1. Many depictions of the Holy Family portrayed Joseph and Mary as living in emotional isolation to avoid temptation, with Joseph as a "make-believe" father. However, the Gospels present them as a true husband and wife. 2. Matthew emphasizes that God gave Jesus and Mary to Joseph as his true son and wife. Joseph named Jesus, legally making him his heir, not just a legal arrangement. 3. Joseph treated Mary and Jesus with reverential awe and distance as the mother of the Messiah, but they were still a true family united by their care for Jesus.

1. Bible Alive: Jesus Christ
Class Five:
The Holy
Family & the
Hidden Years

2. The following presentation would be impossible without these
resources

3. And most of all…
By Father Roch A. Kereszty o. cist.
Thank you Father Roch!

4. Setting the Tone
• It is love alone that gives worth to all things.
—St. Teresa of Avila

6. Setting the Tone
• Because our sexuality is ultimately geared to embrace
everyone does not mean that we can be promiscuous
and, already here in this life, try to live that out. In fact,
paradoxically, it means the opposite. Only God can sleep
with everyone, and, thus, only in God can we sleep with
everyone. In this life, even though our sexuality has us
geared up for universal embrace, we only have two
options that are life-giving: Either we embrace the many
through the one (by sleeping with one person within a
monogamous marriage) or we embrace the one through
the many (by sleeping with no one, in celibacy). Both of
these are ways that will eventually open our sexuality up
so as to embrace everyone.
—Ronald Rolheiser

8. Setting the Tone
• God created man in His own image and likeness:
calling him to existence through love, He called
him at the same time for love.
God is love and in Himself He lives a mystery of
personal loving communion. Creating the human
race in His own image and continually keeping it in
being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and
woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and
responsibility, of love and communion. Love is
therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of
every human being.
—Pope John Paul II

10. Let us Pray
Good Father
Remind us, O Lord
That we, in your Spirit of Adoption
Have been made one family in Christ.
And grant us eyes of faith, and ears that listen.
Help us to be, in faith, true fathers and mothers,
sisters and brothers,
In your Trinitarian Love,
Amen.

11. Summarizing Last Class
• We explored the hidden event of the Virginal
Conception of Jesus.
• We saw that this Tradition has roots in Palestinian
Jewish Christianity rather than Hellenism, and why.
• We learned about the “brothers and sisters” of Jesus.
• We discover why Mary’s virginity is not based on
Gnostic hatred of the body, but on the understanding
of virginity as a total consecration to God in pure and
undivided love.
• We saw how through her faith and love, Mary
cooperates in the birth of believers

12. Describe the Holy Family
• What misunderstandings about the Holy
Family do you think might arise given the
Virginal Conception of Jesus?
• Look at the following images.

14. The Danger of Making
“Make Believe”
• Misunderstandings arose concerning “the
Holy Family” because of the virginal
conception.
• Joseph and Mary were pictured as a make-believe
couple; their marriage being a “cover” for folks who did
not know “the real story.”
• What was the “real story”? Joseph and Mary lived in a
certain emotional and existential isolation from each
other, in order to avoid “temptation.”
• Joseph was regarded as a “pater putativus,” the make-
believe father provided to insure legitimacy for the Son
of God in Jewish society.

15. Why were these distortions made?
• According to Kereszty, the Holy Family was
depicted often in Catholic devotional
literature so that their otherworldly and lofty
character might be extolled.

16. Gospels—A Very Different Picture
• Mt 1:16, 20, 24
…and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of
Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ…
But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of
David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”… When
Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the
Lord commanded him; he took his wife…
• Lk 2:5
…to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who
was with child.

17. Gospels—A Very Different Picture
• Both Matthew and Luke affirm:
1. The virginal conception.
2. That Joseph and Mary were truly husband and wife.
How does this depiction contrast with much of
devotional literature and imagery?
• See how this depiction contrasts with much
of devotional literature and imagery of the
Holy Family?

18. Matthean
Emphasis
• Matthew emphasizes
that God gave Jesus and
Mary to Joseph as what?
Answer: as his son and
wife.
– Joseph did not dare take
Mary into his home and
accept HER child as HIS
son UNTIL he was
commanded to do so by
the angel.

19. Angelic Message:
Davidic Inheritance
• When the angel says to Joseph, “YOU will call
him Jesus,” and Joseph does so—(Mt 1:25)“and
he called his name Jesus”—this expresses, in
Jewish society, the father taking possession of
the baby.
• In the Matthean account, Joseph NAMING Jesus is
significant. Legal paternity was SERIOUS in Jewish antiqity.
• It means the child is really GRAFTED INTO the family of David
and became heir to ALL the promises God made to David’s
family.

20. Joseph was no
Make–Believe Father
• Matthew seems to imply MORE THAN a legal
arrangement.
• God bestows the child on Joseph, God’s self—an act
beyond mere legal status.
• Despite the truth that the child has no biological origin
in Joseph, this divine giving of the child to Joseph is SO
REAL that Jesus BECOMES TRULY Joseph’s own son.

21. Contrast with Legal Paternity
• Kereszty says that in simple legal fatherhood—“there is always
another human being, ‘the real, biological father’ who begot
the child and through this act remains related to the child.”
» Always interference and frequent conflict will occur
between this natural blood relationship and the child’s legal
relationship to his adoptive father.
» Not so with Jesus. In the creative act by which the Messiah
comes into being, and the man Jesus’ transcendent
relationship to his heavenly Father resulting from the
conception, do not interfere/conflict with Joseph’s
fatherhood—rather, they constitute it and fill it with
meaning.
» Joseph becomes instrument and earthly image for the
Father’s saving and protecting love for his Son.
» In Matthew’s theology, Joseph is to Jesus what God is to
Israel: he saves his son from destruction and brings him out
of Egypt.

22. Relationship: Joseph, Mary, & Jesus
• Why did Joseph want to dismiss Mary?
Mt 1:18-21
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came
together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her
husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to
shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins.”

23. Joseph haTzaddik
• How does the theology of Matthew
describe Joseph (Mt 1:19)?
– Joseph is a “righteous man” or a “just man”; that is to say,
he is “tzaddik” an important Hebrew concept. This you
should know is a powerful term in the Bible—one
inaccessible without being familiar with the Old
Testament. The “just” or “righteous” man is the “mighty
warrior” who conquers his inclinations towards pride,
power and oppression, and practices righteousness and
humility, and who is, like God, always on “the side of the
oppressed.” Poor in Spirit, the Torah is his meditation, day
and night, and in humility he waits on wisdom. Indeed, the
Tzaddik never ignores the smallest part of the Law.

24. The Name of Joseph
• What about the name
“Joseph”? What is so
significant about that?
– The name “Joseph” is
the name of a very
special character from
the Old Testament, who,
here in Matthew, is
being recalled
or alluded to.
– This Old Testament
Joseph was an example
of what it means to be
righteous.

25. Let’s compare:
• What was the name of Joseph’s father in the
Old Testament and Matthew’s Joseph?
Mt 1:16; then 1:2—
…and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband
of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is
called Christ. …
(v 1:2) Abraham was the father of Isaac, and
Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father
of Judah and his brothers…

26. Let’s compare:
• How does God speak to Joseph in Matthew?
Mt 1:20-21, 2:13, 19-20, 22
• But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” …
• Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a
dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain
there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” …
• But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt, saying,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought
the child's life are dead.”
But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he
was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of
Galilee.

27. Let’s compare:
• Compare this with the Genesis Joseph
Gen 37:5-11
Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the
more.
He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed:
behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright;
and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf.”
His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have
dominion over us?” So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words.
Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have
dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were
bowing down to me.”
But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to
him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your
brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

28. What does Joseph do for his family?
• Mt 2:13
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee
to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for
the child, to destroy him.”
• Gen 45:16-20
Then the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have
come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your
beasts and go back to the land of Canaan;
and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give
you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’
Command them also, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your
little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
Give no thought to your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is
yours.’”

29. Joseph’s AWE
• Why did Joseph want to
dismiss Mary?
• Kereszty answers:
It was AWE.
• In the Matthean account,
Joseph probably was not
suspicious of Mary being
unfaithful but rather the
“fear of the Lord” so
characteristic of the
tzaddik—an awestruck
reverence distancing
himself from involvement
in a divine mystery he
sensed in Mary.
• He needed God’s
reassurance in order to
overcome this awe.

30. M. Krämer’s reconstruction
• The Aramaic text possibly underlying Mt 1:20,
should be thus translated—“Joseph, son of
David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife
just because the child was conceived in her by
the Holy Spirit.”
• This reverential awe must have continued
after taking Mary and her child in…

31. “The Child and his Mother”
• This awe is evident even after Joseph and Mary live
together. The phrase “the child and his mother” occurs
four times in the story of the flight to Egypt—never once
“his wife and son.”
1. Mt 2:13
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother,
and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to
search for the child, to destroy him.”
2. Mt 2:14
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed
to Egypt…
3. Mt 2:20
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for
those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
4. Mt 2:21
And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land
of Israel.

32. An Awe of Distance
• All of this suggests a reverential distance and awe separating
Joseph from the Messiah and his mother. This distance is
made clear when comparing Mt 2:20-21 with Ex 4:19-20, two
texts which are quite similar—BUT notice the difference!
• Mt 2:20-21
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel , for those
who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and
his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
• Ex 4:19-20
“Go back to Egypt ; for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
So Moses took his wife and his son and… went back to the land of Egypt …

33. • In Matthew who is the
center of Joseph’s
care?
Answer: The child is
the center of Joseph’s
efforts and Mary is
Joseph’s wife insofar as
she is the mother of the
Messiah.

34. Mary & Joseph?
• Don’t believe that Mary and Joseph lived in emotional isolation from one
another.
– Hyper-devotion to the Holy Family, contaminated by a superstitious fideism, has
done plenty of damage already.
– Jesus, who causes the distance of reverence in their relationship, also unites
them as Family. Whereas in other human couples it is the mutual love of
husband and wife expressed in vows and consummated in sexual relations that
bring forth children and intimacy, in the Holy Family it is the child himself (God’s
gift to Mary first, and then with Mary to Joseph) who brings about the close
intimacy between Mary and Joseph.
– Mary and Joseph go up together to Bethlehem and suffer together (Lk 2:7). They
suffer together with no room to lodge in. They save the Messiah together from
his would-be killers (Mt 2:13-15). They present him at the Temple together (Lk
2:22-38). Likewise they search for him together and together they discover him
on the third day (Lk 2:41-50). They feed him together, provide for him together,
educate him together. Together their faith is challenged by his destiny and
growing consciousness of his vocation. Their human love for one another grew
and deepened for love of Jesus.
– Therefore there is no existential separation, nor emotional isolation, between
Mary and Joseph.

36. The Holy Family
• Here then is a unique phenomenon in history—
the Holy Family. Why did God want this?
• This is the model of all Christian communities—even though it
will never be realized in such a radical way.
• Every Christian community is constituted, maintained and
strengthened by the common faith, love and service of Jesus
rather than by blood relations or natural attraction among its
members. Not only do religious orders, parishes, and “basic
Christian communities” share in the mystery of the Holy
Family, in some way every Christian family does.
• Through the Sacrament of Marriage Christ himself is present in
the Christian family and transforms the flesh and blood love of
the partners into unconditional self-giving, so that, gradually,
their love for each other will bring them closer to Christ
himself.

37. The Son of David
• Is Jesus the “Son of David”?
• The Apostolic Church emphasizes Jesus’
descent from the House of David. For her Son
of David is an integral part of the evidence
that Jesus is the Messiah in whom God’s
promises have all been fulfilled.

38. “Son of David” in the New Testament
• Rom 1:1-3
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for
the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his
prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who
was descended from David according to the flesh…
• Acts 13:22-23
And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king;
of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse
a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man’s posterity
God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
• Mt 2:5-6
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the
prophet:
‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will govern my people Israel.’”

39. In Jesus’ OWN Words
• What about Jesus’ own position? Does Jesus
ever designate himself as “Son of David”?
• Consider Mk 12:35-37.
And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say
that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the
Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
till I put thy enemies under thy feet.’
David himself calls him Lord; so how is he his son?” And the great
throng heard him gladly.
• What does Jesus mean by this?

40. Jewish Culture
• The son can NEVER be placed above the father. In no sense could
a father address his son as Lord.
• Jesus does not solve the problem he raises, but rather points to the
mysterious origins of the Messiah. And in the theology of the
Fourth Gospel, Jesus is even more reticent to address Davidic ties to
his origin.
• Consider Jn 7:42
“…Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and
comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
• Jesus does not even react to Jewish provocations about this matter.
This, together with the irreconcilable genealogies of Matthew and
Luke, has provoked certain theologians to claim that Jesus’ Davidic
descent has no historical basis.
• In other words it was created for a theological purpose, to show
that the messianic promises given to David were fulfilled in Jesus.

41. The Genealogies
• Because the genealogies found in Matthew
and Luke do not and were not intended to be
historically-reliable family trees of Jesus,
does this mean that we may dismiss claims of
Jesus’’ Davidic lineage as legendary?
Kereszty answers, Nope.
This does not constitute sufficient
grounds.

42. Jesus’ Reluctance?
• What about Jesus’ own reluctance to call
himself “Son of David”? Does this mean that
we may dismiss claims of Jesus’’ Davidic
lineage?
Kereszty answers, Nope.
This does not constitute a denial. In fact,
when others address him as “Son of
David,” he accepts the title.

43. Accepting Jesus as Son of David
• What are the arguments in favor of accepting Jesus’ Davidic
heritage?
1. It is a common datum found in two traditions that developed
independently, in Matthean and Lucan infancy narratives, despite
contradictions on several issues.
2. Even more importantly it is attested to in a source much earlier
than the two Gospels; Paul in Rom 1:3 quotes from a keregmatic
formula that speaks about Jesus’ Davidic descendancy. This
derives from the earliest days of Christianity. It is doubtful that
Paul would have accepted it had he not been convinced of its
accuracy. Would Paul have used the expression if he knew that
Jesus was not really descended from David (Gal 2:12)? Paul, given
his Phariseeical training, and who cites twice his won origins (Rom
11:1; Phil 3:5) would have been very interested in Jesus’ Davidic
descent.

44. Jesus the Teenager
• In the Apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas,
Jesus the youth makes clay birds with his hands
and breathes into them to live, he curses
teachers and they fall dead, when questioned by
scholars of astronomy he gives discourses on the
heavenly bodies, and physicians fall at his feet
and worship him for his knowledge.
• Is this how the canonical Gospel of Luke
presents Jesus as a twelve year old?
Nope. Jesus has a normal
childhood, no miracles.

45. Luke 2:52
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in
favor with God and man.
• What is the meaning of Lk 2:52?
• Wisdom in the Old Testament means understanding God’s Plan
and will, and includes living according to that will.
• This implies what? Jesus GREW in understanding God’s plan and
will.
• Does Luke see ANY contradiction between Jesus being the Son of
God and him going through the ordinary natural and normal
processes of human development? ANSWER: NO.
• Does Luke see any contradiction between Jesus undergoing the
NORMAL process of psychological development and him being Son
of God? ANSWER: Nope.
• In fact, Luke gives us a concrete example of how this “growth in
wisdom” took place.

46. Read Luke 2:46
• After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting among the teachers, listening to them
and asking them questions…
– When do his parents find Jesus?
– Where is he?
– What is Jesus doing (46-47)?
– What does “listening” mean in the theology of
the Gospel of Luke (Lk 6:47, 8:21, 11:28)?

47. Listening in Luke
• Lk 6:47-48
Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you
what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the
foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that
house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
• Lk 8:21
But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of
God and do it.”
• Lk 11:28
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

48. Listening in Luke…
• Listening means that the young Jesus has the
attitude of a disciple, who wants to learn God’s
word and will.
• Jesus is sincerely searching the meaning of the
Scriptures and, through these, is gaining a fuller
understanding of his vocation.
• Luke 2:49 gives Jesus’ reply to the questions of
his anxious mother. The two-fold reply explains
who he is and his vocation—he must be in his
Father’s house.

49. The Reaction of the Parents
• Read Lk 2:48-50—What does the astonished incomprehension of
his parents indicate? Had Jesus ever addressed his parents in this
manner before in such clear terms about his relationship to his
Father?
– Here in Luke’s theology Jesus reveals his identity and vocation to his
parents for the first time. EVERYTHING, even the sacred ties of family,
pales in importance when compared to his vocation.
– Is this historical? While there is GENERAL AGREEMENT between
scholars that this saying of Jesus and the story surrounding it, go back
to a pre-Lukan tradition, there is NO AGREEMENT that in 2:51 (“…and
his mother kept all these things in her heart”) we find a discreet
reference to his source.
– Nevertheless this is no mere fabrication on the part of the author.
Luke is trying to theologically elaborate on a real event from the life of
Jesus the teenager.
– Jesus at 12 runs away; that and his reply to his mother indicate a
BREAKTHROUGH in his self-awareness, a clearer discovery of his own
identity. It overpowers him to abandon everything else, even his
parents.

50. Jesus & Samuel
• Let’s compare and contrast young Jesus with young
Samuel—
1 Sam 2:19-3:19
And *Samuel’s+ mother *Hannah+ used to make for him a little robe and
take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the
yearly sacrifice.
Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The LORD give you
children by this woman for the loan which she lent to the LORD”; so then
they would return to their home.
And the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and
two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD…
…Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with
the LORD and with men…
•

51. Jesus & Samuel
• 1 Sam 2:19-3:19 cont.
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD
was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see, was lying
down in his own place; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down
within the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!”
and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down
again.” So he went and lay down.
And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I
am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been
revealed to him.
•

52. Jesus & Samuel
• 1 Sam 2:19-3:19 cont.
And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to
Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD
was calling the boy.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say,
‘Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his
place.
And the LORD came and stood forth, calling as at other times, “Samuel!
Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for thy servant hears.”

53. Jesus & Samuel Compared
• The Samuel text serves as a model for the Lucan story. This parallelism is
important, for Jesus is the Last Prophet in Luke’s theology, who brings
about the fulfillment or completion the work of all the Prophets. What
do we see?
1. Both Jesus and Samuel are seen as growing in favor with God and men.
2. The decisive event happens in the sanctuary.
3. But does Samuel recognize God’s voice? No. He must learn it through the
intercessory help of the priest, Eli. God’s word comes to Samuel as
something strange and unknown. This is different for Jesus he
recognizes his own Father with whom he must ALWAYS be.
4. Nor does Samuel dare to obey God at the beginning. Its very different for
Jesus. Jesus does not encounter God as some stranger who tries to make
his word heard. Rather Jesus experiences God in a clearer recognition of
his own identity.

54. Silence & Obscurity
• The Gospels are silent as to over 90 percent of
Jesus’ earthly life. What does this mean?
• In most of his life nothing extraordinary happened that
warranted recording.
• He grew up, worked hard in a big family complete with older
relatives the New Testament calls brothers and sisters.
• Though at his birth and death he experienced abject poverty,
through most of his life he was “middle class” and, though
worked hard, had no needs.
• He took part in the religious life of his people.
• He mastered the world of the Bible—his parables
demonstrate this.
• This learning must have happened at Nazareth.

56. Read Mk 6:2-3
• And on the sabbath he began to teach in the
synagogue; and many who heard him were
astonished, saying, “Where did this man get
all this? What is the wisdom given to him?
What mighty works are wrought by his hands!
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and
brother of James and Joses and Judas and
Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.

57. A Telling Anger
• This angry reaction of the people of Nazareth shows that for much
of his life Jesus was just a normal, ordinary guy.
• The ordinary character of Jesus private life is the most powerful
commentary we have on the REALISM of the Incarnation.
• He does not come to earth like the gods of the Pagan myths, “for a
little while,” and then, after his visit, return to the bliss of
Olympus. He really, without shortcut, endured the WHOLE
PROCESS of becoming human.
• He accepted the authority of parents, learned a trade, and became
part of a people. In an ordinary Jewish environment, under the
maturing influence of manifold human relationships, his
consciousness and vocation developed and unfolded GRADUALLY.
• Jesus is REALLY God become man. He went through an entire
human process.
• Questions & Assignment