over here are the rest of the people, whispering behind their hands. “Isn’t that Jesus? He’s the carpenter’s kid, right? Well, look at him, preaching on the corner, making wine from water, giving blind men sight and lame men legs. And what was that?!? Did he just tell that chick her sins were forgiven? He’s nuts!”
The hometown crew may have had trouble believing what they were seeing. After all, everyone knew the story, illegitimate and all that jazz. Jesus’ known parentage should have kept him hiding in his home. He was the child conceived before the wedding. He was the shame of his mother, at least as the worldly view saw it. Jesus knew better. He knew he was the Son of God. He knew his father and he knew how much his father loved him.
That same knowledge exists for us. I am the daughter, by birth, of Genevieve and Joseph but my real father is God. Jesus didn’t let his odd, questionable parentage limit his ministry. We can’t either. Whether you have great parents or poor ones if you will accept the truth, you’ll know that your real father is God. He stands with open arms, waiting to welcome you. Then you can be called his own, and the names on your birth certificate will carry far less significance than the fact that your name is the only book that matters, the Book of Life.
We live in the time after the story played out. We know who Jesus is. We know his parentage but the people who lived in his time did not. “He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.” Hm…. Jesus knew who his real father was (Luke 2:49) but the people around him saw him as Mary and Joseph’s son.
I grew up in an environment where a lot of things are kept secret. It’s all for someone’s good of course, but it results in lies and those types of things often end badly. More than once I heard stories of a child being told that his/her grandparents were the parents because an older sister had given birth at too young an age. No joke, this was not a one-time story in my life. Did you ever have that moment when you wished someone would tell you that you were adopted? I have. Of course for me it was a pie in the sky wish. My two oldest sisters are women who followed the rules. So I wasn’t getting that disclosure. I am number five to a mother who only wanted two children. Clearly she didn’t look for a child to adopt. Therefore, I am the product of the two people who raised me, for sure. So let’s look at Jesus’ story.
Over here is Jesus, going out to do his job, the job his Abba sent him to do. Over here are the rest of the people, whispering behind their hands. “Isn’t that Jesus? He’s the carpenter’s kid, right? Well, look at him, preaching on the corner, making wine from water, giving blind men sight and lame men legs. And what was that?!? Did he just tell that chick her sins were forgiven? He’s nuts!”
The hometown crew may have had trouble believing what they were seeing. After all, everyone knew the story, illegitimate and all that jazz. Jesus’ known parentage should have kept him hiding in his home. He was the child conceived before the wedding. He was the shame of his mother, at least as the worldly view saw it. Jesus knew better. He knew he was the Son of God. He knew his father and he knew how much his father loved him.
That same knowledge exists for us. I am the daughter, by birth, of Genevieve and Joseph but my real father is God. Jesus didn’t let his odd, questionable parentage limit his ministry. We can’t either. Whether you have great parents or poor ones if you will accept the truth, you’ll know that your real father is God. He stands with open arms, waiting to welcome you. Then you can be called his own, and the names on your birth certificate will carry far less significance than the fact that your name is the only book that matters, the Book of Life.
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