“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?” In other words, “Who
does he think he is? He grew up here, we know exactly who
he is!” You can almost see their eyes rolling.
But they’re wrong, and their first words betray it: Jesus is
the “son of Joseph.” This assumption was probably safest
while Jesus was growing up, but the time has come to risk
speaking the full truth: “Everyone who listens to my Father
and learns from him comes to me. And they shall all be
taught by God.”
They’d seen him skin his knee, lose at childhood games.
They couldn’t honestly malign his character. But there’s something
about going from childhood into adult leadership that
must be done with authority to be accepted. Jesus did it with
complete authority, yet he didn’t convince his own neighbors.
As he noted with sadness, a prophet is honored everywhere
but his hometown.
What else do we miss due to familiarity? Do we miss the
wisdom of our parents because we’ve heard it a hundred times
before? Do we miss the sweet gift of coffee or tea because we
have it every morning? And do we miss the sacred staple of
eternal life because we see it every Sunday—so small to our
eyes, yet bigger than heaven and earth? God enjoys the paradox
of delivering big gifts in small, familiar boxes. Let’s watch
for them.

Susan Pitchford

Susan Pitchford is a retired sociologist and a Third Order
Franciscan. She is the author of The Sacred Gaze, God in the Dark,
and Following Francis. She is also a frequent speaker and retreat
leader, and the Guardian for Lifelong Formation of the Third Order
Society of St. Francis’ Province of the Americas.