Isn’t this the son of Joseph? - And they took offense at him…
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
In the title of this meditation, I have allowed myself to compile two passages, admittedly from different places in the Gospel, which, however, ultimately appear in situations of similar importance. It is impossible not to ask on the path of faith about the identity of Jesus, about who He actually is? Where is He coming from? What is the purpose of his mission? The last part of his book, Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Father Benedict XVI begins with similar questions.
The Pope notes that the main purpose of writing the so-called The Gospel of Jesus' childhood is an attempt to answer these important questions. We must be aware that the events related to the hidden life of Jesus were written down by those who look at them from the perspective of the community of disciples after the Easter events, i.e., those who became witnesses of Christ's death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Some exegetes who have been somewhat "carried away" by the historical-critical method in exegesis, have tried to completely deny the historical value of the description of the Annunciation, birth and hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth. There were even those who tried to reduce these Gospel passages to meaningless legends. However, Benedict XVI emphasizes the truthfulness of the events described, although he does not deny that the method itself is enriched with a deeper perception of them and reading them in the perspective of the saving mission of God's Son.
Nazareth origin
Let us return, however, to St. Joseph. What is his role in all this apparent "confusion"? We must realize that the Gospel is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and therefore its task is to lead us to faith in Jesus Christ, who is the true Son of God, and who at the same time became a true man out of love for each of us. Therefore, if Joseph appears in the Gospel at all, his task is to help us understand more deeply who Jesus is. Those who met Jesus during his earthly life did not have doubt about his humanity. He had the same normal human body as any other, he ate, drank, was tired and slept. However, it was difficult for the Jews, despite the signs with which Jesus confirmed his origin from the Father and have one divine nature with Him, to accept that the Teacher of Nazareth is the true God who assumed human nature. Hence, when Jesus spoke of His divine origin, the Jews accused Him of blasphemy, seeing the gravest sin in the fact that He, being a man, calls Himself God. An additional problem here was the Nazareth origin of Jesus and the fact that his relatives were known: mother Mary, father Joseph - a carpenter and the whole family. It was unacceptable to many that the son of a poor craftsman from the insignificant town of Nazareth made himself a teacher of Israel and also called himself the Son of God. Without faith, it would be easy to accuse Jesus of being confused or enslaved by an evil spirit who was putting himself in God's place. After all, we find numerous evidence of such thinking about Jesus in the Gospel.
It is strange, however, that in denying the true identity of Jesus Christ, Jews often refer to Joseph. By denying the Deity of the Savior, they indicate the paternity of the Patriarch of Nazareth. Thus, we see that the matter of Joseph and his relationship to the Incarnate Son of God becomes a kind of key to the cause of Jesus himself. It is God himself, aware of the risk of undermining the divine origin of the Savior, who decides that the virginal conception of the Son of God by the Holy Spirit becomes covered with the mantle of Mary's virginal marriage with Joseph. It would seem that for us today, who are aware of the mystery and enlightened by all that was written in the Gospel about the origin of Jesus, it is easier to believe in Him. As it turns out, the temptations to reject the divine or human nature of Jesus Christ are still the same and affect our daily lives very painfully. Theology is not a science above life, but reflection on God is always about man and his life. It is about accepting God who comes in our life history, our human events. It often happens not as we would like or have planned it. The Jews had two options: either to accept God as He came to them in the person of Jesus of Nazareth - the son of Joseph the carpenter, or not to accept Him at all. This choice takes place in our lives as well. It is therefore about accepting difficult moments, crises, darknesses in which everything seems to say: God cannot be present in this, and the devil seems to suggest that God does not exist at all or is indifferent to our pain and suffering.
To accept Jesus of Nazareth with Joseph means to accept our life, to discover in it the presence of a God who is so humble and hidden that sometimes we do not notice Him. For if we create an ideal and far from reality image of "sweet Jesus", we risk a constant escape from reality, a constant search for a paradise on earth that does not exist. Yes, paradise in the life of the believer is already on earth, but in the embryo. This paradise is the presence and dwelling, and the sharing of our earthly way of life and its problems through God Himself. Such a paradise was experienced by St. Joseph, when in the midst of everyday life, of his own crises, was constantly strengthened anew with this tiny and almost completely veiled light of God's presence in his home in Nazareth. Therefore, it is worth learning from Joseph that we truly believe in God's Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus is perfectus Deus, perfectus homo, true God and true man, and the first example that he gives us for most of his life is that of a good worker. How can we not feel the attractiveness of this life of Jesus, which is so close to ours? "Our Lord's whole life," comments St. Josemaría - it fills me with love. But I am especially drawn to the thirty years of his life hidden in Bethlehem, Egypt and Nazareth. This long time, which the Gospel merely mentions, might seem meaningless to someone looking at it superficially. Yet I have always found this silence about the Teacher's life very eloquent and a wonderful lesson for Christians. These were intense years of work and prayer. During these years, Jesus Christ led an ordinary life - one could say: a life like ours - human and God's at the same time. There, too, in that simple and unfamiliar craftsman's workshop, Jesus did everything perfectly, as he later did in front of the crowds "
Until Tomorrow
fr. george